Volume 11, No.1March 2012

BAJA TEAM’SMETEORIC RISE

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:EnginEEring thE fight against world povErty

profilE in pErsEvEranCE

phi sigMa rho 10th annivErsary

inspiring EnginEErs

A Magazine for Alumni and Friends of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering

a MEssagE froM thE dEan of thE CollEgE of EnginEEringWhile students in ONU’s T.J. Smull College of Engineering spend a great deal of time on their academic studies, many of our students also find time to contribute outside of the classroom in a wide variety of extracurricular activities. For example, nearly 26 percent of the college’s student body are Division III varsity athletes and compete throughout the year as Polar Bear student-athletes. Another large group of students competes on a very different stage and showcases their engineering and computer science talents as they compete on a regional and national stage in various student design competitions. During the 2010-11 academic year, these competitions included the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, the ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition, the ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge, the IEEE Micromouse Competition, the Robogames Competition, the SAE Aero Design Competition and, finally, the Baja SAE Competition.

In this edition of the Smull Talk, we highlight the tremendous success of our Baja SAE team and celebrate their rise to the top of the ranks nationally in this competitive and prestigious design competition. The list of schools that ONU beat last year is very impressive and included institutions such as Virginia Tech, Cornell University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Purdue University and the University of Michigan. I’m most impressed with the level of commitment our students and faculty put forth to achieve success in all of our student design competitions. For the last six years, ONU’s Concrete Canoe team has competed at a national level, and, this past year, the Baja SAE team joined in on the fun. This “raising of the bar” has spurred on our other student design teams as they strive to achieve similar levels of success.

The Smull Talk magazine also is filled with numerous stories about the accomplishments of our students and faculty. This past fall, we were very pleased to celebrate the 130th year of engineering education at Ohio Northern University as well as the 40th anniversary of the Order of the Engineer on the ONU campus. As part of this joint celebration, we developed a “memory book” that looks back over the 130-year history of engineering at ONU, including many stories about the people who left their mark on the college. I would encourage you take some time and look through this memory book, which is posted on the college’s website, or request a copy to be sent to you.

As always, I thank you for your continued support of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering and the ways in which you enrich the educational experience of our students. Be sure to cheer on the Polar Bears both on the athletic field and in our design competitions as we seek to achieve national prominence in all that we do!

Eric Baumgartner,

Dean of the College of Engineering

THE RISE OF BAJA SAE PAGE 4

EnGInEERInG THE FIGHT AGAInST wORld POvERTy PAGE 8

On A MISSIOn TO SERvE THE wORld’S POOR PAGE 10

PROFIlE In PERSEvERAnCE PAGE 12

CElEBRATInG 130 yEARS OF EnGInEERInG PAGE 14

PHI SIGMA RHO 10TH AnnIvERSARy PAGE 16

InSPIRInG EnGInEERS PAGE 17

EnGInEERInG nEwS PAGE 18

COnTInUInG THE FAMIly lEGACy PAGE 22

Publication of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio, 419-772-2371, www.onu.edu/engineering

For five consecutive years, ONU’s College of Engineering has been ranked as one of the nation’s top 50 undergraduate engineering schools in U.S. News & World Report, America’s Best Colleges 2012.

12spring

tablE of

ContEnts

SMULL TALK

CAMpUS ConTACTS

Dr. Eric BaumgartnerDean of EngineeringVoice: 419-772-2372E-mail: e-baumgartner@onu.edu

Professor Thomas Zechman Assistant DeanVoice: 419-772-2698E-mail: t-zechman.1@onu.edu

Dr. Jonathan Smalley, BSCE ’71Chair, Civil EngineeringVoice: 419-772-2377E-mail: j-smalley@onu.edu

Dr. Khalid Al-OlimatChair, Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer ScienceVoice: 419-772-1849E-mail: k-al-olimat@onu.edu

Dr. John-David YoderChair, Mechanical EngineeringVoice: 419-772-2385E-mail: j-yoder@onu.edu

Dr. Ken ReidDirector of First-Year EngineeringVoice: 419-772-2383E-mail: k-reid@onu.edu

Professor Laurie (Kahl) Laird, BSME ’86Director of Corporate and Alumni RelationsVoice: 419-772-2421E-mail: l-laird@onu.edu

Jacqueline Daley-PerrinDirector of Development Voice: 419-772-2390E-mail: j-daley-perrin@onu.edu

THE BACK OF THE PACKCould things get any worse? After years of poor performances, Ohio Northern University’s Baja SAE team seemed to hit rock bottom in 2004 when they weren’t even able to finish the car in time for the competition. But then a funny thing happened.

They asked for help.

At the suggestion of two underclassmen, ONU’s Baja squad opened its membership to volunteers. What used to be a mandatory senior capstone project was now open to anyone.

And the results have been increasingly amazing.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF ‘COURSE’ WORKThe Baja SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Collegiate Design Series strives to simulate real-world engineering design projects by challenging teams of engineering students to research and design off-road vehicles that will be subjected to a battery of rigorous performance tests. Each vehicle is entirely student-designed and built, and students must raise financial support for the project. There are three regional competitions in which the teams can compete.

Overall scores are calculated by combining marks from several categories: Design Report, Design Evaluation, Cost Report, Prototype Cost, Presentation, Acceleration, Hill Climb or Traction, Land Maneuverability, Rock Crawl, Suspension, and Endurance. The endurance race is, by far, the most important category, followed by design and then cost.

A FRUSTRATINg HISTORYONU has fielded a team for the Baja SAE competition since 1996. And to be fair, things weren’t always so bad. The team took top honors for serviceability at the 1999 Mini Baja Midwest, and in 2000 they finished first in the skid pull event.

But for the most part, the team struggled, sometimes even failing to pass the pre-event technical inspection. From 1997-2004, the ONU team managed to get a car to competition only five times. The overall ranking was always in the bottom third, and only once did the car progress far enough through the preliminary events to turn a single lap on the endurance course. For those seniors on the team who truly cared, and for those who didn’t already have their eyes on post-college careers, these were stressful times.

thE risE of baja saE at northErn

4 Smull Talk

with the costs associated with experiential learning, including Baja SAE. It gave the team much-needed design flexibility – they no longer had to rely on salvaged parts to create their vehicles.

“The goal was to simply get a car to competition and complete some laps in the endurance race, which was OK for the position the team was in at the time,” says Austin Moyer, BSME ’11, four-year member

and former president of the team. “This was only the third year we had existed as a volunteer organization and had yet to run an entire endurance race.”

“It took about two years to see an improvement in the project overall,” says William Kanzig, BS ’92, machinist and advisor to Northern’s Baja SAE team. “Then, the first time we finished a Baja four-hour endurance race, I knew we were on our way.”

By 2009, with most of the pieces in place, the all-volunteer team finished ninth in the endurance portion, and 17th overall, out of 100 teams at the 2009 Baja SAE Wisconsin. The 2010 team experienced a number of setbacks at the Baja SAE Carolina competition, including damaged driveshafts caused by two rollovers, but still managed a respectable 41st place in the endurance race and 31st overall.

“My experience working on the ONU Baja car as a student was one of frustration,” says Sarah (Miller) Schwab, BSME ’02. “At the time, the Baja team was a senior capstone project. I wanted more than anything

to produce a great vehicle and compete with other schools around the world. Unfortunately, I got paired with a group of ‘senioritis seniors,’ and no one really had the passion to produce a great vehicle. They just wanted to do the minimum possible to get a passing grade.”

The poor performance continued until 2004, when ONU’s team failed to complete its car in time for the competition. For many, this was the final straw.

So, at the request of two underclassmen, Matthew Castellucci, BSME ’07, and Jay Salge, BSME ’07, ONU adopted an all-volunteer squad. The students who had to participate were replaced with students who wanted to participate.

This tiny change proved to be a massive turning point.

MOVINg AHEAD, PUSHINg FORWARDThe first year with the new all-volunteer squad wasn’t easy, however. Inexperience, a lack of funding, and a car pieced together from scrap and salvaged parts led to the team’s failure to pass the technical inspection at the 2005 Mini Baja Midwest event.

Improvements were made in 2006, and the team’s vehicle became the first in seven years to actually complete laps in the competition’s four-hour endurance race. That same year, the squad adopted team agreement and guideline documents, which defined team goals and helped resolve disagreements over team responsibilities and driver selection.

In 2007, the team jumped from the bottom quarter of the rankings to the top third. In 2008, the newly established Sholl Competition Fund eased the burden of finding funding for the vehicle. Established in memory of William Edward Sholl, BSCE ’33, this fund assists engineering students

The year wasn’t a total waste however, as it provided several “ah-ha” moments for the team, as its members realized that they were, indeed, capable of great things.

“My junior year, we built a car from a pile of tubes to a running chassis in 10 weeks,” Moyer remembers. “Two days after finishing it, we took the car to the Michigan Tech invitational ‘Blizzard Baja’ race and took third place out of 25, and the car never missed a lap. With zero testing, we had built a very solid car in an incredibly short amount of time. That’s when I knew we had finally turned a corner in our ability to engineer a car right the first time.”

“As the students gained more experience and had more exposure to the races, they became better at it,” Kanzig says.

The students got better, and the best was yet to come.

Smull Talk 5

THE BIggEST YEAR YET2011 marked the first year in University history that the team competed in all three SAE-sanctioned events. And ONU made the most of these opportunities, finishing fifth overall at the Baja SAE Birmingham event in April, seventh overall at Baja SAE Kansas in May, and sixth overall at Baja SAE Illinois in June. “By my senior year, everyone expected success,” Moyer says. “We had a solid group of guys who all bought into this new ‘striving for excellence and top-10 finishes’ attitude. We were motivated to improve and excel in all categories of the competition.”

This motivation paid off with another outstanding accomplishment, as the team finished the season as the highest-ranking U.S. team in the running for the Mike Schmidt Memorial Iron Team Award. given to the group that earns the highest cumulative point total at the three seasonal U.S./Canada Baja SAE events, this award honors perseverance, engineering excellence and competitive success. It is given in memory of Mike Schmidt, a founding member of the Baja team at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

THE VOLUNTEER ADVANTAgEClearly, the move to an all-volunteer squad has made all the difference in the world. And there are several reasons for this, explains David Mikesell, BSME ’97, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and faculty advisor for the ONU chapter of SAE.

For starters, the volunteer squad focuses on continuous improvement, as opposed to the capstone seniors who were only concerned with the current year’s competition. In years past, the seniors would quickly forget about the competition as soon as it was over. Now, the volunteers begin planning for next year as soon as they are able.

This leads to a transfer of knowledge, as senior leaders pass on their accumulated knowledge to the younger, and newer, members of the team. This cycle continues

as the team strives to continuously improve from year to year. This continuity of personnel vastly improves the product, as the team takes a more long-term view.

“The body of knowledge and skills required to design and build a competitive vehicle is impossible to acquire in the four or five months a seniors-only capstone team has before the product must be delivered,” says Mikesell. “Before they can intelligently put together their own car, students must be engaged as underclassmen to gradually pick up these things, get a hold on the vast body of competition rules, see the races first-hand, and learn how the various vehicle subsystems work together.”

This multi-year accumulation of knowledge has rescued ONU’s Baja program. Compare the results from a decade ago, when the college’s Baja crew was hard-pressed to field a vehicle that could pass race-day inspection, to today, when the team is at the head of the pack, creating cars that not only pass inspection, but also vie for first place.

“The team then had no history, no accumulated knowledge and probably $500 to build a car,” Mikesell says. “The team now

enjoys all the benefits of four-year members – experience in design, manufacturing, racing, project and team management – as well as an eager and talented cohort of underclassmen to help with the machining, welding and thousands of smaller tasks that comprise the car.”

“Success breeds success; if we set a tone and attitude for success one year, it tends to carry over from year to year,” Moyer says. “Students with personal motivation for success, coupled with four years of experience and knowledge transfer, make for a recurring successful team.”

ONU’s team now learns from its mistakes. Team camaraderie, pride and sense of ownership have all increased. The continuity of team members also impacts the squad’s outside relationships. When the same team member communicates with outside sponsors, machine shops, suppliers, vendors, and supporters year after year, these relationships can only strengthen.

Schwab is one such outside supporter. As if to make up for opportunities lost as a student, she has become a great contributor to the team’s success. One of Schwab’s major contributions to the team was a vehicle cost

6 Smull Talk

analysis. “I was in charge of grading all of the cost reports for all international competitions for several years,” she says. “I’ve graded ONU’s cost report many times and was able to provide feedback to them on how to improve.”

It worked. The team’s cost report score improved greatly after listening to Schwab’s feedback and implementing some of her suggestions to create a better report.

gETTINg NOTICEDWith successful Baja performances came notoriety. Other schools began to take note of ONU’s orange car as it sped across the track.

“I’ve always been so used to telling people where I went to school and getting a glazed-over look, since they had never heard of it,” Schwab remembers. “Last year, I mentioned to some students from Nebraska where I went to school, and they knew exactly where Ohio Northern was, which vehicle was theirs, and several of the students. This has never ever happened before.”

All of this attention can serve as a recruiting tool, too. And while not every student enrolling in the college is interested in automotive engineering, Mikesell explains that some prospective students are clearly excited about ONU’s Baja SAE team’s accomplishments. “I think the biggest selling point is the team’s success – the fact that a small engineering school surrounded by cornfields can beat the pants off of the entire Big Ten, not to mention quite a number of big-name technical schools from around the country,” Mikesell says. “It shows that they, too, can be a part

of something great, if they’re willing to pour their sweat and blood into it like the rest of the team.”

“The fact that we are having a lot of success against much larger universities is due to the caliber and dedication of our students as well as the support from the College of Engineering,” says Kanzig.

“Something like this takes a special group of guys,” Moyer says. “It takes hard-working gearheads who are willing to volunteer 30-40 hours every week to design and build this buggy. Only people with this heart and motivation stick around to make a significant impact on our team.”

WHAT LIES AHEADAs the team prepares for the 2012 Baja SAE events this spring, they’ve set their sights firmly on first place. Low drivetrain efficiency was the biggest thing keeping last year’s team out of the winner’s circle, so in 2012 the team is focusing their design efforts on improving this aspect as well as making suspension refinements.

“They’re doing things this year that have never been done before by ONU Baja,” says Moyer. “As long as they have enough motivated people, can stay cohesive as a team, and get some money to fund their passion, then the sky will remain the limit.”

Schwab, too, thinks the team is well-prepared for that elusive first-place finish. “I hope to see them compete again this year, and I think they know that I will help them out as much as I can. But, they have the winning combination now. They don’t need my help anymore!”

Year Total Overall EnduranceCompetition Teams Rank Rank

1998 Mini Baja Midwest 97 – 65 1999 Mini Baja Midwest 77 59 552000 Mini Baja Midwest 106 70 – 2001 – – –2002 Mini Baja Midwest 129 114 –2003 Mini Baja Midwest 122 114 –2004 – – – 2005 Mini Baja Midwest 144 124 –2006 Mini Baja Midwest 140 110 1072007 Baja SAE R.I.T. 141 48 492008 Baja SAE Illinois 115 52 392009 Baja SAE Wisconsin 100 17 92010 Baja SAE Carolina 100 31 412011 Baja SAE Birmingham 42 5 5 2011 Baja SAE Kansas 87 7 72011 Baja SAE Illinois 97 6 5

Smull Talk 7

In spring 2011, Joshua Bryan and his fellow freshman engineering students put their heads together in a classroom in Ada, Ohio, and tried to imagine life in a Third World country. “What simple, cheap-to-make invention could change lives?” they pondered. In small teams, they designed a wide range of innovative products, including a manual water pump, efficient cook stove and gravity-powered irrigation system.

Just a few weeks later, Bryan found himself in a rural region of the Dominican Republic, putting one team’s invention to the test. Surrounded by a crowd of excited villagers, he demonstrated a way to turn paper and plant waste into an alternative fuel source using a portable compactor made from a

PVC pipe. For one week, he traveled from village to village, gaining new perspectives on the engineering process as well as different cultures.

A civil engineering major from Coraopolis, Pa., Bryan represents a growing number of students interested in using their engineering knowledge to benefit the roughly 90 percent of people on Earth who live in absolute poverty.

“I was so excited that Ohio Northern enabled me to turn my field of study into an opportunity to help others and travel internationally,” he says. “From this one trip, I learned that simple solutions could have huge impacts.”

EnginEEring thE fight against world povErty

Some engineering students dream of designing a flying car or the next-generation iPod and earning tons of money. Yet a growing number of students have set their sights, and ingenuity, on helping millions of people worldwide climb out of poverty.

8 Smull Talk

Borders, a national organization with more than 12,000 members and 250 chapters.

The group received encouragement from Dr. Paul Polak, author of the book Out of Poverty and the speaker for ONU’s 2011 Spotts Lecture. Polak, a visionary and founder of the Colorado-based nonprofit organization International Development Enterprises, views poor people as potential entrepreneurs and customers.

When he visited campus in March 2011, he warned ONU students against a “drop and run” mentality. Americans, he explained, tend to swoop into Third World countries with donations and new products that ultimately prove unsustainable. He encouraged students to create sustainable designs by taking the time to truly understand the people, the market and the needs.

“Creating sustainable designs is a lot harder to do,” says Reid. “But it’s necessary if you want to have a real impact.”

Katie Bowman, a sophomore civil engineering major from Richfield, Ohio, is the vice president of the emerging student group. Her trip to the Dominican Republic in summer 2011 inspired her to undertake an independent study project to design a composting latrine.

During her freshman year, she and her cornerstone team created a basic composting toilet but never imagined their invention

A well-rounded engineering education should raise awareness of both issues and opportunities around the globe, says Dr. Ken Reid, director of first-year engineering and associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. “All too often, students arrive at college with visions of designing that which is at the forefront of technology: a faster car, a longer bridge or the next generation iPod. But what about the needs of more than two billion people in the world’s population who live on less than $2 a day?”

ONU’s first-year engineering curriculum includes a cornerstone project in which students design a product for people in a specified Third World country who lack the means to purchase even the most basic goods. The products could help people earn their way out of poverty or simply help them to spend less time, money and effort on the necessities of life. Each team must document their engineering-design process with regular written reports and an oral presentation and develop a functional prototype.

Until recently, however, the students’ prototypes never made it out of the classroom. Now, students have the chance to take their inventions, and learning, out into the field.

A new student group is developing on campus, one that focuses on applying student knowledge, education and training to benefit global communities. It’s evolving from Freshmen Without Borders, an informal group of freshmen who wanted to implement their cornerstone projects. The new group, open to all grade levels, may apply to become a student chapter of Engineers Without

would get wings. In the Dominican Republic, she encountered Father Christian, an energetic pastor who has constructed almost 500 latrines in mountain villages in an effort to prevent the spread of cholera. “god has brought us together,” Father Christian exclaimed excitedly when the ONU students explained their idea for a toilet that would turn human waste into fertilizer.

Bowman, along with Reid and four other students, spent an entire day tagging along with Father Christian and watching latrines being constructed from wood and a concrete-like substance. Bowman gathered valuable field data that she and her team have used this past year to modify and test their composting toilet design. They hope to return to the Dominican Republic in 2012 to attempt implementation of their product.

“It was so interesting to learn firsthand instead of just being taught in class and out of books,” says Bowman. “I learned that different needs are found in different places. Even if something doesn’t work in one place, it may be an amazing fit somewhere else. I also learned there are many problems and situations that you run into that are hard to avoid and overcome. Implementation can be tricky for complicated projects, especially when designing and testing occurs hundreds or thousands of miles away.”

Reid witnessed the students taking control of their own learning while in the Dominican Republic. “The personal growth that takes place is just incredible,” he says. “Students are taking the initiative and becoming leaders. They are learning about different cultures and different ways of doing things.”

ONU engineering students will have more opportunities in the future to learn and grow as engineers while reaching out to people in need. “Engineers can make a difference in the lives of others – not just one person at a time, but hundreds, thousands or even millions – through the thoughtful development of just a single well-designed project,” says Reid.

Smull Talk 9

Since his boyhood, Norris has liked to build things. He grew up in Ashtabula, Ohio, and enrolled at ONU in 1965, majoring in civil engineering and playing football for former ONU coach Arden “Stretch” Roberson, BSEd ’49, H of F ’76. After graduation, Norris worked for a construction firm in Ohio for a few years before moving to Florida to escape Ohio’s winters.

In 1979, shortly after he and his family arrived in the sunshine state, Norris joined a new church and turned his life over to god. For a time, he prayed about becoming a pastor or missionary. He eventually discerned his call to support his church’s worldwide ministry as an engineer. Putting in 50-plus hours a week at his job, however, left him little time for volunteer work. So, in March 1988, he started David Norris Engineering out of his home in Winter Haven, Fla.

Becoming his own boss gave Norris the flexibility to pursue projects that aligned with his values. He grew his business, which employs several family members, through word-of-mouth. He primarily works with Christian architects and contractors to construct commercial, nonprofit and religious facilities throughout Florida. He also provides pro-bono planning services to Christian congregations across the U.S. struggling to find funds to build a church. While Norris enjoys his work, he lives for his vacations. Although cruises and resorts rarely appear on the itinerary, Norris’ trips to remote, impoverished villages across the globe refresh his body and spirit.

“My vacations are mission trips. I love to travel, to meet new people and to encounter different ways of life,” he says. “I have been very careful to never close a door to any opportunity to help, because I could miss out on a tremendous blessing.”

Through the years, Norris has helped build five churches in Kenya; two churches in Peru; a Bible school and missionary home in the Ukraine; two churches and a missionary home

In 1988, David norris, BSCE ’71,

made a decision that changed the

course of his life. He quit his job and

started his own engineering business

so he could serve god by serving the

world’s poor. Over the last 24 years,

he has designed churches and bible

schools on five continents, making

more than 20 mission trips to help

with their construction.

ON A MISSION TO SERVE THE WORLD’S POOR

10 Smull Talk

in Romania; a church camp in Mexico; a pedestrian bridge in Columbia; and, most recently, a 9,000-gallon water tank and two Christian schools on Tanna, an island in the Republic of Vanuatu. Last January, he traveled to Montevideo, Uruguay, to design the remodeling of a vacant factory into a bakery, which will provide jobs for Bible college students and food for the needy. Each project brings its own set of challenges, with transportation, communication and material acquisition being the most common. But each trip also brings immeasurable rewards. Norris is always amazed by the friendliness and joy of the missionaries and native people he meets. He’s come to believe that materialism, which is so pervasive in the U.S., is the biggest barrier to true contentment.

“I have never met such happy and loving people,” says Norris. “They don’t have television, and they don’t know they are poor. They have the love of their home, family and god, and that is all they need to be happy.”

Norris, who turned 65 in January, says he’s slowing down, but has no intention of ever retiring from his firm or mission work. “I’ve been blessed to be able to do what I love.”

ON A MISSION TO SERVE THE WORLD’S POOR

Smull Talk 11

Matthew Kaufmann, BSEE ’11, never gives

up, even when the going gets tough. “If

you quit once, you’ll quit forever,” he says.

Through sheer determination, he graduated

from ONU’s College of Engineering this

past summer, despite facing serious and

debilitating health issues.

Kaufmann was born with a rare gene

deficiency that affects his immune system’s

ability to fight infections, including the

common cold. From a young age, he’s

endured frequent bouts of illness, needle

pokes, tests and treatments at St. Jude

Children’s Research Hospital.

His medical condition inspired him to become

an engineer. In high school, he discovered

nanosystem engineering and its potential to

revolutionize medicine.

Kaufmann transferred to Ohio Northern his

sophomore year. On his first campus visit,

he fell in love with the engineering college’s

friendly and down-to-earth atmosphere.

“After just 20 minutes, I felt like I was a student

there already,” he recalls.

During his junior year, however, Kaufmann’s

health deteriorated. He felt exhausted, ill and

feverish all the time. He remembers shivering

so violently in class, even though he was

dressed in layers, that he couldn’t steady

his hand to take notes. “I was having a bad

day every day,” he recalls. “It almost seemed

impossible to get through.”

Kaufmann needed to take considerable time

off from school to contend with his health

issues, including surgery to remove his spleen.

Through it all, his engineering professors

showed unconditional support and kindness,

he says. “They were one of the most solid

support groups I ever had.”

When he had the energy, Kaufmann kept up

with his ONU coursework. His professors kept

in touch via email, offering encouragement,

reviewing his completed work, and providing

the next assignments.

One summer, Kaufmann returned to campus,

and his professors taught him one-on-one to

help him catch up. “It was one of the greatest

experiences of my life,” says Kaufmann. “I

learned how to problem-solve that summer

and gained a whole new set of tools.”

As Kaufmann’s physical condition worsened,

his doctor recommended a stem cell

transplant, his only hope if he wanted to live

past the age of 30. As a first step, Kaufmann

underwent intensive chemotherapy to kill off

his blood cells. Then, on June 29, 2011, a date

he calls his “second birthday,” doctors at the

Duke Adult Stem Cell Transplant Center in

North Carolina injected 17 million stem cells

donated from Kaufmann’s brother, Brian, into

Kaufmann’s blood.

The transplant proved to be overwhelmingly

successful. “If you didn’t believe in miracles,

you wouldn’t believe it,” says Kaufmann. “With

Brian’s stem cells, I felt like I was coming up

from under water.”

Kaufmann slowly regained his strength and

energy and grew back his hair. His body,

infused with his brother’s healthy stem cells,

can now fight off infections. Doctors have

given Kaufmann an optimistic long-term

prognosis.

Just a month after the stem cell transplant,

Kaufmann celebrated another momentous

day. On July 25, 2011, he received his

bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering

from Ohio Northern University.

Kaufmann says he can’t express in mere

words the gratitude he feels toward his

professors who helped him to realize his

dream during the most challenging time of

his life. “It takes special people to teach and

care,” he says. “All my professors were just

amazing. All I can say is, ‘thank you.’”

“If I could help just one person going through what I’ve gone through, it would be worth any sacrifices it took to complete my degree.”

a profilE in pErsEvEranCE

12 Smull Talk

The College of engineering

innovaTion fund

The Innovation Fund provides the flexible funding the college needs to implement innovative ideas and respond quickly to emerging opportunities and priorities. The Innovation Fund helps students attend and present at regional and national conferences, assists with faculty research and publications, allows students to attend competitions, and helps students and faculty with travel costs for global experiences.

I realize there are many needs and many funds – all of which are very important – but I know the Innovation Fund provides Dean Baumgartner with the ability to direct resources toward a broad range of immediate needs and opportunities for the students.

Gary Stroup, BSME ’63 Retired Service Manager at National Machinery Co. in Tiffin, Ohio

You, too, can make a difference by supporting the College of Engineering’s Innovation Fund. Please consider a gift and help us continue to provide expansive opportunities for our engineering and computer science students!

For more information about giving to the Innovation Fund, please contact Jacqueline Daley-Perrin, director of development for the College of Engineering,

at j-daley-perrin@onu.edu or 419-772-2390.

Smull Talk 13

Returning engineering alumni gather for a group photo.

View the Video for the Eventonu.edu/engineering/memory

The Celebration of the 130th Anniversary of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering

At the anniversary celebration, guests were asked to share their thoughts about how their experiences at ONU shaped them as people and prepared them for their careers.

Mark Vogt, BSCE ’67Director of Engineering for the city of Reynoldsburg, Ohio

ONU was a great educational experience, primarily because the professors had practical engineering experience, not just from academia. I was much better prepared for professional life than graduates from other universities.

Dean Archer taught me to always be a professional. The interaction with others shaped how I worked with people over the years.

Chet R. Kurtz, BSCE ’57Retired Logan County Engineer

Bruce Burton and Bruce Johansen impacted my learning and influenced my teaching style. ONU is a great place to learn and work.

Michael J. Rider, BSME ’75Professor of Mechanical Engineering in ONU’s T. J. Smull College of Engineering

The great dean (Archer) and professors (Johansen, Klingenberger, Guentzer, Herr, Stahl) prepared us to solve problems, not just get answers. They took the time on a personal level to ensure we were successful in learning.

Mike Rencheck, BSEE ’83, ACIT ’08President, CEO and COO of AREVA NP Inc.

I tell my employees that they need to put lessons learned in their toolbox and continue to build on their inventory of tools – I learned this from Dr. Burton.

Susan (Di nezza) Lettrich, BSEE ’85Director of Business Analytics at FirstEnergy

14 Smull Talk

The T.J. Smull College of Engineering has the distinction of being the first professional school established at Ohio Northern University. ONU awarded its first civil engineering degree in 1882. Since that time, the school has graduated more than 6,290 engineers who have helped transform America’s landscape by linking the scientific discoveries of their times to everyday life.

supporting innovation

for 130 years

4 color

2 color

1 color

inspiring creativity

The memory book represents a collection of stories and events that have shaped the engineering program’s legacy at ONU. Find examples of individuals who have served as trailblazers for the engineering program, people who have exhibited tremendous character and purpose in what they have accomplished, the strong personal relationships that have endured both within and outside the walls of the engineering college, the knowledge that has been gained over the years by our faculty, students and alumni, the incredible motivation of our students through their endeavors on the athletic fields and in national design competitions, and, finally, the drive towards creating innovative solutions to the many engineering challenges that we face.

– Eric Baumgartner, 12th dean of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering

View the Memory Bookonu.edu/engineering/memory

Professor James L. Klingenberger, BSEE ’49, ACIT ’82, Hon. D. ’95

Anna A. Cassat, CE 1908

Lawrence “Larry” Archer, BSCE ’47, ACIT ’82,H of F ’88

Smull Talk 15

Ohio Northern University’s Iota chapter of Phi Sigma Rho celebrated its Founders Day and 10th anniversary with a ceremony and banquet on Nov. 12, 2011. “It was wonderful to get back together with so many of the sisters,” says Amanda (Kowalski) Kitzberger, BSEE ’03, the sorority’s first president. “What great memories we shared through a picture slideshow and stories.” Phi Sigma Rho is a social sorority for women studying engineering, computer science or chemistry. The sorority brings women together to form lifelong friendships, with a focus on leadership, scholarship and giving back. ONU formed its Iota chapter in 2001 to provide a supportive environment for female engineering students at Ohio Northern. The Iota chapter was officially installed as part of the national sorority on Nov. 10, 2001, with 10 charter members.

“Females have always been a minority in engineering classes,” explains Kitzberger.

“Phi Sigma Rho offered us the opportunity to meet for a purpose, a common cause. We were able to support each other and realize that we were not as alone as it sometimes seemed!”

The Iota chapter’s vision of friendship and support continues a decade after its founding, says Andrea Masters, a junior mechanical engineering major from Dalton, Ohio, and the sorority’s current president. “Phi Sigma Rho has given me the chance to become friends with people that I probably never would have gotten to know otherwise,” she says.

Approximately 45 active and alumnae sisters attended the celebration on Nov. 12. The event included an initiation of two honorary members: Dr. Julie (Harvey) Hurtig, BSEE ’91, associate vice president for academic affairs, and professor Laurie (Kahl) Laird, BSME ’86, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. “They have supported Phi Sigma Rho from its beginning, freely giving of their time and talent,” says Masters. “The sisters

were so excited to finally have the chance to honor them, and we are proud to call them our sisters,” she adds.

PHI SIgMA RHO

“THE SISTERS ARE ALWAYS THERE TO OFFER A HELPINg HAND AND ENCOURAgE ONE ANOTHER IN gOOD TIMES AND BAD.”Andrea Masters, Phi Sigma Rho president

16 Smull Talk

LACK OF COMMUNICATIONThere’s a problem with kids today.

The sad truth is this: Many teens do not understand engineering at all. They don’t know what it is or what it can do for society. And this doesn’t bode well for the future of the profession.

In fact, a recent survey by Intel Corporation tells us that this simple lack of familiarity is what stops students from choosing engineering as a career. Specifically, the survey indicates that 63 percent of teens have never considered an engineering career, although 44 percent say they would consider an engineering profession if only they knew more about it.

“High school students are told, ‘You’re good at math and science; you should be an engineer.’ But the students don’t know anything about engineering,” says graham Fennell, a freshman engineering education major from gibsonia, Pa. “I didn’t know much about engineering, so I had to research it for myself.”

To recruit future generations of engineers, then, young students need to be exposed to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects while in high school – or earlier. They need to get excited about the profession at a younger age, because by the time they get to college, it’s practically too late.

It’s an issue that more and more engineering professionals are learning about, and a problem that Ohio Northern University’s College of Engineering is working hard to correct.

INTRODUCINg: ENgINEERINg EDUCATIONThis past fall marked the first semester for ONU’s Bachelor of Science in engineering education program, one of the first of its kind in the United States. ONU’s program aims to produce middle and high school teachers who have an accurate perception of engineering as a profession.

This program will develop teachers who have an inherent appreciation of engineering and the ability to integrate math and science, along with engineering analysis and design, into the classroom. Ohio Northern’s program will graduate educators who will inspire young people to pursue higher education and careers in engineering.

The vast majority of the freshmen in ONU’s engineering education program cite a dual interest in both engineering and education as the primary reason for choosing the major.

“I chose engineering education because, when I was looking for a college major, I was split between going into engineering and education,” says Fennell. “When this major came out, it fit perfect for me. This degree gives me the option of going into engineering or education.”

Tyler Hertenstein, a freshman engineering education major from Saint Marys, Ohio, sings a similar refrain. “I chose engineering education because I saw this degree as the best of both worlds. I had always been torn between teaching and engineering, and when I heard about this degree at my college fair, I was instantly interested,” he says.

REACHINg OUT WITH STEMIn addition to the engineering education program, the college has begun to go out into the community to educate students about engineering as a profession.

One of the first stops was Washington Intermediate School in Piqua, Ohio, in mid-October, where 34 Ohio Northern students, including those from the engineering education program, conducted five different 30-minute STEM workshops for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students.

“I had a lot of fun at Washington Intermediate School. The kids were great and very interested in what we were doing,” says Fennell. “Even though I am a freshman in college and don’t yet know a lot about engineering, it was cool to see the kids interested and excited about it.”

“I thought that working with the sixth-gradersat Piqua was very enjoyable and even, at some points, shocking,” says James Hollman, a freshman engineering education major from Saint Marys, Ohio. “In my classroom, we worked on an activity that I had recently completed in my freshman engineering class called the ‘Robot Arm.’ Some of the sixth-graders came up with some really cool ideas that were even better than my college class’s designs!”

With further guidance from this new crop of ONU-trained educators, perhaps these “really cool ideas” will become the engineering marvels of tomorrow.

“A lot of younger people really do not understand what engineering is, and I want to teach high school classes what it is that engineers really do,”– Tyler Hertenstein, a freshman engineering education major from Saint Marys, Ohio.

INSPIRINg ENgINEERS

Smull Talk 17

ENgINEERINg ALUMNUS AWARDED TAU BETA PI FELLOWSHIP

Michael Krak, BSME ’11, was awarded a 2011-12 graduate fellowship from Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society. Krak received a cash stipend of $10,000 to pursue graduate work at

Ohio State University. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering with a focus on vibration analysis. Tau Beta Pi Fellowships are awarded on the basis of high scholarship, campus leadership and service, and the promise of future contributions to the engineering profession. At Northern, Krak was corresponding secretary of the Ohio Iota Chapter of Tau Beta Pi, an active member of ONU’s chapter of American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a member of ONU’s Human Powered Vehicle Team, and a member of the Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies.

PROFESSOR NAMED OUTSTANDINg TAU BETA PI ADVISORDr. Robert W. Ward, professor of civil engineering at Ohio Northern University and chief advisor to the Ohio Iota Chapter of the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi, is the 2011 Tau Beta Pi National Outstanding Advisor. Ward was honored on Oct. 29, 2011, at the organization’s annual convention in Indianapolis, Ind. Tau Beta Pi President Dr. Larry A. Simonson, P.E., presented $1,000 and a commemorative plaque to Ward. Another $1,000 grant was presented to the Ohio Northern University College of Engineering Innovation Fund. Ward was cited in his nomination for striving to enhance the association each year, encouraging every member to participate in events, and offering opportunities to build character through volunteer support of the community and school.

DEAN BAUMgARTNER SPEAKS AT NOTRE DAMEDr. Eric Baumgartner, dean of the college of engineering, was guest speaker on Sept. 2, 2011, at the first Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering kickoff luncheon at the University of Notre Dame. His topic was “Innovations in Robotics: A Personal Journey.” Before joining ONU, Baumgartner spent 10 years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., where he held a number of technical and management positions, including a leadership role on the Mars Exploration Rover project that successfully launched, landed and operated the Spirit and Opportunity rovers on the Martian surface. Baumgartner was honored with the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal in 2004 for his efforts on the Mars rover project and, in May 2008, Baumgartner, along with two of his colleagues at JPL, was presented with the 2008 IEEE Robotics and Automation Award.

POVERTY ALLEVIATION IS TOPIC FOR REID, ESTELL ARTICLEDr. Kenneth J. Reid, director of first-year engineering, and Dr. John K. Estell, professor of computer engineering and computer science, are co-authors of an invited article recently published in the International Journal of Engineering Education. Titled “Incorporation of Poverty Alleviation in Third World Countries in a First-Year Engineering Capstone Course,” the article discusses the incorporation of a culminating design project requiring freshman engineering student teams to conduct research on how poverty affects a third-world country. Based on this research, the teams identify a specific need that can be addressed via an engineered design. The project requirements also included following and documenting the engineering design process, preparation of a proposal, regular verbal and written

ENgINEERINg NEWS

MIKESELL RECEIVES SAE INTERNATIONAL RALPH R. TEETOR EDUCATION AWARDDr. David R. Mikesell, BSME ’97, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio Northern University, is one of nine recipients of a prestigious international Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE) teaching award for young engineering educators. Mikesell received the Ralph R. Teetor Education Award during the SAE 2011 World Congress in Detroit. The award, established in 1963, recognizes young educators who are successfully preparing engineers to meet the challenges that face society. The award is named after former SAE president Ralph R. Teetor, who firmly believed that engineering educators are the most effective link between engineering students and their future careers.

18 Smull Talk

status reports, and both development and presentation of a prototype. The poverty alleviation requirement has allowed students to directly experience multiple learning outcomes as specified in ABET accreditation criteria, including understanding engineering in a global and societal context, along with criteria typically found in senior-level capstone courses such as the ability to function in teams and to communicate effectively.

BIRD PRESENTS PAPERDr. nathaniel Bird, BSCPE ’03, assistant professor of computer science and computer engineering, was invited to present his paper, “Use of the Arduino Platform for a Junior-Level

Undergraduate Microprocessors Course,” at the Best of Computers in Education Division session on June 27, 2011, at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Bird’s paper was one of five selected for this honor.

ENgINEERINg ALUMNUS WINS NATIONAL AWARD

Justin Schultz, BSEE ’03, an electrical engineer at Metro CD Engineering LLC, has been awarded a 2011 40 Under 40 award by Consulting-Specifying Engineer magazine.

This award is presented to 40 building-

industry professionals age 40 and younger

who stand out in their academic, professional,

personal and community achievements.

Schultz joined Metro CD Engineering in

2008 and, within six short months, passed

two difficult exams becoming both a LEED

AP and a professional engineer. He currently

serves as the education chair for the local IES

(Illuminating Engineering Society) chapter

and is active in the Communications and

Nominating Committees of the U.S. green

Building Council-Central Ohio chapter. He

regularly presents seminars on LEED and

lighting design alternative strategies to

building industry professionals of all kinds.

FORMER OHIO NORTHERN STANDOUT PLAYS PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL IN gERMANY

Former Ohio Northern football standout Kyle Simmons, BSME ’11, spent summer 2011 playing professional football in Europe with the Nürnburg Rams in Nürnburg, germany. He joined the Rams in midseason after his graduation from ONU in May and guided Nurnberg to a 5-0 record and a spot atop the league standings. Simmons was one of four Americans on the Rams roster.

Simmons threw for 5,479 yards and ran for 1,212 yards in his four seasons as a Polar Bear.

Since returning to the United States this fall, Simmons is pursuing a graduate degree in mechanical engineering at Ohio State University.

CIVIL ENgINEERINg STUDENTS ATTEND OCA DAYOn Oct. 13, 2011, Dr. Ahmed Abdel-Mohti’s structural analysis class attended the Ohio Contractor Association (OCA) Day in Perrysburg, Ohio. This is an annual event that allows students to visit a number of construction sites to gain knowledge about structures.

Students from six schools participated in the event, and a number of them apply for OCA scholarships each year. As well as financial need, students must show an interest in construction and provide strong recommendation letters to be eligible for the scholarships. This year, Kevin Carper, a junior civil engineering major from Louisville, Ohio, and Joe Janke, a junior civil engineering major from Toledo, Ohio, received scholarships.

Ohio Northern University named Justin Stiles, BSCE ’06, the 2011 recipient of the William L. Robinson Young Alumni of the Year Award. Stiles was honored prior to Ohio Northern’s Homecoming game on Oct. 1, 2011.

The award is given each year to an individual who is committed to Ohio Northern University, his/her profession and the community. The award is named in honor of Bill Robinson, BSEd ’61, ACIT ’71, ACIT ’89, Hon. D. ’05, H of F ’05, an ONU graduate who has served the University for more than 50 years in numerous capacities and has been a positive influence on countless students and alumni.

After graduating from ONU, Stiles began his career as a project engineer for Marathon Petroleum Company in Findlay, Ohio. While in the Pipeline Engineering Department, Stiles engineered and managed pipeline relocation projects, pipeline and valve upgrades, and LPg storage cavern projects. In February 2009, Stiles transferred to Woodhaven, Mich., to become the operations supervisor for the Northeast Area of Marathon Pipe Line. For the Northeast Area, Stiles led a team of field operations technicians in operating an LPg storage cavern facility, two LPg pipelines, one crude oil pipeline, and a crude oil tank farm. Stiles returned to Findlay in October 2011, after being appointed operations center supervisor for Marathon Pipe Line.

STILES NAMED ROBINSON YOUNg ALUMNI OF THE YEAR

Smull Talk 19

ENgINEERINg STUDENT RECEIVES RESEARCH gRANTOhio Northern University student Derick Endicott, a senior mechanical engineering major from Belle Center, Ohio, has received an Ohio Space grant Consortium (OSgC) Student-Innovative-Creative-Hands-on Project (SICHOP) grant to perform computational fluid dynamics (CFD) research. Endicott’s research project involves attempts to control boundary layer separation on a cylinder in crossflow using surface heating of the cylinder. This research may be applied to lowering the drag on items such as airplane wings and automobiles, resulting in significant fuel savings. Endicott is under the supervision of Dr. Jed E. Marquart, BSME ’80, professor of mechanical engineering at ONU. As a partial result of his involvement with this project, Endicott has decided to pursue a graduate degree in aerospace engineering and a career in research.

MARY FRANK RETIRES AFTER 24 YEARS OF SERVICE

Mary Frank,

executive

administrative

assistant to Dean

Baumgartner

in the College

of Engineering,

retired in

February after 24

years of service.

She began her

career at ONU

in the College of

Business Administration and moved to the

College of Engineering in 1999.

ONU REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT AT NATIONAL ENgINEERINg CONFERENCEDr. Ken Reid, director of first-year engineering, and Courtney Hetrick, a junior electrical engineering major from Frazeysburg, Ohio, presented “An Innovative Interdisciplinary Project: Engineering and Nursing” at the 2011 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference from June 26-29 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Sue Montenery, assistant professor of nursing, was a co-author of the paper.

Reid also co-presented “Enhancing the Entrepreneurial Mindset of Freshman Engineers,” which discussed an ongoing study of the growth vs. fixed mindset of first-year engineering students, with Dan Ferguson from Purdue University.

STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN HANYANg UNIVERSITY SUMMER PROgRAMScott Bauman, a junior mechanical

engineering major from Napoleon, Ohio,

Ashley Batesole, a sophomore mechanical

engineering major from Medina, Ohio, and

nine fellow undergraduate students spent

four weeks in summer studies at Hanyang

University in South Korea. This is the fifth

year for the exchange agreement between

Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea,

and Ohio Northern. With 20 colleges and 12

postgraduate schools, Hanyang University

is one of the leading private universities in

Korea. Located in Seoul, the undergraduate

student population is approximately 32,000,

which includes 3,500 postgraduate students

enrolled in a wide variety of disciplines.

Bauman recorded daily video posts, featuring

his observances and experiences living at

Hanyang, which can be viewed here:

www.onu.edu/academics/study_abroad/

hanyang_fellowship_program/blog

The Spotts Lecture was held on Feb. 13, 2012, and featured Kevin E. Bennet, chairman of the Division of Engineering, assistant professor of neurologic surgery, and co-director of the Neural Engineering Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His presentation was “Engineering Medical Miracles at Mayo Clinic.” He was introduced by Dr. Miranda n. Shaw, BSME ’03, senior research engineer in the Advanced Technology group at Zimmer in Warsaw, Ind.

ENgINEERINg NEWS

Scan to see Scott’s Blog

20 Smull Talk

Brooke Hayden, a junior electrical engineering major from New Carlisle, Ohio, has received a scholarship through the Science, Mathematics And

Research for Transformation (SMART)

Scholarship for Service Program.

The SMART Scholarship for Service

Program was created by the U.S.

Department of Defense to support

undergraduate and graduate students

who have demonstrated the ability to

excel in science, technology, engineering

and mathematic (STEM) disciplines.

The goal of the program is to increase

the number of civilian scientists and

ONU TEAM FINISHES 17TH AT SAE DESIgN EAST COMPETITIONThe Ohio Northern University student chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) placed 17th at the SAE Aero Design East Competition in Marietta, ga., from April 29-May 1, 2011. Forty-seven teams participated in the weekend competition, including national championship teams from Brazil, Canada and Poland.

The ONU airplane, dubbed The Black Swan II, was designed and built entirely by students. The flight goal of the competition was to successfully lift and fly the maximum weight possible in the airplane while adhering to certain flight-mission requirements.

As part of the project, the students predicted the flight performance of the aircraft and presented both a written and oral technical report regarding its design and construction. After two highly successful flight rounds, in which the ONU team flew the plane unladen and then with 12 pounds of payload on board, the third round brought disaster when, with 20 pounds of payload on board, The Black Swan II came in short of the runway on approach for landing and crashed beyond repair.

For this, the team captured the “Best Crash Award.”

ENgINEERINg STUDENT RECEIVES SMART SCHOLARSHIP

engineers working at the department’s laboratories.

Recipients of the SMART scholarship are provided with summer internships and access to world-class facilities. In addition, SMART scholars receive a cash award between $25,000 and $41,000 per year depending on prior education, tuition costs, educational expenses, and textbook and health insurance allowances, as well as the opportunity to continue their research within civil service roles upon graduation.

OUTSTANDINg ENgINEERINg STUDENT RECEIVES DANKOOK AWARD

Ohio Northern University presented the

Dankook Award to Kyle Simmons, BSME

’11, and Kyle R. Stinehart, BA ’11, BSBA ’11,

in a ceremony prior to the undergraduate

commencement on Sunday, May 22, 2011.

Presented since 1999, the Dankook Award

is an annual reciprocal award exchanged

between Dankook University in South

Korea and Ohio Northern University.

The award recognizes students with

outstanding records in academics, student

leadership, co-curricular activities and

service. The selection process begins

when each of ONU’s undergraduate

deans nominates two students to receive

the award. Next, ONU’s vice president of

academic affairs selects two students from

this pool of eight and sends their names

to the University president for approval.

Finally, the two names are sent to

Dankook University.

Smull Talk 21

Two family traditions exist within the Burgett family. The first is Kokosing Construction Company, headquartered in Fredericktown, Ohio, and founded in 1951 by William Boyd Burgett.

THE FAMILY BUSINESSBurgett’s granddaughter, Lori (Burgett) Gillett, BSCE ’96, has been with Kokosing since serving an internship while a student in the College of Engineering. Today, she’s just begun her third year as the company’s business development manager. And, since 2006, she’s been president of a company owned by Kokosing, Wabash Steel LLC in Vincennes, Ind.

At Kokosing, gillett pursues new business opportunities, manages the marketing efforts of the Heavy Industrial Division, assists in the Highway and Marine Division marketing efforts, and coordinates the marketing efforts between the Kokosing group of companies (Mcgraw/Kokosing, Corna/Kokosing and Wabash Steel).As president of Wabash, she is responsible for overseeing plant operations, quality control, engineering, estimating and marketing for the 240,000-square-foot structural steel fabrication plant.

A NORTHERN TRADITIONAfter Kokosing, the second Burgett family passion is Ohio Northern University, where members of the Burgett family have matriculated for four generations.

gillett’s great-great aunt, Ruth (Burgett) osborn, AA

’25, her great-grandfather, George W. Burgett, AA ’20, and her great-grandmother, Lenora (Boyd) Burgett, AA ’20, all graduated from Ohio Northern nearly a century ago. An uncle, William “Brad” Burgett, BA ’79, and aunt, Janenne Snell, both attended ONU in the ’70s.

gillett herself graduated in 1996, and several cousins from gillett’s generation have followed in the family’s footsteps: Mandy (Burgett) Wushinske, BA ’98, William “Bryce” Burgett, BSCE ’04, Brittney Burgett, BSCE ’08, and current student William “Brock” Burgett, a junior civil engineering major from Fredericktown, Ohio.

Although one would think there would be the utmost pressure to follow in the footsteps of so many other family members at Ohio Northern, gillett says that this wasn’t the case at all.

“My parents did a really good job of not pressuring me to work at the company or to get a certain degree,” she says. “And they didn’t pressure me to go to Northern, either. They probably wanted me to do all those things; I think they utilized reverse psychology and got me to do everything they wanted!”

gillett returned to ONU’s campus in 2011 as the most recent member of the College of Engineering’s Smull Advisory Board. She’s merely continuing the family legacy.

“I’ve only been to one board meeting, but I was absolutely pleased with the participation by all the people that were present at the meeting that day,” she says. “I can tell that it’s definitely going to be a very active board. Everybody gives useful suggestions that are given real consideration. After just one board meeting, I’m excited to be part of this team.”

A FULL PLATEAmid the responsibilities of working for two companies and serving her alma mater, gillett still finds the time to dabble in what many would consider to be 180 degrees away from engineering: cooking.

“I’ve always loved and been intrigued by cooking, baking and building flavors into food at all different levels,” she says.

Her love was so strong that, in 2006, gillett earned a diploma in culinary arts, baking and restaurant management (with honors) from the Arizona Culinary Institute in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“From a personal-growth standpoint, it was on my ‘bucket list’ of things to do,” she says. “And I enjoyed every second of it.”

gillett lives in Westerville, Ohio, with her husband, Morgan, and 3-year-old daughter, Taylor.

“I love to travel, and I’ve gotten really into organic gardening,” she says. “But my No. 1 interest is my daughter.”

It’s just another way gillett puts family first.

Lori (Burgett) gillett, BSCE ’96

CONTINUINg THE FAMILY LEgACY

22 Smull Talk

COLLEgE OF ENgINEERINg gIVES DISTINgUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

The College of Engineering honored David Weir, BSCE ’59, ACIT ’82, Hon. D. ’96, with its Distinguished Alumni Award on Feb. 13. Weir, who has devoted his life to engineering, is the third recipient of the award, which was established in 2010. The third of four generations to attend ONU, Weir received his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from ONU in 1959. Early in his career, Weir served as the assistant county engineer of Ashtabula, Ohio, and was elected the county engineer of Ashtabula County for three terms.

Weir next moved to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), where he served as ODOT’s assistant director and then director for five years from 1977-83. After leaving ODOT in 1983, Weir worked for a number of engineering firms, including Stilson & Associates, Advanced Drainage Systems, and A.g. Lichtenstein & Associates.

Weir has been a tremendous contributor to the ONU engineering program for more than six decades. He was a founding member of the College of Engineering Advisory Board in 1986, where he served for 20 years. Weir also was president of the ONU Alumni Association from 1982-85.

The T.J. Smull College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes those who have distinguished themselves through outstanding personal qualities and significant contributions to his or her chosen field. To be eligible for the award, an individual must be a graduate of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering, be distinguished in his or her profession, business or other worthy endeavor, have received recognition from his or her contemporaries, have made a significant contributions benefitting his or her community, state nation, the University or the college, and be a person of such integrity, stature and demonstrated ability that the faculty, staff, students and alumni of the college will take pride in and be inspired by his or her recognition.

Board ChairFrederick “Fritz” KucklickBSME ’69, ACIT ’09Engineering, Management and Litigation ConsultantIMT Consulting Inc.Cassopolis, Mich.

Board Chair-ElectKevin FreeseBSME ’84 President and CEO Affordable Living Spaces Ltd.Cleveland, Ohio

Dr. Donald CampbellBSME ’59, ACIT ’95, Hon. D. ’98, ACIT ’11Director (Retired)NASA glenn Research CenterCleveland, Ohio

Michael Chow, P.E., LEED APBSEE ’92Owner/PrincipalMetro CD Engineering LLCDublin, Ohio

Lori (Burgett) GillettBSCE ’96Business Development ManagerKokosing Construction CompanyWesterville, Ohio

Bruce HollingerBSCE ’75President/Co-FounderWiSys LLCFlowery Branch, ga.

Deborah (Green) Houdeshell, P.E.BSCE ’87Senior AssociateHazen and Sawyer

Akron, Ohio

Dr. E.F. Charles LaBergeProfessor of the Practice of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore CountyBaltimore, Md.

Susan (Di nezza) LettrichBSEE ’85Director of Business AnalyticsFirstEnergy Services CompanyAkron, Ohio

Victor Marone, P.E.Senior PartnerChesapeake Management AssociatesAnnapolis, Md.

Lt. Col. Brett MasonBSEE ’86Senior Program ManagerMission Essential Personnel LLCChantilly, Va.

Scott McClintock, P.E.BSCE ’86Director of Operations and DevelopmentDavid HomesHamburg, N.Y.

neil naiman, P.E.BSEE ’74Manager, Downstream Planning and Strategy (Retired)Marathon Petroleum Company LLCFindlay, Ohio

Michael Rencheck, P.E.BSEE ’83, ACIT ’08President/CEOAREVA NP Inc.Lynchburg, Va.

Khalil ShuhaibarBSEE ’93Project ManagerDiscovery Communication Inc.Silver Spring, Md.

2011-12 Members of the Smull Advisory Board

David Weir, BSCE ’59, ACIT ’82, Hon. D. ’96. , is pictured left with his wife, Judith (Reed) Weir, BSBA ’60, ACIT ’08.

Smull Talk 23

College of Engineering525 S. Main St.Ada, Ohio 45810

EnginEEring Pathwayswhat: A weeklong residential camp that introduces students to civil, computer, electrical and mechanical engineering.whErE: Ohio Northern University, Ada, OhiowhEn: June 24-29, 2012who: High school students entering the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade in fall 2012Cost: $440, which includes room, board, travel for field trips and educational materials.Transportation to and from camp is not included.

CaMP gEMswhat: A four-day residential engineering, mathematics and science campwhErE: Ohio Northern University, Ada, OhiowhEn: July 15-18, 2012who: Girls entering the seventh or eighth grade in fall 2012Cost: $295, which includes room, board and educational materials.Transportation to and from camp is not included.

ENGINEERING

CAMPS 2012

Contact Laurie Laird, director of the camps, at 419-772-2421 or l-laird@onu.edu