S P R I N G
New Members Join acet
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N E W S L E T T E R
Ron and Ann Woolley
Originally from Jerome, Idaho, Ron graduated
from BYU with his bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering and completed his PhD in fluid
mechanics at Stanford University. Subsequently, Ron
taught at BYU and, while there, performed research
and design in the area of hydrogen as an alternative
fuel, and holds four patents in that area. In 1990, he
formed Woolley Engineering Research Corporation
which specializes in product liability. He reconstructs
accidents nationwide that are related to design issues
of safety systems in automobiles. He has published
24 scientific papers in this field.
From Little Rock, Arkansas, Ann graduated from BYU
in English Teaching and spent time teaching middle
and high school in Bountiful and Provo. For the past
17 years she has taught part-time in BYU’s Secondary
Education department and in 2007 received the English Department’s Part-Time Teaching Award for Excellence in the Classroom. She also spent two years
on the Provo School Board.
Advancement Council for Engineering & Technology
SAV E T H E DAT E : S E P T E M B E R 2 4 - 2 6 , 2 0 0 9
Hello ACET Members!
So much has been happening since our last newsletter. Our committees have
made progress towards their goals and continue to work closely with the college. It is exciting to be part of an organization that grows and improves each
year.
Ron’s current love is sailing and he is the proud
owner of a Hobie Cat in Utah and a MacGregor
sailboat in Florida. Ron and Ann reside in Provo
and are the parents of five children and six grandchildren, whom they are trying to turn into sailors.
In other exciting news, we have set the date for the 2009 ACET Conference: Thursday, Sept. 24 through Saturday, Sept. 26. Please save the
date. Thursday will once again feature an evening of mentoring for seniors
and their spouses, and the conference will end with the BYU v. Colorado State
football game at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Interacting with students is the most
rewarding part of ACET and I really hope you will be able to join us. You will
receive registration details from the college this summer.
As the ACET chair, I would like to express my deep gratitude to each of you for
working so diligently to move the Fulton College forward.
Grant, the vice president of product development at
Logitech, Inc., has been on the ground floor of five
successful startup companies, weathering all types of
economic conditions during his 20+ year career. Encouraging students not to default to graduate school
or take any job at any price because of the economy,
he gave practical advice on how to develop a great
career.
Logitech sponsored a design project for BYU students in Fall 2008.
Grant Beckmann (far right) pictured with the winning industrial
design students.
Engineering & Technology Week
With wit and wisdom, ACET member Grant
Beckmann told students ‘how to enjoy a good recession’ on Feb. 20 at the college’s annual awards banquet.
Addressing Fulton College students and their spouses, he discussed the current economic downturn,
suggesting that challenging times are full of opportunities for recent college graduates.
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Plan for the long term
Work smart and hard
Go global
Be a learner
Pick interesting jobs
Build your network
As students enter the workforce, they can take advantage of the recession by learning to follow product and economic trends, joining a company that is
building great products and growing, and leading a
balanced life filled with optimism, service and a love
for learning. Thank you to Grant and his wife Patrice
for giving their time to our students.
Message from Dean Alan Parkinson
Great things have been happening in the college because of our Advancement Council for Engineering and Technology.
In February, I had the privilege to travel to India with ACET members for a trip
that is already paying off with internships for our students. Additionally, many
students have benefited from the experience of our ACET members as you
have willingly served as guest lecturers and keynote speakers at events and
training sessions. Technical experience is valuable to our students, but your
years of experience in leadership and service have an equally lasting impact.
We are grateful for the many ways ACET members help the college move
forward. Thank you for your support and involvement. We look forward to
seeing you in September.
Alan
Mary Peery, ACET Chair
Leadership training for students
India Trip 2009
For the second consecutive year, the college’s leadership committee hosted training for graduate students and the officers in student
clubs.
The final session culminated in a keynote address from ACET Mentoring
and Leadership Committee Chair Myron Jones. He encouraged students
to focus on leadership so they will be able to increase their influence and
help good people become great.
Thank you to Myron for sharing his years of professional and personal leadership experience. He gave the audience advice we can all learn from:
Myron Jones with Val Hawks,
chair of the college’s leadership committee
and School of Technology director.
Ten Tips to Developing Yourself as a Good Leader
Infosys campus in Bangalore
Fulton College group in Mumbai (left to right): Doug Scribner,
Dave Anthony, Ketan Kothari, Alan and Christina Parkinson,
Stephanie and Spencer Magleby, and Manish Kothari.
Street scene in Pune
Visiting 11 companies total, the group split its time
between established multinationals like HP and Cisco
and successful Indian powerhouses like Infosys and Tata
Motors. We are proud to report that as a result of this
trip the college not only has several new partnerships,
but also internship opportunities for students starting
as early as this summer.
Understand yourself—know your strengths & weaknesses
Develop personal mastery
Understand others around you
Find good role models
Never stop learning
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Use good judgment
Never compromise your values
Prepare yourself spiritually, emotionally
and physically
Be a great listener
Be prepared for anything
Women in Engineering & Technology
ACET members, deans explore
opportunities in India
At the September conference Doug Scribner
and the ACET globalization committee set the goal of
helping the college establish a presence in India. In
February, months of preparation paid off as a group of
BYU representatives traveled to India for twelve days.
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The success of the trip would not have been possible
without involvement from ACET. Countless hours were
put in by Ketan and Manish Kothari and Doug Scribner
to plan a very ambitious and productive schedule. Their
preparation allowed the college to capitalize on the opportunities presented to them while in India. Our BYU
representatives were able to meet with many top-level
executives thanks to contacts from the Kothari family
and several other ACET members.
The group also met up with ACET members Mel and
Sharon Nichols in Banaglore, where Mel is currently
serving as the president of the India Bangalore Mission.
They attended church and toured potential student
The companies responded favorably to continuing their housing. The Nichols’ on-the-ground experience will
relationship with BYU and having our students intern be very useful in helping to coordinate lodging for inwith them when they have openings. HP in Bangalore terns.
has requested BYU interns this summer to work in hardware, firmware or Enterprise software development. It As the college keeps its focus on global awareness,
is likely there will be internship opportunities available ACET members will continue to be an invaluable asset
at Cisco in Bangalore and Tata Motors in Pune by sum- by opening doors that only they can open. The impact
mer 2010.
of the work done on this trip will benefit our students
for many years to come.
Since its creation last fall, the Women’s Representation Initiative, chaired by Valerie Son and Stephanie Magleby, has moved
ahead with great enthusiasm. “WE@BYU: Women in Engineering
& Technology” will help support the college’s efforts to recruit and
retain more female students. The committee is creating a Web site
(many thanks to Stacey Son), shooting a recruitment video and
working on branding and logo ideas. The college is grateful for
such passionate support for this essential effort.
Innovation/Entrepreneurship
There is much potential in regards to innovation and we hope to develop this effort further at
this year’s ACET conference. The college is excited
about the possibilities of a stronger relationship with
the Marriott School’s newly merged Rollins Center for
Entrepreneurship and Technology. Additionally, students have learned about innovation throughout the
year in special classes and guest lectures.
•In March, Ramiro Calvo, an engineering manager at
Apple, Inc., taught the key to innovation is simplicity, applying new technology in a way that is intuitive
and user-friendly.
•Author and humanitarian Paul Polak discussed entrepreneurial ideas aimed at lifting the world’s poor
out of poverty. It requires true innovation, he said, to
make and market a product to people who earn less
than $1 per day.
•Several Saturdays each semester, the School of
Technology holds “Innovation Boot Camps.” Pairing
instruction and friendly competition, the boot camps
offer students a chance to gain real-world innovation
experience in a lighthearted and fast-paced environment.