CapstoneEngineerMagazineFall2026 - Flipbook - Page 12
BUILDING ON MOMENTUM:
by Grace Schwartz
DR. KENNETH RICKS
From NASA engineer to electrical
and computer engineering
department head, Dr. Kenneth
Ricks has built a career at the
intersection of innovation,
education and service.
building our knowledge base as it grows. Future hires will
also address emerging areas such as robotics and quantum
computing.
How do you hope to enhance the student experience
within the College?
The College’s student experience is already strong, but
there’s always room for improvement. I aim to cultivate more
experiential learning opportunities so students can apply
After receiving his bachelor’s degree
what they learn in the classroom to real-world projects. This
from The University of Alabama, he
could take the form of additional undergraduate research
obtained his master’s and doctoral
opportunities, competition teams and more industrial
degrees at The University of Alabama in Huntsville while
starting his career at NASA. Ricks served NASA as an electrical participation in senior design projects. I would also like to
and computer engineer focused on digital electronics design, continue to enhance the quality of teaching and improve
graduate student mentoring processes within the department.
software development and astronaut training in the Neutral
Buoyancy Simulator. Ricks returned to UA in 2008, bringing It’s our responsibility to help our students build value for
themselves while in our programs so that value can be realized
extensive industry experience and a commitment to
student success. Since then, he has taught nearly 20 different as they enter the workforce or seek further education.
courses, advised the Alabama Astrobotics team through nine
How does your department prepare students for rapidly
NASA Lunabotics Challenge championships, and served as
evolving technologies?
both associate and interim department head.
Recently named the permanent head of the ECE department, While AI is the most obvious example of this development,
Ricks will build on years of service to the program as he leads it adapting to rapidly evolving subdisciplines is nothing new for
ECE. In fact, it is a well-established characteristic of our 昀椀eld.
into the future.
Our curricula are lab-intensive to ensure students have as much
hands-on experience as possible. This approach starts with our
What is your vision for the future of the electrical and
faculty, who are all actively conducting research. Our system
computer engineering department?
Our department has developed signi昀椀cant momentum over the creates a dynamic partnership that provides undergraduate
and graduate students with opportunities to engage in statepast few years as we’ve grown and improved across several
of-the-art research projects while enabling faculty members to
performance metrics. Within the past four years, ECE has set
quickly integrate research results into classroom learning.
a new record for annual research awards, established new
facilities, experienced improved U.S. News & World Report
rankings, upgraded instructional laboratories and successfully
navigated an ABET accreditation review. We’ve also added
eight tenure-stream faculty, two teaching faculty and two
staff members. As the department head, I want to help faculty
increase their research output, improve teaching quality,
and provide the support and opportunities needed to achieve
professional success.
Are there particular areas of expertise or research you
would like to expand through future faculty hires?
As we gain faculty, we are strategically adding to the
department’s existing research areas while expanding our
footprint into new sectors. For example, we have recently
added signi昀椀cant capability to existing domains such as power
systems and electromagnetics. We’ve also hired faculty in new
areas, including microelectronics fabrication. This is a fresh
area for our department to explore, and we hope to continue
12 | CAPSTONE ENGINEER | FALL 2026
Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future
of engineering?
I get more excited about the future of our department of
electrical and computer engineering than engineering in
general. Engineering will march on, and there will be dramatic
advances in all sorts of technologies. It’s inevitable; it’s like
watching the tide rise, and it’s great. Personally, I get more
excited about the future of UA engineering because we have
a chance to make an impact every day. In the 24 years I’ve
dedicated to UA, I’ve come to understand our students are as
talented as any in the country, our facilities are 昀椀rst-class, and
our faculty are more productive than many of the most highly
rated universities. I’m invested in UA, and I can’t articulate
how excited I am to see the progress we are making and the
national visibility we are generating through our efforts.
For the next few years, I intend to work tirelessly to ensure
everyone knows exactly how great this institution truly is.
