Greetings again from Shoop’s Stoop. As we quickly approach the end of fall semester and anticipate a much-needed winter break, let me begin by wishing you a joyous holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year!

Since arriving at Cooper, I have offered an Educational Innovation Grant program each year to advance the Albert Nerken School of Engineering’s 2025 Strategic Plan, Sustaining a Legacy of Innovation. The 2022 Educational Innovation Grant RFP included additional preferences for initiatives, programs, and activities that (1) foster an environment supporting student success, (2) promote community, celebrate diversity, and advance racial equity, (3) advance interdisciplinary approaches across math, sciences, and engineering, and (4) advance interdisciplinary approaches at the intersection of art, architecture, engineering, and the humanities and social sciences. This year, we received 17 proposals from faculty, students, and staff and selected 9 proposals to be funded, accounting for nearly $40k in grant funding. Among the funded proposals were projects that developed new courses at the intersection of disciplines, supported an inaugural student-led undergraduate research symposium, supported student outreach workshops, and more. These innovation grants are made possible through the generous donation of Victor and Eleanor DiFranco. A summary of all the funded projects and the faculty, students and staff associated with each project can be found here.

Within the School of Engineering, our faculty research efforts continue to grow, with many positive consequences. Research is the engine that stimulates intellectual curiosity, fuels new inquiries, advances disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields, and produces new knowledge or uses existing knowledge in new and creative ways. Research experiences enhance student’s intellectual skills such as inquiry, analytical and critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, reading, and understanding of primary literature, communication, and often teamwork. For undergraduates, research is considered a high-impact educational practice, deepening their understanding of disciplinary foundations, exposing them to emerging areas in their chosen field, and ultimately honing important communication skills. During this semester, our students have been increasingly engaged in research and have been traveling to professional conferences in higher numbers, presenting their research results, and even receiving awards. Nearly 20 undergraduate students from across the School of Engineering have presented at conferences this semester, with another 40 participating in workshops, career fairs, networking opportunities, and other activities. These student professional development experiences are made possible through the generous donations of Alan Fortier ChE’79. You can read about several of our student award recipients in this newsletter.

We continue to innovate and improve our curriculum, add offerings to recognize student achievement, and improve their disciplinary experience. On Thursday, October 6, 2022, the School of Engineering Curriculum Committee met to consider several curricular revisions, including a new Chemistry Minor which will be open to all undergraduate engineering students, across all majors. This proposal was approved by the Curriculum Committee at that meeting and subsequently on Tuesday, November 8, the Chemistry Minor was presented to the faculty for consideration and was approved unanimously. The Chemistry Minor will be offered beginning of the Fall Semester of 2023 but will also be awarded to students graduating in May of 2023 who satisfy the requirements of the minor. Additionally, in the October newsletter, I shared some details of an interdisciplinary capstone course that is being piloted this academic year. On December 13, there will be an Interdisciplinary Capstone Showcase at 41 Cooper Square in The Frederick P. Rose Auditorium and the Gelman Foyer for students to present and celebrate fall semester achievements in this course.

Finally, I encourage you to take some time to read the articles included in this newsletter.

Thank you again for sharing your valuable time with me on Shoop’s Stoop! It continues to be an exciting time to be part of the Albert Nerken School of Engineering! I look forward to sharing additional updates in future editions.

Barry L. Shoop, Ph.D., P.E.  |  Dean of Engineering  |  Albert Nerken School of Engineering