Dear Students, Parents, Alumni, and Friends of the School of Engineering,
These first five weeks of the winter quarter have passed us quickly. While we’ve been racing through the new year, I want to pause for a moment to acknowledge and mourn the tragedies that have taken place in our country and those impacted by the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The Jesuit tradition is about educating the whole person—mind, body, and soul—and preparing students to create a more just, humane, and sustainable world. I pray for our community to embrace the fundamental changes needed to do this.
As we keep those affected in mind, I encourage you to attend some of the events hosted by the Multicultural Center (MCC) that celebrate and honor Black History Month and to join us at some of our National Engineers Week festivities. Finally, I welcome you to read below about our faculty grant recipient, our first Ph.D. student organization, an Outstanding Achievement award-winning alumna, and more.
Wishing you all the best,
Elaine
Elaine P. Scott, Ph.D.
Dean
School of Engineering
School News
 | National Engineers Week 2023 will run from February 19 to 25. This year’s theme — Creating the Future — recognizes how engineers play a vital role in innovating solutions to global challenges that impact future generations. By working together to develop new technologies, products, and opportunities, engineers create new possibilities that make the world a better place. We invite you to check out this year’s calendar of events and join us for a week of celebrating our beloved field. |
 | Research Showcase 2023: We invite you to be part of the 5th Annual School of Engineering Research Showcase featuring poster presentations of School of Engineering research performed by faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and undergraduate, Master's, and Ph.D. students. Attended by industry partners, Silicon Valley researchers and engineers, campus affiliates, and friends of the School of Engineering, this showcase provides the School with an outstanding venue for research exposure while also affording students an excellent professional development and networking experience. Attendees will also be able to tour various labs within the SCDI complex. Read more. |
 | Day of Giving 2023: Mark Your Calendars for SCU’s 10th Annual Day of Giving on April 12, 2023. Every gift counts towards helping us to continue to Engineer with a Mission. Keep a look out for emails and messaging as we get closer and Go All In for SCU! |
Faculty News
 | Max Kreminski (Computer Science and Engineering) was awarded a $5,000 Faculty Hackworth Grant for their project “Investigating Homogenization of Imagination by Generative AI Models.” This project investigates whether and to what extent generative AI models (including large language models like GPT-3 and text-to-image models like Stable Diffusion), when introduced to human creative ideation workflows, exert a “homogenization of imagination” effect that leads users to create less diverse stories, artworks, and other artifacts. The grant will allow compensation for student research assistants and study participants. Congratulations, Max! |
 | Healthcare Innovation and Design Program: Julia Scott and Prashanth Asuri (both Bioengineering), with the help of SCU students, are leading a 360-degree VR training experience with the goal of improving the outcome of caregivers assisting persons living with dementia. They partnered with the 360-degree VR filmmaking production team CreatorUp to produce “content that ensures that the viewer/learner can suspend disbelief and truly be in the training moment.” Over the next several months, the team plans to demonstrate the project at support facilities and with others working with people living with dementia. Read more. |
Student News
 | Ingenium Ph.D. Student Organization: The School of Engineering would like to introduce the first-ever Ph.D. student organization, Ingenium Ph.D. Club. Ingenium was formed on Dec. 5, 2022, by students who wanted a space to meet, share experiences and resources, network, and feel heard, all while pursuing shared interests and goals. Ingenium is led by board member and Ph.D. student Manizheh Zand (Electrical and Computer Engineering), who said faculty members Maria Kyrarini and Father Dat Tran (both Electrical and Computer Engineering) encouraged her and a few colleagues to form the student organization. With 65 active Ph.D. students, the club is currently in the process of expanding its network through LinkedIn, Instagram, Discord, and Whatsapp. If you are interested in joining, please get in touch with Manizheh Zand. The club will also host a game night on Friday, Mar. 3, from 4-6 p.m. at DISC. |
Alumni News
 | Congratulations to Jyotsna Gopinath ’19 (Bioengineering) for receiving the Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA) "Technology Rising Star" at the Woman of Color STEM. These awards are granted to individuals in the workforce who are recommended for these awards by their employers. Rising Stars are women 21 years or less in the workforce helping to shape technology for the future. They are honored at a special recognition event during the Women of Color STEM Conference. Jyotsna is an Innovation Analyst at Fashion for Good within their Innovation Platform. She is the Innovation Lead for the End of Use portfolio, which features innovations and startups focused on recycling textiles and clothing. |
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