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The James P. Keeter School of Engineering at College of the Ozarks began in fall 2016 with 24 students and moved into its new, state-of-the-art facilities on the north side of campus in fall 2018. The program received accreditation from ABET in 2022 and has tripled in size. Graduates are employed in a wide range of industries nationwide with many alumni choosing to stay in the Ozarks region.
The College had a long history of providing a pre-engineering program. Alumni from the pre-engineering program went on to complete engineering degrees at larger schools in the region and are working in engineering positions in the Ozarks and throughout the US. The foundations in math, science, liberal arts, and the work, patriotic and Christian education that led to that success of the pre-engineering program remain with the new full, multidisciplinary engineering degree.
The engineering major at College of the Ozarks results in a B.S. in Engineering degree. It is a multidisciplinary program, as opposed to a more focused, discipline-specific degree such as mechanical engineering or electrical engineering. The multidisciplinary engineering program provides the core engineering skills common to all engineering disciplines as well as an introduction to tools and techniques unique to a wide variety of engineering disciplines. Opportunities are available for additional focus on an engineering discipline of interest. Students will learn about engineering problem solving in the classroom and laboratory and have opportunities to apply and further develop their skills working on projects and working alongside practicing engineers. The objectives of our program are structured to create engineers of value to our region, the nation, and Christ's kingdom. Learn more about the objectives and outcomes we want to instill in our graduates.
The B.S. in Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org,
Title: Professor of Engineering
Email: gakers@cofo.edu
Teaching Focus: Electrical Engineering and Acoustics
Education: B.S., Missouri University of Science and Technology, Electrical Engineering, 1996; M.S., Air Force Institute of Technology, Electrical Engineering, 2000; Ph.D., University of Kansas, Electrical Engineering, 2009
Dr. Geoffrey Akers is a native of Eminence, MO, and joined the College in the fall of 2016 after retiring from the U.S. Air Force. He is a radar and survivability expert with over 20 years of experience in research, development, and testing of military systems, including four years of teaching and research experience at the Air Force Institute of Technology. Dr. Akers is a professional engineer licensed in Missouri and has 17 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) published journal and conference papers.
Title: Engineering Laboratory Director
Email: bkorst@cofo.edu
Teaching Focus: Engineering and Agricultural Technology Work Station Supervisor
Education: Electrical Engineer, Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial, 1992; MEng, Carleton University, Electrical Engineering 1996; B.A., University of Calgary, Political Science, 1999; Specialist in Marketing (MBA) Fundação Getulio Vargas,1999; Phd (ABD), University of Waterloo, Cognitive Neuroscience
After completing his undergraduate studies at the Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial (FEI), in Brazil, where he received the title of Electrical Engineer, Bruno Korst moved to Canada where he is a Professional Engineer in the province of Ontario. After having worked in the industry in signal processing for acoustics, he served at the University of Toronto as a member of technical staff, Director of Teaching Laboratories for ECE and most recently as a teaching stream faculty member. He has received multiple awards for innovation and was the first staff member to receive the Gordon R. Slemon Award for excellence in the teaching of design. Motivated by his strong interest in practical teaching within engineering education, he is presently completing a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo, with his research concentrating on attention during video lectures. At College of the Ozarks, Bruno is the Engineering Laboratory Director and oversees the operation of the Dee Ann White Engineering Center and supervises student workers in the engineering and agricultural technology work stations.
Title: Professor and Director of Engineering; and Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering Division Chair
Email: mnowack@cofo.edu
Teaching Focus: Mechanical Engineering
Education: B.S. Pennsylvania State University, Mechanical Engineering, 1984; M.S. Air Force Institute of Technology, Aeronautical Engineering, 1989; Ph.D. Cambridge University, Engineering, 1998
Dr. Nowack joined College of the Ozarks as the first engineering faculty in 2015. Following graduation from Penn State, he spent 20 years in the Air Force in a variety of engineering and technical management positions in the United States and Japan. He subsequently consulted to a major defense contractor and then to government programs ranging from ground vehicles to air and space vehicles as well as design and manufacturing research. He continues to consult in the areas of design methodology, vehicle automation, and engineering education. He was on the faculty of the US Air Force Academy for five years and the advisory board for the East Carolina University engineering program. He is a licensed professional engineer in Colorado and Missouri.
Title: Associate Professor of Engineering
Email: jlippert@cofo.edu
Teaching Focus: Civil and Geological Engineering
Education: B.S., Missouri University of Science and Technology, Geological Engineering, 2002; M.S., Missouri University of Science and Technology, Civil Engineering, 2013
Professor Joshua Lippert joined College of the Ozarks in 2019 after 17 years in the geotechnical and environmental engineering fields. Professor Lippert began his career in consulting, working on large commercial and industrial development projects in the Southeast, combining experience in site development, foundation design, subsurface investigations, and environmental regulations. He then transitioned to the electric utility industry where he served as a principal engineer and manager focusing primarily on issues related to coal ash impoundment closures, solid waste facility design and operation, dam safety, and environmental regulations. His passions for research and innovative engineering have been applied to the mission field through his service as director of engineering for a ministry providing engineering solutions to churches and missionaries in developing countries. He is a licensed professional engineer in Alabama and Georgia and is a licensed professional geologist in Alabama.
Email: jotey@cofo.edu
Teaching Focus: Computer-aided Design, Agricultural Engineering, Project Management, Capstone Design
Education: B.S. Texas Tech University, Agricultural Engineering, 1991; M.Eng., Texas A&M University, Agricultural Engineering, 1994; Ph.D. Universitat Politècnica de València, Design, Manufacturing, and Management of Industrial Projects, 2017
Dr. Otey joined College of the Ozarks in 2019 after over 20 years at Texas A&M University, most recently in the Zachary Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His prior teaching posts included Engineering Design Graphics Program and the Department of Agricultural Engineering. Dr. Otey has co-authored textbooks on engineering graphics and has written papers in the areas of agricultural engineering, computer-aided design, and engineering education. His consulting work includes industrial equipment installation and hydrology site analysis. Dr. Otey is an U.S. Army veteran.
Email: tcaron@cofo.edu
Teaching Focus: Industrial Engineering
Education: B.S. California Polytechnic State University, Mechanical Engineering, 1985; M.S. Purdue University, Mechanical Engineering, 1996
Mr. Caron joined College of the Ozarks in 2020 after a long career in the telecommunications field. During the span of 27 years with AT&T Bell Labs and its successor companies he worked across mechanical, electrical, software, and industrial engineering disciplines with a special focus on operations research applications. He had roles in both research and development and customer facing systems engineering organizations supporting tier-1 customers in both international and North American wireline and wireless markets.
Title: Professor of Engineering and Physics
Email: sstarrett@cofo.edu
Teaching Focus: Physics and Electrical Engineering
Education: B.S. Missouri University of Science and Technology, 1988; M.S. Missouri University of Science and Technology, 1990; Ph.D., Iowa State University, 1994
Dr. Shelli Starrett grew up in Mansfield, MO, and joined the College in fall of 2022. After gaining her Ph.D, she joined the faculty of Kansas State University teaching and doing research in the areas of power systems and engineering education. She was a recipient of a National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellowship for graduate study and also an NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. In 2017 she joined the faculty at LeTourneau University, teaching hands-on classes in which students-built 3D printers and other machines as well as designing, building, and programming creations of their own.