OU Engineering

Norman, Okla.— Two University of Oklahoma professors—Paul L. DeAngelis and Jeffrey Harwell—have been named Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, a high professional distinction awarded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. DeAngelis, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the OU Health Sciences Center College of Medicine, is the co-founder of four spin-out companies and holds a total of 92 patents in 20 countries.   In 2000, Hyalose was formed to commercialize unique recombinant technologies.   Two sister companies, Choncept and Heparinex, are based on DeAngelis’s inventions to offer related recombinant technologies for biopolymers, which are important to healthcare, cosmetics and biomedical research. Most recently, Caisson Biotech was formed as a w

Bruce Stover, Petroleum Engineering ‘71: Reflections on the Life and Influence of “Dr. John” I never had the privilege of being a student of John Campbell … or Dr. John as we all endearingly called him.    I was a student at OU from 1967-71, a period of great unrest and agitation sparked by the ongoing war in Viet Nam and it’s spillover to college campuses all across the country.    Being an engineer in those times was not a popular field of study for much of the campus population in those days.    In fact, I had started college with a declared intent to major in architecture.    I grew up around the oil and gas business.    My dad was a petroleum engineer from OU, but he didn’t encourage me to follow in his footsteps.    In fact, he told me in the summer of 1967 that he thought there was no future in the profession, so I abandoned the thought of being a PE and followed another interest in architecture. I first met Dr. John through my fraternity, where he was then serving as faculty ad

A 17-year member of the CoE Board of Visitors as well as a 1995 inductee into the Distinguished Graduates Society, the highest honor the college bestows on its graduates, there is no doubt that John Campbell has left a lasting legacy. John M. Campbell, Sr.  91, of Norman, Okla., passed away Aug. 24. Campbell was born in Virden, Ill. and graduated from Burlington High School in Iowa in 1940. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering at Iowa State University in 1943. Shortly after graduation he was assigned to the Manhattan Project by his employer, DuPont, and was part of a group that developed the atomic bombs that were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, which ended the war with Japan. While on the project he met and married Gwen Thompson. That began a wonderful 61-year marriage that ended with her death in 2006. In 1946 he came to the University of Oklahoma as a graduate student and instructor in chemical engineering. In 1951 he received a Ph.D. in chemical engin

OU College of Engineering Hosts International WaTER Conference and Prize Editor’s Note: For more information, interviews or photos, contact Lori Johnson at (405) 840-4222. Norman, Okla. — The WaTER (Water Technologies for Emerging Regions) Center at the University of Oklahoma is bringing together researchers and advocates from around the world to focus on the life-sustaining resource – clean water. The center reports more children die each year due to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene than AIDS and malaria combined. This is not due to water scarcity, but rather poverty, inequality and government failures that result in poor or dangerous water quality. The WaTER Center will address both technical and non-technical water and sanitation issues at the 2013 International WaTER Conference, scheduled for Sept. 23 through 25 at the National Center for Employee Development Conference Center and Hotel in Norman, Okla. The two-and-one-half-d

NORMAN– The gold standard in engineering is to create efficiency, but for 47 University of Oklahoma incoming freshmen students, the goal is total complexity. Engineering students taking the OU College of Engineering’s AT&T Summer Bridge Program are challenged to take a simple task, like turning a page, and make it complicated while still completing the task. The teams' off-the-wall contraptions are famously inspired by the designs of Rube Goldberg. “It may seem backwards, asking engineering students to take something as simple as hammering a nail and make it as complicated as possible, but by thinking through the grandiose process, these students are learning the basic skills of engineering mechanics such as the value of experimentation, teamwork and design reliability,” said Lisa Morales, program director. The AT&T Summer Bridge Program is a four-week, on-campus residential program that prepares students for life as an engineering student. In addition to early exposure t

NORMAN, Okla. – University of Oklahoma chemical engineering professor Dimitrios Papavassiliou has been selected to serve as a National Science Foundation program director for the Fluid Dynamics Program. Papavassiliou will help establish the organization’s research policy in fluid dynamics as well as be involved in NSF initiatives that affect research directions in engineering and sciences more broadly.  “Being selected as an NSF program director is a reflection of national recognition and an indication of trust by the scientific community to lead research at a national level,” said Thomas Landers, OU College of Engineering dean . “It’s important to select a person who is well-respected in their field since their decisions can affect the direction of federal funding for research as well as the career path of young faculty and students for several years.” As an NSF program director, Papavassiliou will manage the NSF research portfolio in fluid dynamics, whi

Caroline Cochran DeWitte received a Regents’ Alumni Award during a May 10 ceremony on the University of Oklahoma’s Norman campus. DeWitte is the visionary who founded the OU Club of Boston. As president, serving from 2009 to 2012, she began by securing regular Sooner watch party locations for area alumni, which proved popular from the beginning and has grown to the largest in the Northeast, attracting attendees from bordering states. Throughout her tenure as president of the club, DeWitte also organized networking events and socials to foster friendships and networking among alumni. She created the club’s website and social media connections, including   Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. The club currently has more than 250 Facebook members and 100 Twitter followers. She now serves as club treasurer and fundraising chair, managing club funds and continuing to guide other club officers on the board. During her time as a student at OU, DeWitte cofounded Engineers Wit

John Kenney received a Regents’ Alumni Award during a May 10 ceremony on the University of Oklahoma’s Norman campus. Kenney has been actively involved with OU since graduating with Industrial Engineering and Law degrees in 1971 and 1975. He has served nine years on College of Engineering Board of Visitors, including his time as chair during the OU Engineering Centennial Celebration. Kenney’s leadership throughout the College of Engineering has encouraged a community of generous donors. Along with is wife, Jane, the Kenneys have hosted many events in their home for the college and the Industrial Engineering school. Through their generous donations and support, today’s engineering students enjoy new facilities, renovated classrooms and metting space as well as undergraduate and graduate scholarship support. Kenney has been instrumental in the OU K20 Center for Educational and Community Renewal, serving as chair for the Board of Advisors and helping to develop a com

Priscilla P. Nelson was one of three inducted into the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering Distinguished Graduates Society during the May 11 Convocation on the Norman campus. Nelson is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Nelson received a bachelor of science degree in geological sciences from the University of Rochester in 1970, a master of science degree in geology from Indiana University in 1976, a master of science degree in structural engineering from OU in 1979 and a doctoral degree in geotechnical engineering from Cornell University in 1983. Nelson served as provost at the New Jersey Institute of Technology from 2005-2008 and has a national and international reputation in geological and rock engineering and the particular application of underground construction. She has more than 20 years of teaching experience, has mentored many students and has more than 120 technical and scient

Richard A. Milburn was one of three inducted into the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering Distinguished Graduates Society during the May 11 Convocation on the Norman campus. Milburn graduated with honors with a bachelor of science degree in aeronautic and space engineering in 1964 and a master of science degree in aerospace engineering in 1965, both from OU. He is a member of the engineering fraternities Sigma Tau, Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Gamma Tau. After receiving his pilot’s wings as a distinguished graduate in October 1955, he served as an interceptor pilot with the Aerospace Defense Command and served overseas with the 26th Air Division of ADC. He was the project engineer responsible for the YF-12 Interceptor (later SR-71) program, chief of the Weapons System Division of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs and served in London as assistant air attache and chief of the foreign technology office. In 1977, Milburn was selected chief of the Mutual Def

Paul L. McEuen was one of three inducted into the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering Distinguished Graduates Society during the May 11 Convocation on the Norman campus. A Goldwin Smith Professor of Physics at Cornell University, McEuen directs the Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics and the Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science. His research focuses on nanoscale electronic, optical and mechanical properties of graphene, nanotubes and related materials. He received a bachelor of science degree in engineering physics from OU in 1985 and a doctoral degree in applied physics from Yale University in 1991. He joined the faculty at UC-Berkeley in 1992 before going to Cornell in 2001. McEuen is interested in both the science of these nanostructures and their applications in physics, materials science, chemistry, biology and engineering. He is particularly fascinated by nanoscale forms of carbon, especially graphene sheets and single-walle

  TULSA, Okla. – The Hilti Group, which provides leading edge technology to the global construction industry, has awarded a $30,000, three-year scholarship to the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering. The Hilti Scholar funds will be awarded to Bhagyashri Darunkar, a doctoral student in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Schusterman Center campus in Tulsa. “We are extremely excited about the opportunity to partner with the OU College of Engineering in awarding this prestigious scholarship at OU-Tulsa,” said Clint Holler, Head of Information Technology for Hilti Western Hemisphere. “Hilti relies on leading universities such as OU to further develop students who are eager and ready to contribute at a high level immediately upon graduation.”             “The OU College of Engineering is most grateful for Hilti’s generosity in providing a scholarship to support engineering students at OU-Tulsa,” said James J. Sluss, Jr., Ph.D., Director and Morr

NORMAN, Okla. – Fifteen students from the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering Concrete Canoe team will be taking their paddles to the national competition after earning first place in the regional engineering design, knowledge and stamina competition. “The OU Concrete Canoe team has had great success in the past and this year is no exception,” said Alyse Burgess, Concrete Canoe co-captain and architectural engineering senior. “The regional competition showed our newer members that the extra time and effort put into even the smallest details makes a big difference.” This is the eighth in the past 13 years OU’s team has advanced to nationals. Burgess said this year’s success is due to their choice to focus on a more stable, lightweight design. “By putting people in the canoe and racing it, we proved that the mix we designed can float and is strong enough to support the stresses caused by the paddlers,” said Burgess. In April, the OU Conc

When Jessica Ruyle opened her first faculty email from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at OU, she was found it was addressed to gentlemen only. Within minutes, the sender received over a dozen replies noting there was a lady on the faculty now, and the single-gender greeting wasn’t appropriate. Now, those emails are addressed to “gentlemen and lady.” Read more. http://www.oudaily.com/news/2013/mar/07/womensday/