Dan Fuhrmann, ME’99, owner of Route 66 Bicycles in Rolla, wants to make S&T the model of a bicycle-friendly campus. Fuhrmann donated a Dero Fixit stand, an ADA-compliant bicycle-repair station. It was installed outside Curtis Laws Wilson Library last fall. “When I was a student, bicycles were technically banned from campus, although the rule was rarely enforced,” says Fuhrmann, former president of the S&T Cycling Club. That has changed and Fuhrmann wants everyone to know that S&T is a bicycle-friendly campus. “Bicycle infrastructure is a great investment and I realize that. I hope to bring others on board. “Anyone can use the stand to perform repairs or adjustments on their bicycle, or stop for a quick shot of air in their tires,” Fuhrmann says. It includes a pump with a gauge and also has most of the tools necessary to perform minor adjustments. “If it keeps people riding their bikes instead of driving, then it’s a good thing.”
S&T: a Kiplinger’s top value
Missouri S&T is one of the nation’s top 100 public universities, according to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. Kiplinger’s list of Best Values in Public Colleges, published in the magazine’s February issue, ranks Missouri S&T 81st among public institutions that “combine outstanding education with economic value.”
Student design team competitions coming your way
Miners by Design, the giving society that encourages supporting experiential learning at Missouri S&T, invites alumni to support students by attending one of the upcoming design team competitions. A list of the competitions, sorted by alumni section, follows. Dates of all design team competitions are available at rol.la/designteamdates.
- Bay Area – Human Powered Vehicle Challenge West, April 25-27, San Jose, Calif.
- Motor City – Formula SAE Michigan, May 14-17, Brooklyn, Mich.; Robotics Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition, June 6-9, Rochester, Mich.
- NE-IA – Formula SAE and Formula SAE Electric, June 18-22, Lincoln, Neb.
- Oklahoma – American Society of Civil Engineers’ Mid-Continent Student Conference —Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe Team, April 24-26, Stillwater, Okla.
- Peoria – Baja SAE Illinois, June 4-7, Peoria, Ill.
- Salt Lake City – NASA Student Launch Rocketry Challenge, May 15-17, Bonneville Salt Flats Tooele County, Utah
- SW Florida – Human Powered Vehicle Challenge East, April 11-13, Orlando, Fla.
U.S. News ranks S&T’s online degree programs
Fifteen online master’s degree programs at Missouri S&T are ranked among the nation’s best in three categories, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 Best Online Programs Rankings. [Read more…]
Engaging alumni
In 2012, the Miner Alumni Association changed the format for its board of directors. What used to be a large number of small committees, each with a narrow focus, has been consolidated into five larger committees with broad goals. [Read more…]
Robots with brains?
In the future, groups of semi-autonomous robots could take over dangerous tasks currently handled by humans, such as decommissioning a land mine or rescuing victims of a building collapse, thanks to a new feedback system developed by Jagannathan Sarangapani, the William A. Rutledge-Emerson Electric Co. Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering. [Read more…]
Q&A: What was your hardest class at S&T?
Maybe it was beneficial and you use the knowledge you gained daily or maybe you’re just glad you survived. Either way, we asked about your hardest class or your toughest professor. Here’s what you told us: [Read more…]
Letters to the editor
The article on Ron Epps, Phys’67, was of high interest to me as there were four students from Mount Vernon High School in two consecutive years who were physics majors at (then) UMR – Epps, Nick Prater, Phys’67, Charles Steven Nichols, Phys’68, and myself. This would seem to be exceptional as our high school classes were only about 70 students! We all graduated near the top of our classes at UMR — pretty good record for four country kids from a small high school in southwest Missouri. This was due in no small part to the mentoring we received from Henle Holmes, MS Tch Math’61, our physics and math instructor at Mount Vernon, and then the fine university leadership of Dr. H.Q. Fuller and Dr. John T. Park, who later became chancellor.
I taught math and physics for 11 years and then worked 30-plus years in the oil service industry, retiring in April from Schlumberger as project manager in the area of exploration software development.
—Eugene Aufdembrink, Phys’68, MS Phys’70, Needville, Texas
I earned my master’s degree in December 1973 and we moved on to Montréal, Canada, for my doctorate. Now, 40 years after we left Rolla, I am writing from my hometown of Mersin, Turkey. My wife is a professor in Mersin University. I am director of a manufacturing company and our clientele includes Nooter/Eriksen Inc. It is always nice to find out that some of the people at Nooter were students at Rolla at the same time with me.
Looking back, I can say that we have spent some of our most pleasant days in Rolla and we remember them fondly. Thank you, Rolla. It has been a privilege and honor to be among your students and alumni.
— (Mehmet) Nihat Taner, MS CE’73, Mersin, Turkey
I just received my Fall/Winter issue of I and it reminded me of Prof. Kent Peaslee, who presented me with the Benjamin F. Fairless Award at AISTech 2013 in Pittsburgh on May 7, 2013. Prof. Peaslee was president of the Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST) and he presented the award at the President’s Breakfast with more than 1,200 people in attendance. I have attached a photo of the presentation. Tragically, Prof. Peaslee suddenly passed away the following week. I thought that you may want to include the photo in an upcoming magazine.
— Bruce Bramfitt, MetE’60, MS MetE’62, PhD MetE’66, Steelton, Pa.
Professional degrees
Missouri S&T awarded two honorary professional degrees during commencement in December. The degrees recognize the following alumni for their professional achievement:
- Maureen E. Midgley, ChE’82, of Rochester, Mich., senior vice president of global manufacturing engineering for Henkel Corp.
- Michael O. Vahle, Math’71, MS Math’73, chief information officer and vice president of technology services at Sandia National Laboratories.
Secret ingredient for high-strength bridges
Last fall, a new bridge was built east of Jefferson City, Mo., that incorporates an unusual, high-strength concrete mix in its girders and support structure. The three-span bridge is outfitted with sensors and other instrumentation to collect data on how well the bridge performs over time. [Read more…]
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