COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & SCIENCE
Fall 2022 College of Engineering and Science Report
Along with new faces, Fall Quarter always brings a sense of adventure to the College of Engineering and Science, Louisiana Tech, and Ruston. It’s nice to see the buildings filled with students eager to begin a new year of studies. We’ve reached the point in the quarter when students and faculty have settled into a rhythm, and first-year engineering students are well on their way to fabricating their first projects. Watching them become part of the Tech community is one of my favorite things about the fall. We have you to thank for that.
Engineering an Environment: Louisiana Tech Hosts ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships
In early June, a “really crazy idea” landed hundreds of civil engineering students, professors, and guests in Ruston for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Concrete Canoe Competition + Society-wide Finals. The 2022 Finals welcomed a new competition, Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI) Surveying, to join the Sustainable Solutions and Concrete Canoe Competitions. Teams from 40 universities converged on Louisiana Tech to fight for bragging rights as the best in the world at building concrete canoes, accurately surveying land, and developing sustainable solutions for infrastructure problems.
Design and Research Conference Expands Opportunities for Students
More than 200 freshman and senior teams showcased their skills and ingenuity at the inaugural College of Engineering and Science Design and Research Conference last spring. The students had the opportunity to network with their peers, alumni, faculty, staff, and members of the Ruston community as they presented prototypes, processes, and research they’d developed over the 2021-22 year.
Andrew Turner: Learning, Leading, and Action
Andrew Turner’s love of computing developed when he was a student at E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux. There, he realized that he wanted to pursue a computing degree. Once he arrived at Louisiana Tech, a conversation with Cyber Engineering Program Chair and Lecturer Dr. Miguel Gates helped him streamline that goal into a desire to create a safer cyber environment for users.
Dr. Mickey Cox Honored with Giving Opportunity
Dr. Mickey Cox has retired after teaching Electrical Engineering and Electrical Engineering Technology courses at Louisiana Tech for nearly 40 years. Over his years with the University, Dr. Cox has published dozens of articles and won numerous awards for his work in power systems communications, electromagnetic fields, and power systems. Most importantly, he taught generations of new electrical engineers to meet the challenges in their careers.
2022 COES Distinguished Alumni
The College of Engineering and Science honored Dr. Harry Hogan (Biomedical Engineering), Henry “Hank” Lee Sinclair (Chemical Engineering), Dr. Tiffany Jarrell Prentice (Chemistry), Dan Brown (Civil Engineering), Thomas Bont (Computer Science), Mr. Reginald “Reggie” Jeter (Construction Engineering Technology), Nicholas “Nick” Brown (Electrical Engineering), Sam Maggio, III (Electrical Engineering Technology), Justin Routon (Industrial Engineering), Dr. Nathan Ponder (Mathematics and Statistics), Arne E. Aamodt (Mechanical Engineering), and Dr. Ronald Perritt (Physics) as 2022 Distinguished Alumni.
Louisiana Tech Research at the CERN Large Hadron Collider
At 2 a.m. on July 4, 2012, Louisiana Tech students and faculty witnessed history from a classroom in Carson-Taylor Hall as CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) officials proclaimed that the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the Large Hadron Collider had recorded Higgs bosons. After the announcement, Dr. Lee Sawyer, Director of Chemistry and Physics, Professor of Physics, and founder of the High Energy Physics Group on Tech’s Ruston campus, discussed the University’s role in the discovery.
Viral Sagar: Engineering Solutions to Waste Management
Viral “Vir” Sagar’s interest in bioprocess engineering began several years ago in Mumbai, where he was born and raised. He curated this interest further while studying at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, in the Chemical and Biochemical Engineering program. From early on, he knew he wanted to help develop sustainable energy and green technology.
Alumnus Defends U.S. in Cyberspace
Cyber Engineering alumnus Justin Berthelot (‘21) knew he wanted to work in cybersecurity as a middle schooler when he modified his first electronic device. By reimagining what his iPod Touch could do and tweaking the software to make it run the way he wanted, Justin gained valuable knowledge. He learned that he could edit software to be more user-friendly and that hackers could access electronics easily.
College Leads Economic Development Project
Dr. Henry Cardenas and the College of Engineering and Science are leading a four-campus effort to help manufacturers in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas – save millions of dollars by increasing productivity, reducing waste, and saving energy. The other campuses include the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Grambling State University, and Louisiana Delta Community College – Monroe Campus.