OU Engineering

 Seven people have been selected for induction into the 81st class of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. They will join 621 people who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since 1928. “Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor Oklahomans can receive for their contributions to and representation of the state,” said Shannon L. Nance, president of the Oklahoma Heritage Association and the Gaylord-Pickens Museum in Oklahoma City. The 2008 nominees are: Bill W. Burgess Jr., Lawton; Shawnee native Robert H. Henry, Oklahoma City; Donna Nigh, Oklahoma City; Ronald J. Norick, Oklahoma City; Carl R. Renfro, Ponca City; Charles C. Stephenson, Tulsa; and Jordan J.N. Tang of Oklahoma City. Bill W. Burgess Jr. Burgess is chairman of the board of Vortex, the senior partner of Burgess & Hightower Law Firm and chairman emeritus of Techrizon, which he has developed into the largest Oklahomaowned software engineering company. Burgess was appointed to the Oklahoma State Regents for Hig...

 Oklahoma secured land for the world’s largest stand of switchgrass devoted to cellulosic ethanol production. Acknowledging concerns over ethanol production impacting food prices, Oklahoma advances switchgrass, a different type of energy crop, which has higher energy output than corn and does not compete with human or animal food sources. The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center (OBC), a state-initiative championed by Gov. Brad Henry, secured land to enable the planting of more than 1,100 acres of production-scale demonstration fields for cellulosic energy crops, such as switchgrass and sorghum to contribute to the United States’ bioenergy effort. Planting will take place within the next 45 days. The critical piece of this effort is 1,000 acres of switchgrass which will be planted near Guymon, Okla. in the state’s panhandle. This switchgrass field will be the first of its size anywhere in the world focused on biomass production. Additional acreage of sorghum and switchgrass will be planted ne...

 The video game technology that seems to have kidnapped our children is opening a new avenue to learning in the 21st century. By Bill Moakley Because of the University of Oklahoma K20 Center for Educational and Community Renewal, your child may be playing video games in the classroom. You should be thankful. The center, part of OU's College of Education, is the engine behind a unique video game-based approach to getting Oklahoma eighth- and ninth-grade students excited about learning. Far from handing students an Xbox and the latest versions of Madden 2007 or Guitar Hero, the center has developed its own game-based learning experience. The K20 Center’s game encompasses math, science, language arts, social studies, technology and a host of other disciplines students must master to compete in the digitally driven, globally competitive workplace they will step into when they step out of the classroom. Funded by a STAR Schools Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the introducti...

 A longtime Cheyenne business leader, whose generosity to the community lives on even after her death in 2001, continues her tradition of philanthropy with a $250,000 bequest to the OU College of Engineering. The Nettie Vincent Boggs Testamentary Trust has established a professorship in engineering at the University of Oklahoma in honor of Boggs’ son, John Vincent “Vince” Boggs. Gifted both academically and musically, Vince earned three degrees at the University, including a PhD in nuclear engineering, before his death in a motorcycle accident in 1971. “Supporting education was very important to Nettie,” said Janith Moore, trustee of the Nettie Boggs Trust. “I think she felt that providing for the education of others was a meaningful way to honor Vince and keep his memory alive. The youngest of eight children, Nettie Ellen Vincent Boggs was born in Texas in 1911 and moved to Cheyenne as a child. She spent nearly all of her 90 years in Cheyenne. A bright and inquisitive student, she...

AT&T announced a $1 million contribution to the University of Oklahoma Foundation to support a program aimed at enhancing the educational experience of new engineering students, many of whom are minorities. Don Cain, president of AT&T Oklahoma, and Tom Landers, dean of the OU College of Engineering, made the announcement on campus on February 13th. "To continue to prosper and succeed, Oklahoma needs more Oklahomans to attend college, earn a degree and choose to live and work in our great state," Cain said. "We hope this program will help more students persevere with their course work, graduate and then use their talents and knowledge to make Oklahoma an even better place to live and work."  The AT&T contribution establishes an endowment for the newly named AT&T Summer Bridge Program. The program offers a group of freshman engineering students a three-week summer program before the start of the fall semester. Participants will be given intensive acade...

 Thomas L. Landers, Ph.D., P.E. Dean Look at Oklahoma’s leading and emerging industries and you’ll see the need for growing a strong engineering workforce. Campus career fairs attract diverse companies, all competing to hire engineers. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission forecasts average annual engineering job openings will approach 500 per year through 2014 across all sectors, with biomedical, environmental and software engineering cited among Oklahoma’s top growth occupations. A recent survey of Oklahoma’s aerospace sector by the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development projected a shortage of over 600 engineers. We sometimes hear claims that America’s engineering workforce demands will be met by immigration and deferred retirements. These claims overlook some important realities. Many of our engineering jobs relate to national security and require U.S. citizenship. Retirement-eligible engineers offer valuable experience, but industry also requires entry...

 Oklahomans nervously awaited the release of the BCS standings on Dec. 2. OU still had a shot at the BCS title game. Unfortunately for Oklahoma, the Sooners were shipped out to the Fiesta Bowl, while Louisiana State went on to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes in the title game. What few knew was that an invitation to the BCS title game had arrived in Norman. It came without fanfare or revelry. It was accepted humbly and quietly. Kevin Blake and Tyler Lane, the tech team of OU’s instant replay program, received their profession’s top honor when the Big 12 conference sent them to work the BCS title game, according to conference officials. “They have demonstrated the utmost level of professionalism,” said Walt Anderson, coordinator of Football Officials for the Big 12 Conference. “When we were awarded the National Championship, we knew we had to have our best people when that much is on the line.” Prior to receiving the invitation for the big dance this year, Lane said the OU crew succe...