Engineers Week (eWeek) began with our 11th Annual Engineering Art Show in the Healthcare Innovation and Design Lab Hallway, featuring work from current students, an alumnus, faculty, and staff. This was accompanied by the 11th student-run Hack-4-Humanity, followed by the kick-off celebration at the Locatelli Center, during which staff distributed our eWeek t-shirts designed by Isabella Perez ’26 (Computer Science and Engineering). eWeek continued with Wellness Wednesday, where staff, faculty, and students gathered in the Heafey Atrium to enjoy a night of pancakes, waffles, games, and trivia. The week concluded with the Dean's Reception and our 6th Annual School of Engineering Research Showcase, where guests gathered to meet the dean and attended the exhibit of over 35 research groups and their posters. Special thanks go out to Dr. Christopher Kitts, Ricardo Padilla, Jr., Nicole Morales, Caroline Perez, Jose Diaz, Ian Staff, Jiayi Wang, and Dr. Ruth Davis, who made this year’s National Engineers Week a huge success!"

Senior Design: Save the date for the School of Engineering's 54th Annual Senior Design Conference. This year's conference will be held on Thursday, May 9. An invitation to participate as a judge will be sent out March 14. Stay up to date by visiting our Senior Design web page.

Save the Date: Mark Your Calendars for SCU’s Annual Day of Giving on April 10, 2024 and keep a look out for emails and messaging as we get closer. Let's Go All In for SCU!

Lynda Coffman '86 was appointed CEO of Women in Aviation International (WAI) by its board of directors on January 22, 2024. In her role, she will lead the future business development and strategic direction of the 17,000-member-strong nonprofit organization while partnering with the board of directors and overseeing staff and daily operations. She has held executive positions in multiple business units at United Airlines, most recently serving as president of United Ground Express, which she founded and grew into a multi-million dollar company with 5,000 employees. Lynda holds private company and board positions, including being a part of the School of Engineering advisory board. She is the vice chair of the board of Common Threads, a national nonprofit organization providing cooking and nutritional education to under-resourced communities, and serves as a board member of Airspares Unlimited. Congratulations, Lynda!

What's the latest? Alumni/ae, we would love to celebrate your remarkable accolades, achievements, and awards. If you have an intriguing story to tell, we're all ears! Please share your news here.

Dr. Hisham Said (Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering) is one of three recipients of the inaugural Faculty Research Grant from the Unhoused Initiative at SCU for his study titled ‘Parametric Design Support System for Sustainable Interim Housing Community Sites.’ Each grantee has been awarded $3,000 to conduct their research. Additionally, an extra $1,000 award is available upon publication. This research project aims to develop a parametric decision support system for sustainable interim housing communities in collaboration with the non-profit organization Dignity Moves. The project involves surveying innovative sustainable construction methods, modeling the design process parametrically, and implementing the system using advanced CAD-based virtual design tools. Congratulations, Hisham! Read more.

The Human-Computer Interaction Lab recently received a $150,000 gift, spread over five years, to establish the Stitt Fellowship Program. This program will support three business and engineering students annually, allowing them to lead projects under the guidance of Dr. Kai Lukoff (Computer Science and Engineering). The fellowship will enable the HCI Lab to double the number of students who can participate in projects and expand its research and social impact.

Alex Avila '24, Cody Ferguson '24, and Maddie Ly '24 (all Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering) have been accepted to top graduate programs. Alex has been accepted to UC Berkeley, and Cody Ferguson and Maddie Ly have been accepted to Stanford University. Congratulations, Alex, Cody, and Maddie! They will be pursuing graduate work in water resources and environmental engineering. Furthermore, civil engineering students achieved an 82% passing rate in the most recent FE exam, compared to an average of 63% in ABET-accredited programs. 

ACM and ACM-W SCU chapters hosted the 11th annual Hack for Humanity on Feb. 17 and 18, powered by the Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This year’s edition attracted over 250 participants, resulting in 41 completed project submissions! Students from all majors, years, and backgrounds collaborated to tackle challenges related to sustainability, mental health, education, and more at the SCDI campus. Eight teams emerged victorious, sharing a combined total of $6,000 in prizes. Additionally, every team gained valuable technical knowledge and experience by applying their skills to address today’s most urgent issues.

The Graduate Engineering Chinese Student Association held a Chinese Lunar New Year Dinner Party on Saturday, Feb. 10, which was a resounding success. Organized by Xuyang Wu (Ph.D. student) and colleagues, the event exceeded expectations, with nearly 300 students and performers filling every seat. The atmosphere was festive and lively, with Chinese cuisine taking center stage. But it wasn’t just about the food—the students had prepared several programs and raffle prizes. From cultural performances to music and dance, the entertainment captivated the audience. Heartfelt thanks go out to all the faculty and staff who supported this memorable celebration, ushering in the Year of the Tiger.