In February, Sandra Magnus became the first person to study fire aboard the International Space Station.

For a long time, Yankee Stadium was famously known as “The house that Ruth built.” But as far as the Missouri S&T family is concerned, the new Yankee Stadium could technically be called “The house that Michael Lancey built.” Or at least the house he helped to build.

Darla Ellis begins her workday like many of us do - standing in front of an open closet, pondering what to wear. She takes the time to find the pair of shoes that will coordinate perfectly with her outfit. But her decision never involves pumps or flats. No, for Ellis the perfect shoes are Nikes, every time.

Doug Duchardt, ME’87, pictured above, right, is living life in the fast lane and there doesn’t seem to be any slowing him down.

Bob Elliott, MetE’64, was a successful engineer for more than 20 years, but his work as an amateur magician and memory expert, and his generosity to fellow magicians, is what makes him truly remarkable.

Missouri S&T has a lot of graduates who do things that might attract attention from the Discovery Channel show “Dirty Jobs.” Some of them toil under a hot sun in the oil fields. Some of them study muck from the bottom of rivers. A lot of them work in dirty underground mines. But Brandon Freeman, CE’08, might have the dirtiest occupation of all.

"Hi, Mr. Jones. This is Amy calling from the civil engineering department at Missouri S&T. How are you this evening?” This probably sounds familiar to you since 90 percent of Missouri S&T donors contribute through the annual phonathon program.

Patrick Owen, CE’77, has spent the better part of the last 15 years in a theme park. It sounds like he’s competing for an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records, but he’s not. It’s all part of his job. Owen is vice president of design and engineering at SeaWorld in San Diego.

The national recession has affected all sectors of the economy, including higher education. And while S&T is tightening its belt to deal with the economic downturn, Chancellor John F. Carney III maintains that this university’s focus on technology, energy, infrastructure and environmental research can help put the nation on the road to economic recovery.

On Sept. 23 the largest career fair in university history was hosted by the Career Opportunities Center. More than 301 employers and one international location were on campus with approximately 200 alumni returning to campus to recruit graduates of their alma mater.

When you think of college students, diapers don’t usually come to mind. But 18 project management students changed that this semester when they organized a diaper drive for a local charity.

Mike Swoboda and I pledged Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity in Rolla in the fall of 1956. Mike was voted in as chapter president in his sophomore year: An unusual move at that time.

American writers in the 1920s used the flapper as a sign of the times, says Kate Drowne, associate professor of English and technical communication.

In his new book, White Masculinity in the Recent South, Trent Watts examines the way southern men have been represented in pop culture since World War II, from southern Protestant churches to the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The idea grew from Watts’ interest in the 20th century South.

Yinfa Ma, Curators’ Teaching Professor of chemistry, received the 2008 J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Education from the American Chemical Society’s division of analytical chemistry.

Hirtz to lead design center

Paul Hirtz, EMgt’95, MS EMgt’97, PhD EMgt’02, assistant director of the Student Design and Experiential Learning Center, was named interim director of the center. He took over the new role on Nov. 26.

Missouri S&T was awarded $10,000 in research grants from the Environmental Protection Agency for research into solar energy and residential energy use.

Led by senior Michelle Rader, a team of S&T aerospace engineering students is trying to improve the speed of construction in space.

Don’t let barriers get in the way of future success, Joan Woodard, Math’73, told a group of nearly 600 graduating seniors during December 2008 commencement.

David Van Aken, professor of metallurgical engineering, was named Curators’ Teaching Professor of materials science and engineering during commencement Dec. 20. He joined the Missouri S&T faculty in 1993.

Ten honorary professional degrees were awarded during the Dec. 20 commencement exercises.

Several glass containers filled with algae-stained water sit on a table in Paul Nam’s laboratory. Next to the big green bottles are two much smaller vials. One of the vials, labeled “biodiesel,” contains a mostly clear solution labeled “algae oil.”

Using thousands of brain cells from laboratory rats, S&T researchers hope to design a more intelligent power grid. They envision a more flexible system that can respond to uncertainty and circumstances - much like the brain itself.

Using a newly patented sensor system, engineers will be able to measure structural damage to bridges and buildings following an earthquake.

Junior Justin Taylor’s passion for sports comes from his two older brothers who got him involved in basketball as a kid. Not only does he love the competition but he loves to win. That trait helped make him a successful football and basketball player at Webster Groves (Mo.) High School.

The recipient of the 2008 NSCAA Honorary All-America award is out of this world. Literally.

Missouri S&T won the Great Lakes Football Conference championship in 2008 and the league’s all-conference team was a reflection of that. The Miners had 13 players chosen for the squad and won six additional awards for their performance.

The Missouri S&T swimming team finished the three-day Mizzou Invitational in December with 15 automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Division II Championships that began in Houston, Texas, on March 11. This marks only the second time in school history that 15 swimmers have gone on to the national meet.

In every student’s educational journey, there’s at least one professor who forever alters the course of that student’s life. For Joe Rupp, MetE’72, there’s no question that person was the late Dr. Thomas O’Keefe, Curators’ Professor emeritus of metallurgical engineering at Missouri S&T.