Biosystems Engineering at Oklahoma State University

 Barfield, Harp, Kranzler and Noyes retire

(4/13/04)

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Billy J. Barfield

Regents Service Professor

Bill retired on January 5, 2004, after a distinguished career spanning 24 years at the University of Kentucky and more than 11 years with the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department and Oklahoma State University.

Born in Louisiana, Bill grew up in Texas and received B.S. degrees in both agricultural engineering and civil engineering from Texas A&M University in 1961. After serving as a meteorologist with the U.S. Air Force in Germany, Bill returned to Texas A&M, where he earned his Ph.D. in agricultural engineering in 1968.

Bill joined the University of Kentucky’s Agricultural Engineering Department in 1968 as an Assistant Professor; he was promoted to Associate Professor in 1971 and to Professor in 1977. At Kentucky, he conducted research and taught undergraduate and graduate courses, and also directed the Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute and the Environmental Systems Graduate Program. He and his wife, Annette, raised two children, Michelle and Will, and they have one grandson.

In 1992, Bill was recruited to the OSU Agricultural Engineering Department as Department Head and Professor. He served with distinction in that role for eight years, providing leadership for the department’s name change along with many other initiatives and programs. Bill stepped down from the Department Head position in 2000. Following a sabbatical leave at Clemson University, he served as a Regents Service Professor until his retirement. In addition to his many contributions in classroom instruction, Bill has been a productive researcher and extension educator, with interests in hydrology, sediment control, storm water management, and manufacturing extension and technology transfer.

Bill is a Registered Professional Engineer. He has been recognized by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers with the Young Researcher (1978), Hancor Soil and Water Engineering (1993), and John Deere Gold Medal (2001) Awards. Bill was inducted as an ASAE Fellow in 1994 and currently serves on the Foundation Board of Directors.
Sam L. Harp

Associate Professor & Extension Agricultural Engineer

Sam retired on December 31, 2003, after nearly 33 years of outstanding service to the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department and to Oklahoma State University. Sam was born at Coweta, OK, and served in the U.S. Army following high school. He received an Associate’s Degree in drafting and design from Oklahoma State Tech, and in 1971 began work as a draftsman in the OSU Agricultural Engineering Department. He pursued additional education while at OSU, earning a B.S. degree in Technical Education in 1978 and a M.S. degree in agricultural engineering in 1982.

Over the years, Sam assumed progressively greater responsibilities in the department, including the role of manager of the Farm Building Information Service. He became an Assistant Professor and Extension Agricultural Engineer in 1983, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1988. Sam met his wife, Sheila, when they both worked in the department. They have a daughter, Samantha, who is a student at OSU.

Sam has been a very familiar and highly respected figure in the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. He worked on a variety of outreach programs and projects, particularly in the areas of residential and commercial energy auditing, agricultural energy management, and farm safety. In recent years, he has provided leadership for OSU’s manufacturing extension efforts through the Applications Engineering and Technology Transfer programs. Sam is a Registered Professional Engineer. He is a long-time member of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, earning numerous Blue Ribbon Awards for Educational Aids. He received the National Food and Energy Council’s Distinguished Service Award in 1993, and OSU’s campus-wide Faculty Excellence Award in University Extension in 2003. In the community, Sam has served two terms as the chair of the Payne County Excise/Equalization Board.

Glenn A. Kranzler

Professor

Glenn retired on January 5, 2004, after nearly 22 years of distinguished service to the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department and Oklahoma State University with a professional career totaling over 38 years.

A native of North Dakota, Glenn earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in agricultural engineering from North Dakota State University in 1963 and 1965, respectively. He worked in research at Virginia Polytechnic Institute for five years before attending Iowa State University, where he both taught and conducted research. Glenn received his Ph.D. degree in agricultural engineering from Iowa State in 1977.

Glenn then accepted a faculty position in the Agricultural Engineering Department at Washington State University, where for six years he had an active research program and taught courses in both agricultural engineering and agricultural mechanization. Glenn was promoted to Associate Professor while at Washington State.

Glenn was recruited to the OSU Agricultural Engineering Department in 1982 and was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1985. For the past two decades, he has contributed significantly to the department’s research and teaching programs. He met his wife, Kelley, in the department.

Glenn’s major fields of research have included digital image processing and machine vision, microelectronics and instrumentation, and food and crop processing. He has taught a variety of courses, particularly in the areas of process/properties engineering, electricity, and instrumentation. His list of graduate student advisees includes two current BAE faculties – Marvin Stone and Paul Weckler.

Glenn has been very active in the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, including service as a member of the Board of Directors and as chair of the Electrical and Electronic Systems Division. Glenn was elected as an ASAE Fellow in 1996. He also served on the Board of Advisors for the Machine Vision Association and as the Program Committee chair for the International Society for Optical Engineering.
Ronald T. Noyes

Professor & Extension Agricultural Engineer

Ron retired on January 5, 2004, following more than 18 years of outstanding service to the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department and to Oklahoma State University with a professional career spanning 40 years.

Ron was born at Leedey, OK, and received a B.S. degree in agricultural engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1961. Following service in the U.S. Army, he returned to OSU and earned a M.S. degree in agricultural engineering in 1964.

Ron worked for four years as an extension agricultural engineer on the faculty at Purdue University. He then joined Beard Industries in Frankfort, IN, where he served as chief engineer and vice-president of engineering. During his 17 years at Beard Industries, Ron’s work focused on design, research, and development of grain dryers and pneumatic conveyors. He was awarded six U.S. patents. Ron and his wife, Zona, raised three children, Cynthia, Scott, and David, and they now have five grandchildren.

Returning to his home state, Ron joined the OSU faculty in 1985 as an Associate Professor and Extension Agricultural Engineer. He was promoted to Professor in 1988 and completed his Ph.D. in higher education at the University of Oklahoma in 1998.

Ron’s extension program has been focused on the management of stored products, including grain and seed storage, handling, drying, and fumigation practices. His expertise encompasses insect and dust control at grain elevators, pesticide and fertilizer containment systems, and aerial application of pesticides. He played a key role in the establishment of OSU’s Stored Product Research and Education Center.

During his career, Ron has traveled to 15 countries to work on engineering aspects of grain storage and management. He is a Registered Professional Engineer and has been very active in the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. He received the ASAE Young Designer Award in 1975 and was inducted as a Fellow of the Society in 1993. Ron was presented with the USDA Distinguished Service Award in 1992 and the Sarkey’s Distinguished Professorship Award in 2001.

 We will miss you!