Dear Colleagues,
Once again, fall has arrived. Our students fill our hallways, eager and nervous to manage the challenges of courses like fluid dynamics, calculus, or computer-aided design. As we watch them find their classes or attend their first club meeting, we’re excited to see them begin their journey to becoming engineers, designers, or computer scientists.
This fall, we’re also celebrating transformation of our community, envisioning a new engineering and design district that will be home for our next generation of students. I would like to invite you to join us as we break ground on the new Schweitzer Engineering Hall on September 22. I’m so excited for this milestone! I look forward to the moment soon when we open these doors, and our students have a gathering and learning place that truly reflects the vibrancy of all we do here.
As the school year gets underway, we also celebrate new faculty and degree programs across the system, including programs in cybersecurity and online offerings in environmental engineering and pavement sustainability. These programs will meet growing industry demand and better prepare our students for the 21st century workforce.
Our vibrant faculty also continue to grow our research enterprise. Our research expenditures this year reached a record $38 million. Ji Yun Lee and Ganapati Bhat recently received National Science Foundation CAREER awards. We’re excited about a partnership with the Department of Defense to develop a new ceramics research center. Our researchers are problem solvers, addressing challenges from methane emissions control to saving energy in buildings.
As we enjoy the excitement and transformation that we see around us, I am so thankful for the support that we’ve received to grow our thriving Voiland community. I hope you’ll join us on September 22 in celebrating our many friends who have supported these efforts and who make a tremendous difference in the lives of our students, faculty, and staff.
Thank you and Go Cougs!
Mary Rezac
Dean, Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99163
mary.rezac@wsu.edu
509-335-5593