Alumni-mag-fall-2023

Photos by Owen Roth

The College of Engineering is leading efforts to build a sustainable semiconductor ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University’s College of Engineering

Amazon’s senior manager of worldwide real estate engineering, Andy Balk, B.S. industrial and manufacturing engineering ’98, operates at the core of the company’s global effort to electrify its entire fleet of delivery vans.

Specifically, he’s responsible for ensuring that the European operational support network — which includes distribution hubs and fulfillment centers — is ready for the elemental shift in how the company transports goods. The changeover is a central component of Amazon’s pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

Oregon Freeze Dry is expanding its operations in the biopharmaceutical sphere, aiming to take a bite out of a $400 billion global market that includes vaccines and biotherapeutics. Last fall, the company opened a state-of-the-art $7.5 million development and clinical supply facility at its headquarters in Albany.

The facility is on track to receive Biosafety Level 2 certification from the Food and Drug Administration in October. Once up and running, it will be able to produce supplies of biologics for clinical trials and for small-scale commercial production.

Can you harvest energy from your rain gutter? Can you recoup energy by mounting a wind turbine on the front of a Bronco? Can you build a knife-throwing machine?

These are the kinds of questions that inspire Quint Crispin, B.S. manufacturing engineering ’00, to create YouTube videos that illustrate the math behind engineering principles and document the process of iterating on an idea.

Take it from A.J. Fillo: If you want the adrenaline rush of a lifetime, try launching the first-ever 3D-printed rocket. 

“When we lifted off, I’ve never heard cheering like that in my life,” said Fillo, B.S. mechanical engineering ’14, M.S. ’16, Ph.D. ’19.

When we think about our health, we are likely to think about the food we eat, activities we do, and hours we sleep each night. But the buildings we spend time in – our homes, schools, and workplaces – also have a huge effect on our health.

For example, just look at two recent crises, said Parichehr Salimifard, assistant professor of architectural engineering–mechanical engineering track and Culbertson Faculty Scholar.

A smart compost bin being developed at Oregon State University could help to make a dent in a multibillion-dollar problem: More than one-third of all food produced in the U.S. goes uneaten. “At every other step of the agricultural supply chain, food waste is tracked, measured and quantified,” said Patrick Donnelly, assistant professor of computer science, who is leading the project.