Fall 2014 Background

Skip to Search Skip to Global Navigation Skip to Local Navigation Skip to Content
Show/Hide University Links
Header Mast

Innovations

College of Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio Online Magazine

Innovations Fall 2014

Editorial

A message from the Dean of the College of Engineering

It is a great time to be a Roadrunner! Since my family and I arrived in San Antonio at the beginning of August we have been caught up in the excitement that defines student and faculty life in the Alamo City, including tailgating at football games, fabulous barbecue, and smashing pumpkins. I want to express our sincere gratitude for the warm welcome and enthusiasm we have received, and let you know that UTSA Engineering has big plans ahead.

On behalf of the students, faculty, and staff in the College of Engineering, a very special thank you to Dr. Mehdi Shadaram who led the College as Interim Dean during the past year. I find the college poised to achieve new heights in research and educational prominence. No doubt this is due in large part to Dr. Shadaram’s leadership.

Our graduates and supporters know that the UTSA College of Engineering offers top-tier programs whose graduates become leaders to solve problems of importance to our society. Moving forward, I see a three-pronged approach to the college’s future – 1) nurturing healthy growth, 2) promoting student success, and 3) expanding our research and service to society.

The UTSA College of Engineering is growing in students, faculty, and facilities, and we play a critical role closing the gap in the essential engineering talent sought in Texas and the rest of the country. As we grow, we must be cognizant of how we choose to grow, including providing the necessary student resources such as new scholarships, maintaining and growing a diverse student and faculty population, and offering more curricular choices for our students to meet the needs of a growing and changing society. We are investigating new undergraduate and graduate programs that will attract talented students to UTSA. We value and seek to increase the exposure of our students to experiential learning and entrepreneurial development. And we are hiring talented new engineering faculty to support our student growth and make new discoveries through research in engineering and related fields.

The student leaders in the UTSA College of Engineering demonstrate remarkable management, communication, and teamwork qualities that will translate into highly successful careers. We seek to promote experiential learning for all engineering students through internships, research experiences, international experiences, and student group leadership, which will be documented in their transcripts. These attributes are emulated in the classroom with active learning techniques to continue providing the highest level of education.

The rate of accomplishments in research discoveries and service to society has been phenomenal under the leadership provided by Mauli C. Agrawal and Dr. Shadaram, and we intend to build on this base and accelerate the pace. Our faculty are amazing researchers that are funded by the most competitive government and private entities, and our students benefit from this cutting-edge technology and knowledge. Our faculty are leading the way for UTSA to achieve Tier One status. To help promote new successes, we have welcomed a new Associate Dean for Research, Dr. Harry Millwater, who is stepping down as Chair of Mechanical Engineering to accept this position. Dr. Millwater has grand plans for faculty mentorship, increasing industry partnership, and expanding our research vision to build on our strengths and follow new opportunities.

This is an exciting time to be an engineer, making new discoveries and serving a growing society. UTSA Engineering is ready to embrace this excitement – there is no limit to what we can achieve!

JoAnn Browning, Ph.D., P.E.
Dean
College of Engineering

Read More


President’s Message


Innovations Fall 2014 coverDigital Magazine at Issuu.com

Current Issue: Fall 2014 | Table of Contents