Outstanding engineering students

Black Collegian, Jan 1994 by Brown, Anitra D

When today's students choose a curriculum in engineering, they commit themselves to become tomorrow's builders and planners. The academic road they take now will lead to new developments in science and technology that will affect the lives of all.

In order to celebrate the accomplishments of talented engineering students who are striving for excellence in their academic careers and, ultimately, in their professional careers and to encourage our readers to do the same, THE BLACK COLLEGIAN salutes a few of tomorrow's engineers today.

Giving back some of what he has learned is the objective of Harvey L. Ray, Jr., a graduate student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. He receives his master of science degree in April 1994, then hopes to obtain his doctoral degree in electrical engineering so that he can "teach and research at a Historically Black College or University and inspire students."

A native of Decatur, Georgia, Ray earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. The 24-year-old master's candidate has maintained a 4.0 average while at North Carolina A & T. His commitment to excellence has opened a path to a number of outstanding honors and awards, including the GEM Fellowship and the Pulp and Paper Scholarship.

Ray has spent the past four summers interning at Honeywell in the Systems Research and Commercial Flight Centers. His assignments have included debugging hardware and assisting in the development of special projects.

Electrical engineering is both a profession and a passion for Ray, whose hobbies include computer programming and electronic repair. "I have been interested in electronic devices as far back as elementary school. This interest was reinforced when I received my first computer in high school and began teaching myself BASIC and assembly programming," he explains.

Ray advises fellow students to "stay focused on your goals and realize that you have the ability to accomplish anything that you set your mind on."

Harvey L. Ray, Jr.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Electrical Engineering

Engineering was a natural choice for Shawn L. Emerson. At an early age, this 23-year-old student was exposed to math and science by her mother, a math teacher, and father, an operations supervisor with Exxon. Because she grew up in Texas where oil and gas is a major industry, she developed an interest in petroleum engineering.

Emerson is a cum laude graduate the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor of science degree. She will work as an intern at Exxon until the Fall 1994, when she plans to pursue a master's degree in environmental engineering at Rice University. Her educational goal is to earn a doctoral degree.

Emerson is no stranger to the Exxon Corporation. She has interned at Exxon every summer since 1990, where she has generated field PI maps and installed a vapor recovery unit.

Despite the hard work and dedication demanded of an engineering major, Emerson still finds time to get involved in extracurricular activities. She reigned as Miss Black Oklahoma University 1991 and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

She has received the Oklahoma Board of Regents Outstanding Junior Award, the 1993 Black Engineer of the Year Award-Student Leadership; she is an Exxon technical scholar, and a GEM Fellow. Emerson hopes to contribute to the growth of the oil and gas industry by introducing new technology. She encourages students to "believe in themselves and to know that through God all things are possible."

Shawn L. Emerson

University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering

Arden A. Warner, an intern at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, is currently working on his PhD thesis in accelerator physics at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Warner, who obtained his bachelor's degree in physics from the City College of New York, hopes to apply his studies in accelerator physics to more general problems and to medicine. He received the Minority Access to Research Careers Scholarship Award and has had several physics-related internships and work experiences. He is currently studying the dynamics of particle beams and simulating their behavior with computer codes.

He advises students to "Never give up hope. It is very easy to be discouraged; don't let it keep you back."

Arden A. Warner

State University of New York at Stony Brook Accelerator Physics

Andrea M. Toney's strong background in math and science, and interest in the composition and design of materials, made mechanical engineering an easy choice for the 21-year-old Tuskegee junior.

After receiving a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, Toney hopes to go on to graduate school and obtain a dual master's degree in mechanical engineering and business administration. She wants to open a consulting firm and use her skills to "maximize the range of opportunities available to society, and to share with those who aspire to become engineers and encourage them to excel."