2020 From the Dean

Baylor chose to shine the light on our engineering and computer science programs in 1995 when the University created the School, and our work continues to be an important part of Baylor's strategic plan, Illuminate. As a result, we are geared up and ready to help Baylor become a Research 1 (R1) university in the coming years.

It's exciting to look forward to the expected growth of our programs. Bill and Tanya Mearse of Houston have generously helped ECS by endowing a chair in Biological and Biomedical Engineering. This endowment will allow us to recruit a senior faculty member who can provide leadership in this area.

It's also important to reflect on the past and how far we've come. In 1995, robots were beginning to be incorporated into manufacturing operations on the assembly line. Today, Dr. Scott Koziol, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, is working on neuromorphic computing in the field of autonomous mobile robots — basically, robots that are capable of making decisions based on their environment. You can read more about Koziol's work here.

Read about the beginning of our Materials Science program with Dr. Walter Bradley and his work on developing a new area of research on polymer composites using agricultural waste like coconut shells and husks. Today, our materials science faculty are working on a variety of topics, including composites for the aerospace industry and additive manufacturing also known as 3D printing, which is expected to dominate the industry in the upcoming years.

In 1995, the first PlayStation console was released in the U.S. Now, we have students who are competing in eSports and traveling abroad to be involved in software application development with Red Hat, a well-known company for open-source technology development. 

Our technology advances almost daily, but one aspect of ECS hasn't changed in the past 25 years — our desire to provide a global perspective to our students, be unwavering in our Christian values, and have a positive impact on our community and those abroad. 

I invite you to enjoy these stories and learn more about our work on our website. I hope they stir feelings of pride as part of the Baylor Family and inspire you to stay connected.

Best Wishes,