Dean’s Message
The new year has begun with a rush! Our freshman enrollment this year is up, way up, to 158. Three years ago it was 101 and has climbed ever since. Half of our new students are from outside California and 10 percent from east of the Mississippi. We are clearly a national draw. Of this large class, 27 percent are women—nearly twice the national average. It could be the makeup of our faculty that contributes to this gender demographic. Our percentage of female faculty is three times the national average, up from No. 5 to No. 4 in the U.S., and that was before we hired two more tenure-track women this summer. Our three new faculty members will astonish you with their accomplishments; I hope you can meet these thrilling three. As for projects, the School is now engaged in the largest project it has ever undertaken: the Solar Decathlon. We are proud to have been selected from the 160 applicants to compete as one of only 20 universities—among them, powerhouses MIT, Georgia Tech, and Illinois. Read more about the Solar Decathlon in this issue, and e-mail me if you or your company wishes to support this fabulous venture. With the enthusiasm of a large new class of freshmen, the excellence of our outstanding faculty, and the thrill of participating in the Solar Decathlon, we are off to a great start, and I look forward to an exciting year. Please visit the School of Engineering Web site. —Daniel Pitt |
School of Engineering Lands Spot in Solar DecathlonThe School of Engineering is teeming with excitement after being selected by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of only 20 colleges and universities in North America and Europe to participate in the 2007 Solar Decathlon. White House Honors Wendelin WrightIn a White House ceremony this summer, Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Wendelin Wright was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. SCU Says Goodbye to Talented ProfessorAs proof of the maxim that all good things must come to an end, George Fegan of the Department of Applied Mathematics has retired. A Celebration of GenerosityIn October, a select group of researchers gathered to thank their benefactors at a special presentation of the work conducted over the summer. CASPIA Answers the CallResponding to the tremendous need in our society for trained professionals to oversee the responsible handling of computer network security, CASPIA was founded to promote research, education, and good practice in information assurance. Structural Bamboo: The Next Green Construction Material?Civil Engineering Professor Mark Aschheim and Mark Folgner BSCE '05 have taken the use of bamboo beyond the aesthetic, and have proven the effectiveness of this material as a structural load-bearing element. Faculty NewsFaculty news, including new faculty members, and awards received. |
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