Message from the Provost

 

In the past few years the University has invested heavily in COE, dramatically expanding the faculty, the space and the infrastructure to support research. A total of 22 new faculty have been added in the past two years at all ranks and the Department of Computer and Information Sciences joined the College. Virtually all of the new faculty were our first choice in their respective searches, and there is general agreement that the quality of this group of faculty is astonishingly high.

College and University funding levels have soared a dramatic 31% in two years, much of that independent of ARRA funds. Research infrastructure, both pre- and post-award grants management and core facilities have been, and are being, developed to increase service to the faculty and staff. Within two years 200,000 sq. ft. of new research and teaching space will be available through the ISELab.

Strong giving by the College’s alumni and friends has continued to propel COE along its strategic plan that accompanies UD’s Path to Prominence. Increased efforts in development have resulted in interest, enthusiasm and funding. Last year saw a $10 million gift to Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. This unprecedented gift, from an anonymous, long-time supporter, is a strong signal of an increased confidence from the external community in not only that department, but in the direction that this University is taking.

As UD has become a more engaged research university, both COE and the University have begun to develop strong partnerships. We are now involved in 18 Statements of Work with Aberdeen Proving Ground, as well as teaching several courses on the base at Aberdeen. Students are doing internships and co-ops with the Army. We have launched research partnerships with JP Morgan Chase, and JPMC has funded several research projects with faculty in both Engineering and in the Lerner College of Business & Economics.

We have developed a Global Enterprise Technology program with JPMC for our students, complete with an intensive co-op experience, preparing students to deal with ultra-large computing and optimization problems, on a global and cross-cultural scale. In the energy frontier a relationship is taking shape with Pacific Northwest National Labs that promises to bring greater cooperation between the best catalysis programs in academia and government and could even lead to a laboratory on the Science and Technology Campus (formerly Newark Chrysler site). Fraunhoffer and DuPont have both signed agreements with UD that promise increased research collaboration.

I appreciate your ongoing support for the College of Engineering. COE will thrive and continue to make an impact in research, graduate and undergraduate education. Please do not hesitate to offer your thoughts or suggestions by emailing me at tapple@udel.edu.

Best regards,
Tom Apple, PhD
Provost
Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Graduate student selected to participate in 63rd Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting

Kelley’s selection to the annual international meeting, which focuses on promoting the global spread of knowledge in the areas of chemistry, physics and physiology, affords her the prestigious opportunity to discuss research with 35 Nobel Laureates and 625 other young researchers in an open conference setting. The theme for this year’s meeting is chemistry.