Bill Richardson, who graduated from Auburn in 1969 with a master’s degree in electrical engineering, spent 26 years working for International Paper (IP) at a time when computer-control innovation was on the rise. Richardson and a team of co-workers, including Auburn engineering alums John Botts (’64 and ’66 mechanical engineering) and Wayne Dobson (’69 electrical engineering), pioneered such efforts for the company, resulting in the first fully computer-controlled paper mill in the world in 1981. Richardson recently detailed the team’s experiences of building a paper mill around the computer for the Computer History Museum of Mountain View, Calif. His report can be found in the museum’s permanent archive collection.
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AUBURN ENGINEERING NEWS
- #GINNing Podcast: Stick We Did March 6, 2026Mechanical engineering honors senior Dalton Robinson sat down with the #GINNing gang to discuss his Auburn journey, his future plans and Auburn's chances at once again sticking it to Princeton and the rest of the also-rans at the American Society of Naval Engineers' annual Promoting Electric Propulsion Competition.
- Auburn Engineering earns 17 Educational Advertising Awards March 5, 2026The college’s submissions were evaluated amongst entries from more than 1,000 other colleges, universities and secondary schools from all 50 states and numerous countries
- Auburn Ethical Hacking Club advances to Southeast Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition finals March 4, 2026Twelve members of the student organization will compete in the Southeast Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition March 21–22 at the University of South Florida in Tampa.