UA Engineering Alumni Honor Outstanding Senior

Alex C. Few, left, accepts the Capstone Engineering Outstanding Senior Award from Dr. Charles L. Karr, dean of UA's College of Engineering.
Alex C. Few, left, accepts the Capstone Engineering Outstanding Senior Award from Dr. Charles L. Karr, dean of UA’s College of Engineering.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alex C. Few, a senior at The University of Alabama, recently received the 2014 Capstone Engineering Society Outstanding Senior Award.

Along with this title, Few was given a $500 stipend to honor his achievements. He accepted an award at a ceremony honoring alumni, faculty and students earlier this month at NorthRiver Yacht Club.

Few is a graduate of Oak Mountain High School in Shelby County, and he is set to graduate this spring from UA with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering.

“Over the course of my 20 years as an engineering educator, I have had the honor to work with some truly outstanding students,” said Dr. John Baker, head of the department of aerospace engineering and mechanics. “Among these, Alex Few easily stands out as one of the best students I have had the privilege to work with. Simply put, Alex Few is a premier student leader in the aerospace engineering program.”

A recipient of UA Presidential and College of Engineering Leadership scholarships, Few is also a student in the UA Honors College. He was inducted into Sigma Gamma Tau, the national honor society for aerospace engineering students, and Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society. Additionally, he served as president of Sigma Gamma Tau.

As an undergraduate research assistant to Dr. Semih Olcmen, associate professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics, Few worked on reducing rocket-nose drag, focusing schlieren system design and studying turbulent opposing jets. He is key contributor on research to be presented at AIAA SciTech 2014.

His numerous campus activities include the UA Hovercraft Team, where he is team lead. He has interned at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Southern Nuclear Operating Co. He has also been a teaching assistant for statics. Off campus, Few is involved at Calvary Baptist Church and is active in the community.

After graduation, Few will begin work with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

The Capstone Engineering Society, the alumni association for the College of Engineering, was established in 1973. CES is dedicated to maintaining relationships with UA engineering alumni to ensure the College is able to provide UA engineering and computer science students with a superior educational experience.

The CES began the Outstanding Senior Award in 1986 to honor an exceptional student who deserves distinction among his or her peers. An outstanding student is selected from the nine degree programs in the College, and the overall winner is determined by a selection committee after assessing each student’s academic performance, professional and technical activities, College leadership, external leadership and other activities.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering classes. Today, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering has more than 4,500 students and more than 120 faculty. In the last eight years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater, Hollings, Portz, Mitchell and Truman scholars.

Contact

Adam Jones, engineering public relations, 205/348-6444, acjones12@eng.ua.edu