Message From The Dean

Michael J. Chajes
Dean

This is an exciting time for the University and the College.  In May, UD President Patrick Harker unveiled the University’s new strategic plan—its “Path to Prominence”—and outlined a series of guiding principles and initiatives for that path. The next step will be, in Harker’s words, “to work across the University to flesh out the implications of this plan for every part of our enterprise.” All seven of the colleges that make up the University have been charged with creating their own plans that are congruent with the Path to Prominence. Toward that end, the College of Engineering is working on identifying goals and initiatives as part of its strategic planning process.

A common first semester is now providing incoming undergraduates with the opportunity to explore the various engineering majors before making a decision among the six disciplines in which we currently offer bachelor’s degrees (chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, and mechanical engineering).  We are actively considering a seventh major, in bioengineering. We currently offer a number of courses in this area, as well as a minor, and plans are underway to increase our course offerings and establish a curriculum for this new major.

Outstanding undergraduate research and study abroad programs continue to be hallmarks of the University of Delaware.  This year, engineering faculty offered Winter Session programs in Australia, Greece, and Turkey. Service-based learning is also growing at a rapid rate.  The new UD chapter of Engineers Without Borders has already become involved with a solar-powered potable water project in Cameroon.

For graduate students, UD offers the opportunity to join top-notch programs in engineering.  Our nearly 500 graduate students share state-of-the-art facilities and are teamed with faculty and postdoctoral researchers to address a broad spectrum of research problems.  Several of our programs are among the strongest in the country, and the web sites of the departments and our research centers provide an overview of what we do.

The College is fortunate to have an outstanding faculty.  We count among our numbers five members of the National Academy of Engineering, 22 named professors, and 22 NSF CAREER awardees over the past 11 years.  Research expenditures in the College were close to $50 million last year, reflecting the remarkable expertise of our faculty.  Several of our recent grants have been for major multidisciplinary efforts in areas including osteoarthritis, fuel cell technology, composite materials, neutron science, and solar power.