Five University of Missouri-Rolla graduates were inducted into the Academy of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers during the group’s banquet and induction ceremony in Rolla on Thursday, Oct. 19.

The academy honors mechanical and aerospace engineers for their professional accomplishments and outstanding leadership. The academy also serves as an advisory group to the UMR department of mechanical and aerospace engineering.

Inducted into the UMR Academy of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers were:

• Joseph A. Abernathy of St. Louis, vice president of stadium operations with the St. Louis Cardinals. He earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from UMR in 1977 and a master of science degree in business administration from Southern Illinois University in 1985. For the past decade, Abernathy has been responsible for all day-to-day operational and game-day event management activities at Busch Stadium. Prior to joining the Cardinals, he managed engineering and construction for capital projects at a wide variety of corporate facilities for Anheuser-Busch Co.
• Jane Aselage of White Lake, Mich., manager of body engineering in the Current Model Quality & Commodity Business Planning Division of Ford Motor Co. She earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from UMR in 1986 and a master of science degree in business administration from Central Michigan University in 1996. Aselage has held numerous management positions within Ford Motor Co. She has been active in UMR recruiting and has served as vice chair of the UMR Corporate Development Council.
• R. Mark Schmidt of Southlake, Texas, assistant vice president of short line development at Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. He earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from UMR in 1973 before obtaining a master of science degree in management from Northwestern University. Schmidt accepted his current position in 2004, after holding numerous positions in the organization since he joined in 1974. His responsibilities include overseeing 19,000 miles of short line operations connection with the organization, generating revenues of more than $1.7 annually. Prior to joining the organization, Schmidt served as a production engineer for Phillips Petroleum.
• Randy A. Southmayd of St. Louis, principal manager of materials and structure technology at The Boeing Co. He earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and a master of science degree in engineering management from UMR in 1981 and 1988, respectively. Southmayd is responsible for managing the $48 million enabling technology portfolio across multiple Boeing sites aimed at discovering and maturing emerging technology to meet anticipated needs for the Boeing product line. He serves on the Industrial Advisory Board of the interdisciplinary manufacturing engineering program at UMR.
• Dr. Randall Wood of Carthage, Mo., fixtures and display group vice president at Leggett & Platt Inc. Wood earned bachelor of science and master of science degrees in mechanical engineering from UMR in 1985 and 1987, respectively. He also obtained a master of science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1990 and a Ph.D. degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Wood recently accepted his new position with Leggett & Platt and has been responsible for the turn-around and transformation of several under-performing operations. Prior to joining the company, Wood was a senior consultant with Simpler Consulting. Wood is married to Dr. Laurie Behm, who earned a bachelor of science degree in life sciences from UMR in 1984.