March 29, 2023
Dear Colleagues,
We are living in an increasingly digital age where science, technology and engineering will have an oversized role in our daily lives. Seattle University College of Science and Engineering (CSE) is educating future leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics for a just and humane world.
Our faculty, staff and students have been engaged in impactful teaching and learning experiences since the start of the academic year. Our college is adapting and pivoting to embrace this ever-changing world with an emphasis on providing a high quality, personalized education built on a liberal arts foundation. We are doing so by welcoming curricular transformation in existing programs, proposing new degree programs and using data and technology to provide personalized advising and learning.
Here are some highlights from the past quarter that reflect these opportunities at CSE:
Faculty
- Our faculty are winning national recognition: Dr. Henri Louie received the 2022 IEEE Region 6 Outstanding Leadership in IEEE Global Humanitarian Projects/Activities award “for Sustained, Impactful, and Passionate Global Contributions in the Area of Energy Poverty Alleviation.”
- We are working to reimagine the curriculum, and many of our faculty are leading this effort as provost fellows. Professors Mark Jordan, Wes Lauer and Phil Thompson are part of the leadership on sustainability and climate change; Professors Wan Bae and Yen Lin Han are part of the leadership on rapid technological change and its impact on society; Professors Lyn Gualtieri and David Neel are part of the leadership on University Core Curriculum, while Professor Steve Luckey is part of the Ignatian Pedagogy leadership.
- Professor Christopher Whidbey was awarded the 2023 Cottrell Scholars Award for his gene research. The Cottrell Scholar program honors and helps to develop outstanding teacher-scholars who are recognized by their scientific communities for the quality and innovation of their research programs and their potential for academic leadership. Learn more: 2023 Cottrell Scholarsand Illuminating Genes.
- Steve Luckey was awarded our inaugural Rogel Professorship, which is supported by an endowment created by Steve and Connie Rogel, and provides transformative support for our work on enhancing human health and bioengineering. Dr. Luckey’s research and scholarship seeks to understand and promote dimensions of human health and well-being where he has utilized both laboratory-based and pedagogical research.
- Wan Bae was awarded the Thomas Bannan Chair for a two-year term starting July 1, 2023. Dr. Bae’s research interests span the areas of spatial and spatiotemporal databases and data mining, GIS, applied computational geometry and health informatics. The overall theme of her research program is to develop computational models and algorithms using an empirical, application-driven approach.
Students
- First-year student Liliana McClain earned a prestigious scholarship from the American Chemical Society, one of just 300 recipients nationwide and the only Seattle University student to ever receive the honor.
Alumni
- We hosted a CSE night at Climate Pledge Arena as part of the Men’s Basketball game. The event was highly successful in bringing together the community for a night of celebration.
- We celebrated our very own Ana White, ’95, who won the Seattle University Alumna of the Year award for 2023. As the Chief People Officer at F5, White is described as a generous and courageous leader who has shown exceptional leadership in spearheading a human-first and high-performance culture. She has been instrumental in raising the bar on diversity, equity and inclusion. She also initiated the creation of F5 Global Good, a philanthropic program that invests in communities worldwide.
- The American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) honored our alumna Bianca Casem, ’15, as a 2023 New Face of Civil Engineering. Read more.
- We invited many alumni back to campus, including those who work at PACCAR and BOEING, for mentoring and networking nights.
- We hosted an alumni night at Microsoft to reconnect with many of our alumni. This resulted in a deep discussion on the future of information security. It was not a planned conversation, but we were eager to engage in this topic.
Partnerships
- The College of Science and Engineering was part of a delegation to India for exploring US-India partnerships within the globalization of higher education. We are developing this partnership to support our student experience in an increasingly global world.
- The School of Law invited the College of Science and Engineering for a conversation with Mr. Jeff Farah, ’07, who is the executive director of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association. Farah will join us to talk about his career on the cutting edge of law and technology.
As we celebrate these and many other accomplishments of our faculty, staff, students and alumni, we must continue to create a future where our students are thriving. We have launched three initiatives to enhance our distinctive identity as a college of science and engineering:
- As scientists and engineers grapple with the unique ethical and moral decisions of the modern age, the Ethics and Technology Taskforce is working to determine how we can be a leader in this conversation.
- The JEDI in STEM Taskforce is working to develop a plan for college-wide infusion, with an emphasis on creating a culture of belonging.
- The Creativity and Innovation Taskforce is working to develop a collaboration with the Albers School of Business and Economics so we can inspire an innovative mindset in all our graduates.
We are partnering with industry leaders, volunteers, faculty, staff and students to shape these efforts, and I am grateful for this ongoing work.
Our annual day of giving, #SeattleUGives, was a great success. We now have funds which students will use for a variety of academic activities of their choosing. Thank you to all who contributed! Should you wish to support the college, you may give here.
In the coming months, I expect many innovative and creative projects will be undertaken. I have heard rumors concerning a campus-wide robotic presence and more use of our very popular Billodue Makerspace. I cannot wait to share more information as our students develop innovative and interesting projects to solve societal challenges through science, technology and engineering.
Lastly, we have a record number of students interested in our programs. If you know someone who applied for one of our programs, please encourage them to contact us via email or visit us on campus for one of the many admitted student events. Seattle University is a unique place where we deeply value student success, while our faculty and staff embrace a teacher-scholar model of education practicing Ignatian pedagogy via a cycle of learning and reflection.
In closing, I invite you to campus for our annual Projects Day on Friday afternoon, June 2 (register here). Our students will be showcasing their work on industry-sponsored projects. I hope you will join us in celebrating our students and their great efforts.
Respectfully,
Amit Shukla, PhD
Dean, College of Science and Engineering
