By Stephen Greenwell
A look back at past Parameters stories and interview subjects,
and what those Cougars are up to now...
FIVE YEARS BACK...
Left to Right: Serrae Reed-Lingenfelter in 2018, Serrae and her Husband Isaac Lingenfelter
Serrae Reed, a Spring 2018 graduate of the Mechanical Engineering Department, was preparing for her first semester of her doctoral studies at Yale. The Klein High School product earned a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship while at UH, which provided funding for her first three years at Yale. She is now Serrae Reed-Lingenfelter, Ph.D., after earning her degree in May 2023 and marrying fellow Cougar alum Isaac Lingenfelter (Mechanical Engineering, '18) in 2021. Isaac also just finished his master's in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Connecticut in May 2023. This Fall, Serrae will join Apple as a Display Module Engineer and Isaac will begin as a Life Science Consultant for Deloitte.
“I am so grateful for the experiences I had at UH — from serving as a Bonner Leader to conducting undergraduate research with the Houston Scholars Program,” Serrae said. “The teaching, mentorship and community I found during my time at UH sparked my love for learning and problem solving, and provided me with the tools I needed to succeed in graduate school. Go Coogs!”
TEN YEARS BACK...
Left to Right: Interior of the Durga D. and Sushila Agrawal Engineering Research Building, Outside of the building
To keep pace with the world's need for skilled engineers in the fields of health and energy, Dean Joseph W. Tedesco announced the College's latest major building project, the Multidisciplinary Research and Engineering Building. Groundbreaking for the $51 million project occurred in 2014, and the building opened in 2017. In October 2018, the building was renamed the Durga D. and Sushila Agrawal Engineering Research Building in recognition of a gift from the family. Durga (M.S. ’69, Ph.D. ’74) is the founder of Piping Technology & Products, Inc. After arriving in Houston from India in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, he earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Cullen. “My message to the students is to always be optimistic. One can achieve any goal with hard work, persistence and determination… As alumni, we must keep the torch of knowledge, excellence and innovation growing and glowing.”
FIFTEEN YEARS BACK...
Left to Right: Petroleum research students, ConocoPhillips Petroleum Engineering Building
Thanks to support from industry partners, the College was preparing to elevate Petroleum Engineering into its own department. Devon Energy and Marathon Oil pledged a combined $1.6 million to support the program, which was launched in Fall 2009. Now, the Petroleum Engineering Department is ranked ninth in the nation, according to the 2023 graduate school rankings from U.S. News & World Report.
TWENTY YEARS BACK...
The Engineering Career Center launched in September 2003, with director Vita Como serving as the lead for the project. Como retired in May 2015, after 24 years of service for the university. A photo gallery from her retirement is available online, and the event was covered by the Houston Chronicle. The center, now led by director Janice Quiroz-Perez, has grown substantially since 2003. The most recent Career Fair in Spring 2023 featured 135 participating companies, more than 465 industry representatives and more than 1,200 students.
Left to right: Vita Como. Vita and Janice Quiroz-Perez at crawfish boil in 2008. Vita at her retirement party in 2015.