2018 From the Dean

In this year’s issue of Synergy, we focus on the tremendous strides our faculty are making for the aerospace, medical and manufacturing industries. From gas turbine cooling technology to creating a device to detect diseases such as cancer in early stages to making an extruder for a large-scale 3D printer that may one day print a car, our professors are working to make a difference in life as we know it in addition to making a difference in the lives of our students.

You will notice there are a few changes to this year’s issue of Synergy. A section titled “Donor Impact” features a few of our generous donors and shares the stories about the work their gifts allow us to accomplish in the School of Engineering & Computer Science (ECS). Read about our lobby renovation in Rogers and the passionate cause behind the gift, a mission trip that our students will make to Uganda in May and the impromptu donation of a jet engine for a group of our graduate students. 

We also added the ECS Annual Report to Synergy. You can find the data for fiscal year 2017 on page 27. This data provides a snapshot of how the School is operating while the stories share the heartbeat of our faculty and students. For example, the “Ultimate Learning Experience” illustrates how engineering design projects help prepare our students for the workforce. You will also learn more about our study abroad program in Dublin and how the experience there shaped Madeline Stephens’ perspective on engineering on a global scale. 

Behind the scenes, our ECS Board of Advocates work to give guidance and bring in funds to provide scholarship opportunities to our students and funding for our programs. Board members Don McErlean and Don Roberts are featured in this issue of the magazine. Learn more about the breadth of their experience in the aerospace industries and their desire to continue educating the generations to come in STEM fields. 

Finally, we welcomed several new faculty members to our ECS team this past year. Meet them in “New Faces” on page 23. 

I hope you enjoy reading about the research our faculty is involved in producing and how our students are growing in everything they do. Next time you’re in town, please stop by! I look forward to seeing you.

Dr. Dennis O’Neal, P.E.
Dean, School of Engineering & Computer Science