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Brian Collins
earned his Master of Science in Software Engineering in 2015. He now resides in Pittsburgh, PA and has worked as a Sr. Technical Program Manager at Amazon Artificial General Intelligence for the past four years. The professional achievement he is most proud of is the development of automatic speech recognition that can run in a spacecraft. This project allows a voice assistant to run in space while overcoming the extreme latency related to space-based communications and the unique acoustic conditions of a space capsule and has been well-documented in the Washington Post, SpaceNews, GeekWire, CNET, and Amazon Science. His degree from WVU was a crucial asset in securing his current position.
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Tony Palmer
a 2009 graduate from WVU with a degree in engineering. Now, he works as chief engineer for NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney.
While still an engineering student, Palmer contacted automobile craftsman, Tod Buckhalter, who built modified race cars from his Hassy Chassis garage in Star City. Palmer was eager to learn and worked for free sweeping the shop and cutting up old frames on cold days. By the time he graduated from WVU, Palmer was a paid, knowledgeable employee of Hassy Chassis and Buckhalter had become his mentor and friend.
“Try working for free,” he said, “if you’re able, and if you have the resources. Sweep up the shop. Get that job at the auto parts store, just you so can be around it. And listen, so you can learn.”
Palmer went on to become a pit crew member for hire, working lower-tier races across the region. He was known for his work as a mechanic and along Pit Road, but his engineering degree is what really gave him an edge. In November 2023, Palmer was in Arizona to help Blaney, who runs the No. 12 Menards car for Penske, win NASCAR’s championship cup.
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L. Zane Shuck
WVU alumnus, has been inducted into the Marquis Who’s Who Biographical Registry. This publication presents biographical information about today’s leaders and achievers from the United States and around the world. Those selected are evaluated based on factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility and prominence in their field.
Shuck is being honored for his multidisciplinary expertise and the innovations he implemented through his company.
Shuck earned a Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from WVU in 1965 and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in theoretical and applied mechanics and biomechanics from WVU in 1970. He served as an Associate Director of the engineering experiment station, professor of mechanical engineering, and adjunct professor at West Virginia University during his career. In 1980, he founded his own company, Technology Development Inc.
He was recently honored with an eponym for the L. Zane Shuck Nanobiotechnology Laboratory at West Virginia University in 2016 and was admitted as an Alum Emeritus by the University in 2022.
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Gunes Alp Yakaboylu
originally from Turkey, now resides in San Jose, California where he has worked as a Principal Materials Engineer at QuantumScape Battery Inc. for the past three years. In 2018, he received his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from West Virginia University.