Gollahalli Legacy Fund

 

 

Professor Subramanyam Gollahalli, Lesch Centennial Chair at the University of Oklahoma (OU) School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME), retired and transitioned to emeritus status in May 2017, after 41 years of service at OU (52 years including his tenure at the Indian Institute of Science, India and the University of Waterloo, Canada). His service included eight years of directorship at AME.

His distinguished career was marked by many awards from various professional organizations and many recognitions from OU, including the Regents Superior Teaching Award and Regents Professional Service Award. A few of the awards bestowed upon Professor Gollahalli are the Westinghouse Gold Medal, the Energy Systems Award, the Ralph James Award, the Ralph Teetor Award, the Samuel Collier Award and the Sustained Service Award.

Professor Gollahalli’s research in energy and combustion involved many experimental studies. He founded the internationally-recognized Combustion Laboratory, where he mentored over 100 graduate students (M.S. and Ph.D.) and post-doctoral associates and produced nearly 300 publications. He involved many undergraduate students in his laboratory research as well.

Professor Gollahalli strongly believes that “hands-on experimental experience” is an essential component of engineering education to prepare well-rounded engineers. He was the founding chair of the AME Laboratory Committee (1989), in which capacity he served until retirement (with a break during his directorship). He was the author of the “AME Lab Plan” required by the accreditation agency, which provides guidelines for various laboratories (two required labs and five elective labs). It deals with coordination, safety aspects and general guidelines for funding and conducting laboratory courses. During his tenure as the chair, he raised funds and arranged allocation of funds through the Lab Committee to modernize the lab education to keep pace with technological innovations.

“Dr. Gollahalli is a truly dedicated professor, he inspires his students to solve problems and make a difference,” said Sai Gundavelli, AME alum.

His passion for giving students hands-on experience resulted in the modernization of the AME machine shop with numerically controlled equipment. During his directorship, he gave priority to funding labs and the machine shop in which students were given the opportunity to work by themselves under the supervision of machine shop staff.

The capstone design project program, which involves industrial projects, saw a major growth in size and increase in funding during his directorship. The AME Capstone Project Poster Fair, where students exhibit their hands-on developed creations and win awards at the conclusion of judging by the industry personnel, became an annual popular event during his term as the director.

During his tenure as the director, he encouraged and supported the student competition activities, such as Sooner Racing Team, Human-Powered Vehicle Team, Robotics Team and Design-Build-Fly Team. The teams facilitated direct student involvement in designing, manufacturing and competing in national events. He personally attended some of the competitions to encourage students. He took great pleasure and felt proud when the teams achieved high national rankings.

When Professor Gollahalli stepped down from the directorship after eight years, the AME Board of Advisors started a fund to honor his legacy, which was intended to support the undergraduate laboratories. Now, after his retirement, to mark his passion and belief in providing valuable laboratory hands-on experience to students, Professor Gollahalli’s family decided to make a significant contribution to this fund to make it a permanent endowment, which will serve as a source of funding for this cause.

“I am grateful to the AME Board of Advisors for establishing Gollahalli Legacy Fund to support instructional labs. I thank my wonderful students and friends for their generous donation for this cause, which will facilitate production of well-rounded future AME engineers,” said Professor Gollahalli.

The School of AME requests your contributions to this fund to mark your name and help fulfill Professor Gollahalli’s long-standing desire. To contribute to the Gollahalli Legacy Fund please visit: https://giving.oufoundation.org/OnlineGivingWeb/Giving/OnlineGiving/Gollahalli

Outstanding Students and Graduate Scholarship Recipients Honored at AME Spring Luncheon

The School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering recently celebrated the end of the school year with their annual Spring Senior Luncheon in conjunction to the Spring Board of Advisors’ (BOA) meeting. During the luncheon, Tommy Lear, BOA Chair, gave a keynote presentation. AME also celebrated the seniors and bid them farewell and good luck in their future endeavors. Lastly, AME honored two special groups of students. The first was the AME Undergraduate Outstanding Students and the second was the Graduate Student Scholarship Recipients. DSC_4958X

Outstanding Students (left to right): Joel Jimenez Cortez, ME Outstanding Junior; Nathan Justus, AE Outstanding Senior; Jordan Logue, AE Outstanding Junior; Dickens Danson Mugumya, AE Outstanding Sophomore; Octavio Serrano, ME Outstanding Sophomore; and Tim Willis, ME Outstanding Senior.

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Graduate Student Scholarship Recipients (left to right): Mustafa Ghazi, Thomas Milam Scholarship; Anand Balu Nellippallil, Frank Chuck Mechanical Engineering Scholarship; Mortaza Saeidijavash, Jim & Bee Close Scholarship; Alejandro Rivas, Jim & Bee Close Scholarship; Jawanza Bassue, ConocoPhillips Scholarship; and (not pictured) Jelena Milisavljevic, Close and Francis Family Scholarship.

Congratulations to the recipients, and good luck to the seniors!

AME Board of Advisors Welcomes New Members

At the fall 2015 School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Board of Advisors’ meeting, Michelle Coppedge and Monica Browning Mitchell were first-time attendees as they joined AME Board of Advisors. As new members, Michelle and Monica provided valuable input and a fresh outlook during the bi-annual meeting.

Meet Michelle

Coppedge WebMichelle Coppedge is an AME alumna graduating with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering in 1988. She then attended Oklahoma City University where she earned her Master of Business Administration in 1991. Lastly, Michelle completed her Master of Science in industrial engineering at Purdue University in 1995.

Ms. Coppedge has 25 years of experience working as an engineer and overseeing engineers in both private industry and government. She worked 14 years at AT&T/Lucent Technologies, serving as the Director of Engineering, before moving to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Michelle currently serves as the Center Director for FAA’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC). The MMAC is the second largest contingent of FAA employees outside of Washington, DC, employing 6,300 federal and contract employees, as well as hosting/training around 1,000 Air Traffic Control students.

Michelle was anxious to join the AME BoA. “I am passionate about engineering, the University of Oklahoma and investing in the future of young students that want to grow and develop,” Michelle said. “I hope to add more perspective from the aerospace industry to the board discussions.”

Meet Monica

Monica WebMonica Mitchell Browning is an alumna from the University of Oklahoma earning a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering in 1991 and a Master of Business Administration in 1994.

Ms. Mitchell has worked at AT&T since 1994. She has served in a variety of roles including Manager of Network Operations, Manager of Customer Service, Manager of RF Engineering, Manager of Switch Translations, Manager of Regional Network Operations Center, Director of Customer Care Strategy and Director of IT Mediation. Monica is currently the AT&T Executive Director of Technology. She also serves on two non-profit boards affiliated with the Air Force ROTC and the Air Force Association.

Because Monica works in the technology industry, her career and experience at AT&T along with the company’s relationship with OU has led her to join the AME BoA. “I love OU. I love mentoring students. AT&T believes that we have to partner with our local universities to increase interest in STEM programs,” Monica said. “They have encouraged us to spend time on activities like this board and to share with you the trends that we are seeing so that you can help students learn the skills that we need to see in industry.”

AME would like to welcome Michelle and Monica to the team! We thank you for your time and service to our students and our school.

AME Board of Advisors hold 2015 Fall Meeting

The School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Board of Advisors attended their annual fall meeting on Friday, November 6, 2015. The BOA had a busy day with a full agenda. They reviewed the school’s recent accomplishments and made plans for future endeavors. Tommy Lear, Chair of the BOA, led the discussions throughout the day. Lastly, Monica Mitchell and Michelle Coppedge, two new members of the BOA, were in attendance providing valuable input and a fresh outlook. Thank you to all who attended. We look forward to seeing you in the spring!

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AME Student Career Talks

On the evenings of September 1st and 2nd, 2015, Dave Bert, AME Board of Advisor member, met with AME’s undergraduate and graduate students in the Engineering Practice Facility. On September 1st, Mr. Bert spoke with freshmen, sophomores and juniors about about résumé building, the importance of internships and how to choose elective courses. On September 2nd, Mr. Bert spoke with seniors and graduate students regarding important strategies to securing full-time employment including the interview process and résumés. Students were engaged throughout the evening by asking questions, leading discussion and taking notes.

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Dave Bert is the Vice President of Drilling at Chesapeake Energy Corporation in Oklahoma City. He is a proven oil and gas executive with significant expertise in drilling, completion, field development, operations management and engineering. Dave has been instrumental in Chesapeake’s achievement of industry-leading unconventional horizontal drilling, operational efficiency and production growth. He graduated with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, an M.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Southern California and is a licensed professional engineer. Dave was inducted into the University of Oklahoma Gallogly College of Engineering Distinguished Graduates Society. He serves as a member of the Gallogly College of Engineering Advisory Board and the AME Board of Advisors.

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AME Board of Advisors hold Spring Meeting

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The School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Board of Advisors attended their annual spring meeting on Friday, April 24, 2015. The BOA had a busy day with a full agenda. They held their meeting in the Hitachi Conference Room in Felgar Hall. In addition, they attended the Senior Luncheon at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Dave Bert, BOA Chair, was the keynote speaker for the event. Thank you to all for making the day a success!

AME Board of Advisors hold 2014 Fall Meeting

BOA Fall 2014The School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Board of Advisors attended their annual fall meeting on Friday, November 7, 2014. The BOA had a busy day with a full agenda. They held their meeting in the Hitachi Conference Room in Felgar Hall. In addition, the Chesapeake Scholars were invited to the luncheon with the BOA and received their Chesapeake Scholars certificate from BOA Chair and Chesapeake Vice-President, Dave Bert. The Chesapeake Scholars are Morgan Andersen, David Doshier, Cameron Riney and Timothy Willis.

David Doshier & Dave Bert

David Doshier & Dave Bert

Timothy Willis & Dave Bert

Timothy Willis & Dave Bert

Career Talks with AME Board of Advisors and Students

On the evening of August 26, 2014, Dave Bert and Matt Green, both AME Board of Advisors, met with some of AME’s freshmen, sophomores, and juniors in the Engineering Practice Facility. During the evening, Mr. Bert and Mr. Green spoke to students about resume building, the importance of internships, and how to choose elective courses. This information was very valuable as both men graduated from AME and have a great deal of experience in the industry. Students were engaged throughout the evening by asking questions, leading discussion, and taking notes. There was roughly 40 students total in attendance.

Tonight Tommy Lear and Matt Green will speak with AME seniors and graduate students regarding important strategies to secure full-time employment. The event will take place in REPF 200 from 7:00-8:30pm.

For more information, please contact Danielle Geier by e-mail dgeier@ou.edu.