Day of Giving Update: During the fundraising effort, ten challenges were met. In-kind contributions from four corporate partners to the Robotic Systems Lab, valued at more than $250,000, boosted the total to more than $578,570. This achievement secured our #1 ranking in both dollars received and the number of gifts (531) among academic units, continuing the School's 2023 standing. In addition to the impressive fundraising achievements during the Day of Giving, the Elaine Scott Women in Engineering Scholarship Fund deserves special recognition. This scholarship fund ranked #4 university-wide among “Transformational Scholarships.” The funds raised on Day of Giving play a crucial role in enhancing the student experience, providing scholarship opportunities, and supporting research initiatives. Thank you to all who went All In for Engineering!

Spring 2024 Engineering News is live! Read about our faculty, staff, and student stories in our spring newsletter: from our alumnus who embarked on a simulated journey to Mars, our first graduate of the Aerospace Engineering Program, retiring faculty, and so much more! View the Spring 2024 Engineering News here.

The 54th Annual Senior Design Conference, held May 9, featured 72 impressive capstone projects between 17 sessions with projects like an electric-powered medical transport aircraft, a robotic arm designed to assist individuals with mobility limitations in accomplishing everyday tasks, and many more. Check out all the session winners and our photo gallery here.

Congratulations to all our Seniors who participated and many thanks to the alumni/ae and industry supporters who came out to judge.

School of Engineering's Order of the Engineer, Link #101, held the 36th annual induction ceremony. Over 90 graduating seniors and graduate students, along with Dr. Hamed Akbari (Bioengineering) were part of this year's inductees. Check out the photo gallery here.

Kira Hofelmann ’24 (Mechanical Engineering) has been featured in the story titled “Where Fun Meets Functionality” by Nicole Calande (University Marketing and Communications). The story highlights Kira’s active participation in the Innovation Zone and her experiences as a woman in engineering. You can read the full story here.

Jordan Mosakowski ’24 (Computer Science and Engineering) has been featured in the story titled “Jordan Mosakowski ’24 Cracks the Code To a Meaningful Life” by Tracy Seipel (University Marketing and Communications). The story highlights his impressive feat: solving a Rubik’s Cube in just 6.52 seconds and more! You can read the full story here.

The 2024 Annual Design-Build-Make Competition brings together student design teams to conceive, pitch, manufacture, and sell 20 units of customer-specific products. This year, projects were linked to the yearly Vintage Santa Clara event.

This year’s grand prize-winning project is a pair of engraved charcuterie boards, complete with a wine glass holder, designed for hand-held use during the festival. Team members include Brian Wiebe, Leo Morris, Matthew Becker, Jiliene Torres-Rivera, Lauren Torres-Rivera, and Rachel Lee.

Honorable mention awards were presented for a Mission-themed, white oak wine bottle coaster (Elise Murugasu, Harumy Miura, Oliver Goodall, and Yaying Lang); an intricately carved alumni photo frame (Sean Wu, Jonathan Felix, Jessica Simmons, Ryan Pool, and Paul Li); and a set of engraved walnut shot glasses (Max Kaufman, Sam Anderson, and Hannah Hoeptner).

This competition was supported by the Alumni Relations VSC team, the SCU Maker Lab, the SCU Campus Bookstore, Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the School of Engineering, the Kern Family Foundation through the KEEN program, and corporate sponsor Autodesk.

The Ciocca Center's Business Pitch Competition results are in! Congratulations to our graduate engineering students Jason Vu ’24 (Web Design and Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering) and Aristos Xanthus ’22, M.S. ’24 (Web Design and Engineering, Computer Science) for their pitch ‘Toodle.’ Additionally, our undergraduate students Henry Fang ’25 (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Felix Fei ’25 (Computer Science and Engineering), and Kevin Zhang ’25 (General Engineering) presented their pitch ‘Robobond.’ Both teams secured third place, competing in both the graduate and undergraduate rounds.

Dr. Christopher Kitts (Mechanical Engineering) received a new grant installment of $179,400 to support mission control operations for the NASA ACS3 spacecraft. This brings the total program support to $1,290,757. The ACS3 program involves staff, faculty, and students conducting mission operations from the Robotic Systems Lab’s control center. The satellite aims to demonstrate unique solar sail technology for satellite propulsion. Key team members include Scot Tomer, Thomas Heckman, and Dr. Michael Neumann (all Mechanical Engineering). The RSL has 20 years of experience working with NASA and industry satellites, providing comprehensive space system operations services. Congratulations to all!

Dr. Laura Doyle (Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering) has been promoted to Senior Lecturer. Congratulations, Laura!

Dr. Kurt Schab (Electrical and Computer Engineering) has been awarded tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor. Congratulations, Kurt!

Dr. Ying Liu (Computer Science and Engineering) has been awarded tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor. Congratulations, Ying!

Dr. Xiang Li (Computer Science and Engineering) has been awarded tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor. Congratulations, Xiang!

Dr. Bill Lu (Bioengineering) has been promoted to full Professor. Congratulations, Bill!

Dr. Prashanth Asuri (Bioengineering) has been promoted to full Professor. Congratulations, Prashanth!

Dr. Francisco Villarroya Alvarez (Applied Mathematics) has been hired into a new role as Assistant Professor. Congratulations, Francisco!

Dr. Aaron Melman (Applied Mathematics) has been hired into a new role as Associate Professor with tenure. Congratulations, Aaron!

We are happy to announce this year's School of Engineering Faculty Award Winners:

Dr. Ying Liu (Computer Science and Engineering) has received the Researcher of the Year Award.

Dr. Villarroya Alvarez (Applied Mathematics) has received the Gerald E. Markle Award

Dr. Angela Musurlian (Computer Science and Engineering) has received the award for Teaching Excellence.

Dr. Alka Jarvis (Computer Science and Engineering) has received the Adjunct Lecturer of the Year Award.

Dr. Ruth Davis (Computer Science and Engineering) has received the Dean’s Special Recognition Award

Congratulations to all! Read more about the award winners here.

Larry Burke ’56 has been named the 2024 Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award recipient. This award is the highest honor bestowed by the School of Engineering and recognizes graduates whose accomplishments in their professions, communities, and University service have set them apart. Larry is being honored for his significant career achievements in the field of Light-Sport Aircraft and for his generosity and commitment to the School of Engineering. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from SCU before founding the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA). He was directly involved in developing ASTM standards for these aircraft and continued his work in standards during his career at LAMA. Larry's generosity and commitment to making a Santa Clara education possible will benefit generations of women, first-generation students, and students for whom a Santa Clara education would be financially out of reach. Congratulations, Larry!

Grace Ling ’19, M.S. ’21 (Bioengineering, Computer Science and Engineering), the founder of Design Buddies, recently hosted her inaugural conference, “Design The Future.” This exciting event took place both in San Francisco and online, drawing a sold-out crowd and attracting over 3,000 attendees. The conference focused on designing for emerging tech products, including AI, AR, VR, blockchain, and autonomous vehicles. Notably, the emphasis was on making technology “kawaii" (cute or lovable). Attendees even received bunny ears as part of the experience! Grace started Design Buddies during her time at SCU. Four years later, the community has grown to include over 150,000 people. Keep an eye out for more epic events from Grace and Design Buddies!

Mentor Collective: Looking to become a mentor for our current Bronco Engineers? Mentor Collective is designed to keep students and recent alumni connected with each other and to Santa Clara. You will be matched with students of similar backgrounds and majors and help support their SCU journey through the Mentor Collective platform. Help us positively impact student experiences and engage with students on their goals at SCU and beyond! Sign up today.

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.