Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Honors New Academy Members

Photos Submitted

The seven new inductees to the Arkansas Academy of Biological and Agricultural Engineering are, top from left, John Chris Brock, Dylan Carpenter and Zach Dalmut; and bottom Kyle Kruger, Toni McCrory, Katherine Merriman-Hoehne and Shelly Thomas.

The Arkansas Academy of Biological and Agricultural Engineering welcomed seven new members at its annual induction ceremony April 20.

More than 140 guests gathered to celebrate the achievements of the new members, who have distinguished themselves in the fields of biological and agricultural engineering.

John English, dean of the College of Engineering, thanked academy members for he support they provide students, the department and the College of Engineering. Steve Danforth, president of the academy and Lalit Verma, department head, inducted and welcomed the inductees into the Academy and presented them with a plaque.

The Inductees

John Chris Brock, who graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in biological engineering. He went on to serve in the Arkansas Army National Guard, where he is a field artillery targeting officer. Currently, Brock is the site lead for Stanford Research Institute. 

Dylan Carpenter is a fellow of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, and is an orthopedic surgeon at White River Medical Center in Batesville. Carpenter obtained his B.S. in biological engineering in 2002 and M.S. in Biological Engineering in 2004.

Zach Dalmut received his B.S. degree in Biological and Agricultural Engineering. Upon graduating he accepted a job with United States Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Services. In 2013, he accepted a promotion to the South Area in Pine Bluff, where he presently provides engineering support and assistance to the lower 29 counties of Arkansas.

Kyle Kruger is a licensed professional engineer with more than 10 years of experience. He currently serves as the Oklahoma treatment plant team leader for Garver. He obtained his bachelor's degree in biological engineering in 2005 and went on to obtain master's degree in environmental engineering in 2009.

Toni McCrory is a director with Walmart's U.S. Environmental, Health and Safety Compliance organization, focusing on water compliance. She received her B.S. in biological engineering in 2007.

Katherine Merriman-Hoehne received her B.S. in biological engineering in 2005. She is a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and joined the National Research Program in Boulder, Colorado, in 2008. She transferred to the USGS Arkansas Water Science Center as a Hydrologist in 2010 and then Illinois Water Science Center in 2013. 

Shelly Thomas graduated with a B.S. in biological engineering in 2005. Shelly is a professional engineer working in the Industrial Sales division at Morton Salt.

Danforth thanked members for their tireless work in support of the programs in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. The department's graduating seniors and scholarship recipients were also recognized, and the senior class gave brief presentations of their senior design capstone projects.