Alumni
Alumni News & Events
Alumna's Success Combines Aerospace Degree with Business
Even Laura O'Donnell, B.S. ASE '90, didn't expect her aerospace engineering degree to lead her to becoming a top executive for the fastest growing personal HD camera company in the world. As executive vice president of consumer products at Contour Inc., O'Donnell has discovered the versatility of her degree and the value of her engineering education have eased her path to the top in ways that now feel as natural as choosing to go to The University of Texas at Austin in the first place.
John McKetta's 95th Birthday Bash!
If you have ever crossed paths with Dr. John J. McKetta Jr. or were fortunate enough to work, learn or befriend him, you know of his contagious smile and love for his University of Texas at Austin family. Most weekday mornings, Dr. McKetta can be found making Happy Birthday phone calls to "his boys and gals," so it was time we celebrated him!
Chevron Signs $3 Million Research Agreement
Exciting research will continue as a result of a new Phase 2, $3 million, 3-year agreement signed on April 16 continuing the Chevron-UT Alliance that partners university researchers with technology leaders.
200 Longhorn Engineers Gather at NASA
NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) may be a sprawling institution, but in every corner you will find Longhorn engineers leading cutting-edge research. On March 31, more than 200 alumni and their guests gathered for the JSC-UT Longhorn Engineering Rendezvous to reconnect and learn what is happening at the Cockrell School of Engineering. The evening reception was hosted by Dean Greg Fenves, Aerospace Engineering Chair Philip Varghese, and Mechanical Engineering Chair Joseph Beaman, who spent the earlier part of the day on a behind-the-scenes tour of JSC.
Venture Capitalist Ron Nixon, B.S.M.E., '78, offers entrepreneurial advice
Seeding and nourishing an “enterprise awareness” and entrepreneurial mindset is best begun while engineers are students says Ron Nixon, co-founding partner, The Catalyst Group, Inc. As head of the Engineering Advisory Board task force on entrepreneurialism, he provides his perspective to the university on best practices for nourishing an “enterprise awareness” and entrepreneurial mindset while engineers are students. Read more.
Larry O'Donnell, BSArE '80, in New TV Role
In the premiere episode of "Undercover Boss," a new prime time television program, Larry O'Donnell, a 1980 engineering graduate, trades office meetings for garbage collection. Students from the Cockrell School of Engineering and McCombs School of Business viewed the episode with Larry O'Donnell before it aired nationwide and asked him questions about corporate leadership. His responses can be viewed on the Cockrell School YouTube site. Read more.
For more information, or if you have questions, please contact Rachel Harms at 512-471-0469.
