December 2012

Dear Colleagues,

As 2012 comes to a close, I would like to share with you some of this year’s successes in the College and tell you about developments that you can expect in the coming year as we continue to grow and strengthen our programs.

Our researchers continue to find success with more than $20 million in funded research in FY2012, making strides in addressing critical challenges in energy, the environment, and health and earning national and international recognition for their contributions to their fields.

  • In 2012, we are pleased to report that we have five new fellows of professional societies, including Amit Bandyopadhyay (AAAS, ASM International), Uma Jayaram (ASME), John Schneider (IEEE), Mike Wolcott (International Academy of Wood Science), and Dick Zollars (ASEE). Kelvin Lynn was elected to the Washington Academy of Sciences, Matt Cohen received the prestigious James Ackerman award, and Manuel Garcia-Perez received a Career award.
  • The Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering for the first time became eligible to participate in the Achievement Rewards for College Sciences (ARCS) Foundation fellowship, a nationally acclaimed fellowship program. Becoming part of this prestigious program will help the Voiland School bring in top graduate students.

Our students have also had a great year.

  • Tracy (Jianying) Ji, a Ph.D. student in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, was named Boeing’s Engineering Student of the Year, and Materials Science Graduate Student Pavlo Rudenko was a semi-finalist in the Clean Tech business plan competition. Ricardi Duvil, a civil engineering graduate student, earned a prestigious Bullitt Foundation fellowship.
  • A student team from the School of Design and Construction took first place nationally at the inaugural Design Build Institute of America student design competition, while another student team took second in an international hydrogen design competition. We have students who are designing autonomous underwater submarines and an exciting project to build a high-altitude unmanned, hydrogen-powered plane.

You may have also noted that we had exciting lectures throughout the fall as part of our space lecture series, including Roger Myers, executive director of Electric Propulsion and Integrated Systems at Aerojet; Iris Bombelyn, vice president of Manufacturing at Lockheed Martin Space Systems; and Tom Mueller, co-founder of SpaceX. We also hosted Jay Davis, president of the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation. Eric Horvitz, distinguished scientist and deputy managing director at Microsoft Research, gave the inaugural Distinguished Allred lecture in artificial intelligence. We’re pleased to let you know that Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, will be here in March and will give a seminar on the 100-Year StarShip project. We’ve been extremely fortunate to host these accomplished leaders and scientists. Please watch for more announcements during the spring.

As for the upcoming year, we have some exciting work ahead.

Through the Engineering Expansion Initiative (EEI), we are working to fill several new and vacant faculty positions. As you may recall, the state legislature recently allocated $3.8 million each to the engineering colleges at both Washington State University and the University of Washington to increase the number of engineering and computer science students and graduates, and our enrollments are expected to grow by more than 30 percent.

  • We have worked to mesh EEI funding with our signature research areas for the college and remain focused on filling positions in our priority research areas. We have hired a number of clinical faculty and instructors, new teaching assistants, and have initiated searches for new faculty positions in advanced materials, artificial intelligence, sustainable design & infrastructure, and air & water resources. In the following year, we will initiate additional faculty searches in our signature areas.
  • We also increased the capacity for ME enrollments in Bremerton, and initiated a similar ME program in Everett. Within the next couple of years, we will have an expanded and more focused faculty that will make for a stronger college.
  • We are also launching a search to hire a new director for the School of Design and Construction. We want to thank Greg Kessler for serving as director of the School of Architecture and Construction Management for the past 12 years, bringing forward the idea of the new School for Design and Construction, and working to integrate the design disciplines into a program that is unique in the country.

I am also pleased to let you know about progress we are making on the development of our new Clean Technology Laboratory Building (CTLB). We have selected Skanska Construction and LMN Architects as the design-build consortium for the project. The top capital project priority for the university, construction of the CTLB is set to begin in 2013, provided that the capital budget is approved. I’m excited about moving forward on this state-of-the-art research facility that will allow for collaborative, interdisciplinary research in our priority research areas, including in advanced materials, air and water quality, and sustainable infrastructure.

Please be watching in the very near future for another research opportunity that will be made available through the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation. This center was established earlier this year by the Governor and state legislature and is charged with pursuing university-industry technology research and enhancing engineering education for the benefit of the aerospace industry. The board of directors, of which I am a member, is developing an RFP that will provide funding opportunities for aerospace-based research.

I want to wish you and your family a joyous holiday season. I look forward to working with you to grow and build our programs in the next year and thank you for your continuing support and hard work for the college.

Happy Holidays!

Dean Candis' signature

Candis Claiborn, Professor and Dean