King and Queen Crowned, Students Recognized During 99th Annual Engineers Banquet at OU
OU College of Engineering
NORMAN, Okla. – Feb. 19 to 25 is a special week in the life of engineering students, engineers in the workplace and government agencies. National Engineers Week, created in 1951 by the National Society for Professional Engineers, is an annual celebration scheduled in conjunction with President George Washington’s birthday; Washington is considered an engineer because of his competency as a surveyor.
No, it wasn’t St. Patrick’s Day yet, but it looked like it, as everything was coming up green shamrocks at the University of Oklahoma. E-Week enjoys a rich tradition here, transplanted in1914 by a new member of OU’s faculty from the University of Missouri at Columbia, where the Irish influence began.
Senior architectural engineering student from Oklahoma City and E-Week chair, Alyse Burgess, led the 2012 E-Week festivities. The week-long celebration featured record-breaking participation by OU engineering students in events that included a Road Rallye, Engineering Quiz Bowl, Games Tournament, Engineers Got Talent, E-Olympics, blood drive and ice cream social. The week concluded in a banquet Saturday night, where OU Engineering student life was celebrated and student service work and outstanding achievements were recognized.
Senior electrical engineering student from Ft. Worth, David Vreeland, served as the master of ceremonies. College of Engineering Dean Thomas Landers welcomed guests, saying, “I am pleased to see all of you here this evening. This record turnout is due in large part to the efforts of our students and the enthusiasm of everyone who has the privilege to be a part of OU Engineering.”
Carl Sondergeld, professor and Mewbourne Chair in the Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering, received the Brandon H. Griffith Award, established in 1969 in honor of Professor Griffith and presented in observance of excellence in teaching.
Amy Piper, student services coordinator and liaison in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, received the Cherry Griffith Award, established in 2005 in honor of Cherry Griffith, a devoted advocate for students in the College of Engineering. Griffith is recognized for her extraordinary support for students.
E-Club and Loyal Knights of Old Trusty faculty adviser and assistant professor in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, Chris Ramseyer, acknowledged LKOT members in an annual ceremony. Students who were recognized included Carly Young, a senior aerospace engineering student from Paris, Ark.; Brad Perry, senior mechanical engineering student from Yukon; Jason Kilpatrick, senior civil engineering student from Flower Mound, Texas; Will Nichols, senior petroleum engineering student from Edmond; Cassie Gonzales, senior civil engineering student from Flower Mound; Jason Pina, senior chemical engineering student from Roosevelt, Okla. and Kaylie Branstetter, senior chemical engineering student from Pryor.
The evening concluded with the coronation of the E-Week King and Queen. Logan Klein, a junior electrical engineering student from Dallas, was named King. Colleen Shappee, a junior civil engineering student from Houston, was crowned Queen.
The banquet was sponsored by the Occidental Petroleum Corp. and by Cameron Corp. E-Week premier corporate sponsors were Baker Hughes, Chevron, Schlumberger and Williams. E-Week sponsors were Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, Halliburton, International Paper, the Linde Group, LyondellBasell, Newfield, ONEOK, Shell, Unit Corp., the University of Oklahoma Student Association and the OU College of Engineering.
