Fire, Construction & Emergency Management

Dr. Cook has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of construction, concrete, cement, and research & development. Dr. Cook is an Assistant Professor in the Construction Engineering Technology program within the Division of Technology at Oklahoma State University. He has taught Concrete Technology CET 2343, Introduction to Construction CET 1213, Technology in Construction CET 4273, and Equipment Management CET 4333.

Also, Dr. Cook is the Director of the HCMT Program (ODOT training center), where Oklahoma DOT requires inspectors and other quality control personal dealing with state projects to be trained and certified. Dr. Cook is the instructor for concrete, aggregates, and general sampling and testing of concrete. This involves providing an overview of the construction materials and testing standards based on the Oklahoma DOT construction manual, hands-on demonstration of the specific test procedure, and then walking the trainee through the specific test procedure as this person conducts the test.

Dr. Cook grew up working for his family-owned concrete construction company starting as a labor and working through the positions of finisher, foreman, and estimator. Dr. Cook has a vast experience of building concrete structures from floor slabs using post-tension cabling, parking lots with minimal elevation for drainage, city streets, private dams, small bridges, retaining walls, residential house slabs and driveways, decorative concrete, and concrete repair. 

Upon completing his doctorate in Civil Engineering at Oklahoma State University, Dr. Cook worked as a technical service engineer for an international cement supplier. Dr. Cook provided technical support for both customers and internal personnel on variety of topics related to cement, slag cement, concrete, masonry, and oil-well. Some of these tasks included communicating material specifications, generating concrete submittals, submitting slag and cement submittals, designing mixes for concrete, conducting quality audits, and troubleshooting hardened and fresh concrete and masonry. Also, Dr. Cook has designed mixtures for a wide-spread of applications such as high strength concrete, slip formed paving concrete, typical slab-on-grade concrete, pumpable concrete, self-consolidating concrete, flowable fill, grout, and even a few mass pour mixtures.

Dr. Cook is involved as a national member of the American Concrete Institute (ACI). Dr. Cook serves as a committee member of ACI 211 "Proportioning of Concrete Mixtures", ACI 302 "Construction of Floor Slabs", and ACI 309 "Consolidation of Concrete". Previously, Dr. Cook has been a main voting member of ASTM 04.02 Concrete & Aggregate.

Research Interests:

Concrete construction practices, construction education, workforce devlopement, construction materials, concrete, aggregate, cement, fly ash, slag,

Dr. Amy King Lewis is an Assistant Professor of Construction Engineering Technology at Oklahoma State University with more than three decades of construction industry experience. Her background includes project management, project controls, business development, owner’s representation, construction education, and industry consulting. Her work connects practical field experience with applied academic research focused on construction project delivery, workforce development, project controls, scheduling, dispute resolution, and the use of emerging technologies in construction.

Dr. Lewis’s research emphasizes industry-facing problems and practical solutions for contractors, owners, and construction educators. Her recent work includes funded research with ELECTRI International on fleet management in electrical contracting and the organizational growth of electrical construction firms. She also maintains active collaborative relationships with industry organizations, including the Associated General Contractors of America, the Design-Build Institute of America, ELECTRI International, and construction firms across Oklahoma, Texas, and the broader region.

Her current research interests include AI-enhanced project controls, construction workforce development, fleet management, electrical contracting operations, design-build education, construction training systems, and the use of technology to improve safety, cost control, scheduling, and project performance. She is particularly interested in applied research that produces usable industry deliverables, including white papers, training modules, case studies, survey instruments, and professional development resources.

In addition to her research, Dr. Lewis develops and delivers technical training programs for construction professionals and students. Her teaching and outreach emphasize workforce readiness, technology adoption, project management best practices, and stronger connections between university construction programs and industry needs.

Dr. Tony McAleavy is an associate professor and program director for the Fire and Emergency Management Program at Oklahoma State University. He holds a PhD in Disaster Management from the University of South Wales, and MSc Disaster Management and Sustainable Development, and BA (Hons) Business Administration degrees from Northumbria University in the United Kingdom. He has held substantive academic positions in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, and visiting professorships in India and Türkiye. His research addresses problems in disaster preparedness and response. 

Dr. McAleavy is a permanent member of the National Academies Action Collaborative on Disaster Research. He serves as a technical specialist for the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response program (UN-Spider). He is also a former practitioner with over a decade of experience with H.M. Coastguard, the Northeast Ambulance Service, and the County Durham and Darlington Civil Contingencies Unit.

Dr. Chelsie McWhorter is an Assistant Professor in the Fire and Emergency Management Administration Program, located within the School of Fire, Construction and Emergency Management situated in CEAT. Prior to joining the faculty at Oklahoma State University, she spent more than 13 years as a Firefighter Lieutenant and a nationally registered EMT-B. She completed her doctoral work in Geography at the University of California Santa Barbara, a master’s degree in Geographical Sciences from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. In addition to these degrees, she has obtained a variety of fire service certifications in leadership, structural firefighting, vehicle and machinery operations, hazardous materials, and rope rescue (among others), and is a National Registry Certified EMT-B. 

Dr. McWhorter conducts research at the intersection of the fire service, geography & GIS, and psychology. She is interested in understanding how geospatial techniques and spatial cognition can inform fire service training and operations, preparedness, and decision making. Her previous research has explored firefighters’ spatial abilities, firefighter environmental scale navigation and training, and firefighter spatial decision making.

More information about her research and scholarly activities can be found at ChelsieMcWhorter.com
Follow along with what is happening in her lab at GeoSpatialCognitionLab.com

Haley Murphy is an Associate Professor in the Fire and Emergency Management Administration program in the School of Fire, Construction, and Emergency Managmenet.  She received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma in 2014.  She teaches classes in Risk Theory and Management, Organization Theory, Organizational Behavior in Disasters, Disaster Recovery, Public Administration (including Personnel and Budgeting), and Emergency Management. 

Dr. Murphy's research focuses on individual decision making and household adjustment to hazards as well as public management and organizational behavior in times of stability and instability. In addition, she studies organizational culture in emergency service organizations and their effect on individual behavior. Dr. Murphy has received funding to support her research from the National Science Foundation, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the National Fire Prevention Association. Her research has been published in Risks, Hazards and Crisis in Public Policy, Earthquake Spectra, Safety Science, Natural Hazards, Local Government Studies, Nonprofit Policy Forum, and The International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, among others.

Research Interests:

Weather Hazards, Disasters, Emergency Management, Organizational Behavior, Household and Individual Level Decision Making.

Prior to joining OSU’s FPST program in 2020, she worked as a professor for the Industrial Engineering program at the Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería for 19 years. During her time at the Escuela, Dr. Rodriguez Coca worked as Department Head of the Industrial Engineering Program, Head of the Occupational Safety and Industrial Hygiene Committee and a member of the Board of Directors. In addition, she has been a member of the Board of Directors for different non-profit organizations such as Stillwater Medical Foundation and Fundación Regalo de Dios.

Professor Rodriguez’s research interests include hazardous materials, humanitarian logistics, human factors, virtual reality, and engineering education.

Dr. Ruiqing “Ryan” Shen is an Assistant Professor in Fire Protection & Safety Engineering Technology at the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology (CEAT). He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University and his B.S. in Fire Protection & Safety Engineering Technology from Oklahoma State University.

Driven by a vision to safeguard people, communities, and the environment, Dr. Shen’s research focuses on:

• Developing eco-friendly fire-safe materials
• Designing cost-effective engineering safety and health strategies
• Advancing the manufacturing of polymeric materials
• Integrating new technologies into chemical process safety
• Enhancing fire safety of energy storage systems
• Improving occupational health and safety

To date, Dr. Shen has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and contributed to 2 book chapters in these fields. His research endeavors have been supported by prominent organizations such as NSF, OSHA, and MSHA.

Leslie Rex Stockel is an Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Oklahoma State University in Fire Protection & Safety Engineering Technology.

Leslie holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Technical Communication and Rhetoric, a Master of Science degree in Engineering Technology Management, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology from Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Stockel holds the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and Safety Management Professional (SMP) designations with the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.

She has been a Professional Member of the American Society of Safety Professionals (nee Engineers) since 1993 holding numerous chapter and region leadership positions. In 2016, she was named Safety Professional of the Year for the Oklahoma City Chapter, and then Region III Safety Professional of the Year in 2017. She also serves as the ASSP-OSU student section faculty advisor. In 2024, she was named the William E. Tarrants Outstanding Safety Educator by the ASSP, and in 2025, was name ASSP Fellow.

Leslie has over 30 years of experience in the Safety and Health profession, working in education, and both public and private sector organizations.

Research Interests:

Occupational Safety and Health
Risk Communication
Risk Decision Making
Human Factors
Accident Investigation
Safety Management Systems
Risk Control Engineering
Process Safety

Dr. Hitesh D. Vora is the Jim and Lynne Williams Endowed Associate Professor at the School of Materials, Mechatronics and Manufacturing Engineering at Oklahoma State University. He is also the Director of the Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC), which is funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE), the Director of the Great Plains Center of Excellence (GPCoE), and the Director of the Rural Energy Assessment Center (REAC), funded by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Dr. Vora is leading efforts to enhance the ITAC Program and the GPCoE at OSU, which supports clean energy workforce development and energy efficiency improvements for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across 13 Great Plains states. Under his leadership, the ITAC has performed over 1,100 energy assessments at no cost to clients, saving more than $138 million in energy costs. Dr. Vora will lead this new $7M center as a director who will be housed within OSU's Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC) is one of five competitively selected higher education institutions to serve as Centers of Excellence for DOE's Industrial Training and Assessment Centers (ITAC) Program. ITAC provides no-cost energy audits to small- and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) such as manufacturing plants, commercial buildings, and water and wastewater treatment plants in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, and northern Texas to help them reduce energy and waste and increase productivity while training the next generation of energy management professionals.

A dedicated educator, Dr. Vora, teaches courses related to Energy Management, Smart Manufacturing, Additive Manufacturing, Modeling and Simulations, preparing the next generation of engineers. His research focuses on improving energy efficiency in SMEs, and he has secured over $13 million in federal funding from agencies like the DOE, USDA, and Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

Dr. Vora’s work has strengthened OSU’s visibility and measurable impact through applied engineering leadership, scholarly productivity, and national professional engagement.  A major milestone was OSU ITAC receiving the U.S. Department of Energy “Center of the Year” Award (2025) among 37 national ITACs, recognizing exceptional performance and outcomes. Complementing this applied excellence, Dr. Vora’s scholarly influence includes 1,595 citations, an h-index of 22, and 32 i10-index publications (last updated Jan 16, 2026), strengthening CEAT’s footprint across materials science, energy systems, and advanced manufacturing. His impact has also been recognized through major honors, including the Hamm Institute Faculty Fellow Award (2025–2026), the Land-Grant Award for Excellence (2023), and the Emerging Manufacturing Leaders Award (2025). These distinctions demonstrate broad, sustained recognition of his leadership and scholarship.

Dr. Vora was recently appointed as a Regional Vice President of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) South Central Regions (13-states) of the USA. He is also an Executive Board Member and Student Chapter Director for the Association of Energy Engineers – Oklahoma Chapter (AEEOK). In addition, he is also a faculty advisor for the AEEOK OSU Student Chapter and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME OSU Student Chapter).

Dr. Vora has 15+ years of research experience in the areas of smart manufacturing, energy engineering, and management. Awarded more than $13.28M in funding ($11.76M as a PI) through federal and other grants. Exceptional track record of teaching students for 10+ years in new and innovative ways, and 10+ years of industrial experience.

Dr. Vora is committed to the land-grant mission of OSU by training students through real-world energy assessments, ensuring the region's SMEs achieve significant energy savings, which further boosts regional economic and workforce development.

Research Interests:

1.      Energy Engineering and Management

• Energy efficiency and improvement (industrial assessment, productivity improvements in the manufacturing environment, smart manufacturing integration emphasizing energy efficiency and sustainability, ISO 50001- Energy management systems, etc.)
• Alternative and renewable energy applications (hydrogen, solar, biofuels, wind) with interests in areas such as electric grid integration, process intensification, energy efficiency, distributed-energy solutions, and/or manufacturing and scale-up.
• Large-scale energy storage (batteries, chemical, thermal) with emphasis on materials, devices, hybridization, and/or integrated systems
• Digital Twins – Energy Systems – Industrial Plants

2.       Manufacturing

• Smart Manufacturing
• Additive Manufacturing (aka 3D Printing) – Surface Engineering, BioProcessing, etc.
• Measurement Science/ Metrology of Additive Manufacturing
• Multiphysics finite-element modeling (FEM) and simulations