BCoE adds six to Student Hall of Fame
May 17, 2011
Starkville, Miss. – Six undergraduate students have distinguished themselves as academic and student-life leaders to earn a place in the Bagley College of Engineering’s Student Hall of Fame.
Mississippi State faculty, staff or student organizations nominate students for the hall of fame. Inductees are chosen based on academics, leadership, work accomplishments, recommendation letters, and an interview with the selection committee.
The hall of fame was established in 2007 to recognize students who have maintained excellent academic records while engaging in a variety of work experiences and student activities. The BCoE inducts between six and eight new members each spring semester.
This year’s inductees include (by hometown):
CEDAR BLUFF—David Easley is on track to earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies and has held leadership positions in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (president), the Engineering Student Council (new student liaison), and Toastmasters (vice president of education).
He has found success as an entrepreneur through Easley Construction Services, a summer business that designs and builds small residential construction projects. Through MSU’s cooperative education program he has worked as a design engineer and maintenance, operations and reliability engineer at Chevron’s Pascagoula facility. He has also been a teaching assistant in the aerospace and mechanical engineering departments. He plans to work in the engineering management field.
CLINTON— In his role as the Student Association’s attorney general, Halston Hales helped establish the Dawghouse Deals program, a campus-wide garage sale for charity aimed at reducing the waste generated when students move out of residence halls. He also helped create an international studies certificate and served as a representative on the international programs and study abroad committee.
A senior in industrial engineering, he has been an active member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and the Lambda Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Pi Mu honor societies. Hales has served as an orientation leader and participated in the 2008 study abroad program in France. A Shackouls Honors College member, he has also served as a mentor to Starkville elementary and middle school students and a research assistant in the MSU alternative fuels laboratory. He plans to pursue a doctoral degree in order to become a university professor.
LEXINGTON, Ky. –Kaitlin Wheatley earned a bachelor’s degree in biological engineering with an emphasis in biomedical engineering. As a three-year member of the Bulldog volleyball team she earned a spot on the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll. During her time at State she has been a part of the Shackouls Honors College and maintains membership in the Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity and the Phi Kappa Phi and Society of Scholars honors organizations.
She completed a summer research fellowship at the University of Kentucky prior to coming to MSU and during her senior year she has worked with Tetra Tech. Inc., an environmental engineering and consulting firm. Wheatley has also been an active volunteer working with the Boy Scouts of America, Adopt-A-Mile, Relay for Life, M-Club food drives, Palmer Home for Children, and the Boys and Girls Club. She plans to go to graduate school and conduct biomedical research.
MOSS POINT – Charles M. Clancy earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. As an upperclassman, he served as a mentor to his fellow students through Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education, the Engineering Living and Learning Community, and as a MSU Student Support Services tutor. He has also served as an MSU alumni delegate, academic excellence chair for the National Society of Black Engineers, and a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. During his four years as a student he was part of the Shackouls Honor College, the Hatcher Engineering Entrepreneurship Program and the 2010 Italy Summer Abroad Program.
Clancy completed internships with the Kennedy Space Center (Merritt Island, Fla.), Southern Company (Birmingham, Ala.), and ExxonMobil Corp. (Houston, Texas). Off of campus he volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, the Boys and Girls Club and coastal cleanup efforts. He plans to gain experience in the mechanical engineering industry before pursuing a graduate degree from Mississippi State.
STATE LINE—William Hill is a senior majoring in computer science and pursuing certificates in information assurance and entrepreneurship. Since coming to campus in 2007, he has served the college as a student worker in the BCoE Outreach Office, a summer camp counselor, a teaching assistant in the computer science and engineering department, and a peer mentor program.
He has held leadership positions in the National Society of Black Engineers and Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education. He has also participated in the BCoE Diversity Roundtable. Hill was selected as the most outstanding senior in his department. After graduation he plans to work for the federal government and eventually start his own consulting firm.
TRUSSVILLE, Ala. – After four years at Mississippi State, Emily Smith has earned a bachelor’s in biological engineering and a $30,000 National Science Foundation fellowship, which will fund her graduate education. During her time as a Bulldog she was active on the University Honors Council, Engineering Student Council, National Association for Engineering Student Councils, and the Institute of Biological Engineering-MSU Student Chapter. She has also been a member of the Society of Women Engineers and the Alpha Lambda Delta, Phi Kappa Phi, and Tau Beta Pi honor societies.
Smith has served the university as an athletic academic tutor, undergraduate research assistant, engineering summer camp counselor, and departmental assistant and tutor. She completed the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduate program in 2010. That same year she earned honorable mention at the 2010 Undergraduate Summer Research Expo and was named Outstanding Biological Engineering Senior of the Year. She plans to earn a doctoral degree in biomedical engineering and become a professor.
For more information about the Student Hall of Fame, visit www.bagley.msstate.edu/people/current/shof.
More information about the Bagley College of Engineering can be found at www.bagley.msstate.edu.