Oregon Institute of Technology will celebrate National Engineering Month on Feb. 22, 2011, with a celebration dinner and presentations at the Oregon Tech, Klamath Falls Campus. The event is for students who are currently enrolled in degree programs in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Management and alumni of those programs. The event takes place from 4:30 – 7:00 p.m. in the College Union, second floor, Mt. Mazama Room.  The celebration is free.

“February is National Engineering Month and we thought we would expand it and celebrate all the disciplines within our college. It’s a nice opportunity for our students, faculty, and alumni to get together, network, talk about careers, our fields, and enjoy each other’s company,” said Charlie Jones, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Engineering, Technology, and Management.

The evening kicks off at 4:30 p.m. Attendees will receive a free College of ETM tee shirt and can enjoy a complimentary pizza dinner. Jones will provide OIT and College of ETM updates. The keynote speaker is Charles “C.J.” Riley, Ph.D., assistant professor of civil engineering. Riley will present on the collaboratively designed and delivered steel connection teaching sculpture planned for Owens Hall through the One Percent for Art program. The vision is to create an outdoor teaching space that encompasses the aspects of steel connections.

Following the keynote presentation, four concurrent breakout sessions take place at 6:00 p.m. on the second floor of the College Union. Attendees may attend any of the four free presentations.

  • David Gilroy, Simpson Strong-Tie Company.  Gilroy has worked for Simpson Strong-Tie for 15 years. The company has focused on creating structural products that help people build safer and stronger homes and buildings for more than 50 years. A leader in structural systems research and technology, Simpson is one of the largest suppliers of structural building products in the world.
  • Marcus Blankenship has worked in all phases of the Software Development Lifecycle since leaving Oregon Tech in 1995. He spent 14 years at JELD-WEN before starting CREO Agency in 2007. CREO helps top-tier marketing agencies bring their visions to life on the web and helps businesses develop cost-effective solutions to their problems. He has taught Unix and VB. NET at Oregon Tech. His talk at OIT will focus upon starting and running a small business.
  • Hallie Neupert and Mark Neupert are professors at Oregon Tech. They will discuss the importance of an international experience. Mark Neupert holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Arizona. One of his favorite courses to teach at Oregon Tech is The Built Environment, examining how architecture, transportation systems and city planning play a part in shaping society. This special interest led to his sabbatical in The Netherlands where he studied how a medieval city exhibits these concepts. Hallie Neupert teaches economics and research methods at Oregon Tech. She enjoys watching students make the connection between the classroom and real life. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College and a Master’s degree in Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics from the University of Arizona.
  • Don DaSaro teaches management at Oregon Tech. He will talk about the role of management in the field of engineering. DaSaro holds an MBA in Finance from Marymount University in Virginia. Retired from a 41-year career with Caterpillar in marketing, sales operations, and various management roles, DaSaro has a myriad of real-world, global management experiences.

 

About Oregon Tech
Founded in Klamath Falls in 1947, Oregon Institute of Technology is one of seven institutions in the Oregon University System, and the only public institute of technology in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon Tech provides degree programs in engineering and health technologies, management, communications and applied sciences that prepare students to be effective participants in their professional, public and international communities through hands-on learning. Oregon Tech’s main campus is in Klamath Falls; other sites are located in Portland, La Grande and Seattle. Visit www.oit.edu to learn more about Oregon Institute of Technology.

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