School of Engineering

The University community will celebrate the official opening of the KU School of Engineering's Eaton Hall on Oct. 17 on the Lawrence Campus.

The 10 a.m. dedication of Eaton Hall, which is named for donor and alumnus Robert J. Eaton, e'63, will take place at the $15 million facility located at 15th Street and Naismith Drive. Speakers at the ceremony will include Robert Hemenway, chancellor; Stuart Bell, engineering dean; Eaton, retired chairman, DaimlerChrysler AG; Frank J. Becker, chairman, Kansas University Endowment Association Board of Trustees; and Janice DeBauge, chairwoman, Kansas Board of Regents.

The 80,000-square-foot building consolidates all academic engineering programs-including the department of electrical engineering and computer science- into the engineering complex. Many members of the department had been located in offices and classrooms far from the main engineering building, Learned Hall. The facility also includes several state-of-the-art instructional and computer laboratories, an atrium and a computing commons for use by all engineering students. New office space was created for the Engineering Career Services Center and the school's administrative offices. Eaton Hall also features the Spahr Engineering Classroom, a 230-seat multimedia classroom funded by Charles Spahr, e'34, and his wife, Mary Jane Bruckmiller Spahr, '38, of Shaker Heights, Ohio.

"The expansion of the KU School of Engineering would not have been possible without the generous assistance of donors," Hemenway said. "Because construction was entirely funded through private gifts, KU was able to answer the need for more space and bring together the programs to foster more collaborative research and teaching. Gifts from donors have helped KU build upon vital state support for the school to establish an exceptional environment for learning and research."

Announced gifts and donors for the project include:

• A $5 million commitment from Robert J. Eaton, mechanical engineering '63, of Naples, Fla. An Arkansas City, Kan., native, Eaton is chairman emeritus of Chrysler Corp. and retired chairman of DaimlerChrysler AG.

• A $4 million gift from the estate of the late Paul W. and Virginia Miller. The gift from the Millers was provided through a $10.2 million bequest for KU announced in 1999.

• A $1.5 million gift from Charles and Mary Jane Spahr of Shaker Heights, Ohio. Charles, civil engineering '34, is a retired chief executive of Standard Oil Co. of Ohio. Mary Jane attended KU with the class of 1938.

• A $1 million commitment from Madison "Al" and Lila Self of Hinsdale, Ill. Al, chemical engineering '43, is a longtime businessman and former owner of Bee Chemical Co. in Lansing, Ill. Lila attended KU with the class of 1943.

• A $1 million pledge from Adrienne Zimmerman Adam, of Prairie Village, Kan. Adrienne earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts in 1933 from the University of Arizona and was married to the late Paul J. Adam, business '33.

• A gift of $100,000 from P. J. "Jim" Adam and his wife, Barbara Mills Adam, of Overland Park, Kan. Jim, mechanical engineering '56, is a former chairman and CEO of Kansas City-based Black & Veatch and is the son of Adrienne Zimmerman Adam. Barbara attended KU with the class of 1953 and is a former chairwoman of the board of KCPT Channel 19 in Kansas City.

Some donors remain anonymous.

Gifts for Eaton Hall counted toward the $500 million goal of KU First: Invest in Excellence, the largest fund-raising campaign in KU history. KU Endowment is conducting KU First on behalf of KU through 2004 to raise funds for scholarships, fellowships, professorships, capital projects and program support. KU Endowment is an independent, non-profit organization serving as the official fund-raising and fund-management organization for KU.

Come fly with us

The 16th annual High School Design Competition at the School of Engineering will give students from the Midwest the chance to let their creative abilities take flight.

The event, which begins at 9 a.m. Oct. 28 in the Kansas Union Ballroom, instructs teams of students to modify a rubber band-powered balsa wood aircraft to carry the most weight. The aircraft must still be powered by rubber bands and released by hand, however a variety of other modifications to the craft will be allowed. The winning team will be determined from those entries that successfully complete a flight of 75 feet and carry the greatest payload (in quarters) in proportion to the weight of their aircraft.

In the past, the free event has attracted hundreds of students. Spectators also are welcome to attend the event, which will end by 2 p.m. Read More

Chemical engineering students win more national honors

KU chemical engineering students have added to their string of national successes.

Richard Pass, e'03, took first place in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers annual student design contest. His classmate, Sean Murphy, now a graduate student in chemical engineering, took third-place honors.

KU students have won more honors in the AIChE design competition than students from any other school in the nation during the past 20 years.

Colin "Chip" Howat, professor of chemical engineering who teaches the chemical engineering design sequence, incorporates the competition into one of his senior-level class. Howat attributes this unparalleled success to the high-caliber students who come to KU.

"We have good students and we have a good foundation to make this design program work," he said. "I think these students would excel in whatever they chose. I think KU students are the best in the country. "

Each student devotes, on average, 130 hours during the 30-day competition window. Each participating university can submit solutions from only two students.

"If I could have submitted one more, we would have had another award, but I can only submit two," Howat said.

"I think it (the achievement) indicates that our students have a fantastic foundation to practice in any field of chemical engineering."