As we end the fall semester and anticipate a much-needed winter break, I wanted to share a few of the activities in the Albert Nerken School of Engineering since our last newsletter in September.

On September 18, 2025, we published a request for proposals (RFP) for the 2025 Dean’s Innovation Grants. A total of nine innovation grant proposals were received from faculty, students, staff, and combinations of these groups. While all of the proposals were creative and supported the strategic plan, new interdisciplinary courses, or student success, the ones that received funding had broad and lasting impact—many across multiple departments and schools—and included combinations of faculty, staff, and students. Six of these projects were funded through the Dean’s Innovation Grant Program, for a total of $18,000.  

Among the funded proposals was one that will enable interdisciplinary projects on energy and the environment, another that will be integrating technical communications across the engineering curricula, and yet another focused on interdisciplinary research and teaching across chemistry, chemical engineering, and mechanical engineering considering pyrolysis, plasma, and gas-phase forever chemicals. Another proposal that received funding was another interdisciplinary approach to STEM education using water treatment processes. Yet another project will encourage learning across disciplines to advance sustainability education through collaboration and reflection. The final project will develop a modular series of transdisciplinary micro-labs complementing existing curricula that celebrates the physics of the city.  

For the last seven years, the Dean’s Innovation Grant Program has enlisted the creativity and innovation of our faculty, students, and staff, resulting in substantive and lasting contributions to our curriculum and to the foundational principles and goals that are guiding our organization.

On November 6, the Cooper Union Albert Nerken School of Engineering’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) hosted a centennial celebration honoring alumni and current faculty. The event began with a reception and was followed by a formal program in the Fredrick P. Rose Auditorium. The event was attended by students, faculty, alumni, and practicing professionals. It was a packed event that was completely organized and executed by the student leadership and was a first-class tribute to 100 years of milestones, accomplishments, and contributions of the student chapter.

The fall semester is our flagship student conference participation period. This semester, more than 60 students and recent graduates traveled to research or affinity conferences, workshops, and competitions. This represents over 10% of the student population in the School of Engineering! Undergraduate research is a high-impact practice that develops critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills, among others. I encourage you to take some time to read the article about our student conference participation included in this newsletter.

In faculty news, we completed our annual promotion and tenure annual cycle and have awarded tenure and the academic rank of associate professor to four of our faculty members, as well as promoted another to the academic rank of professor. Cynthia Lee from civil engineering, Jabeom Koo from electrical engineering, Kamau Wright from mechanical engineering, and Fabiola Barrios-Landeros from chemistry all received notification of tenure and promotion to associate professor. Jennifer Weiser from chemical engineering was promoted to professor of chemical engineering.

You likely saw this in other communications but in November the Albert Nerken School of Engineering received a $4.97 million gift from Ira EE’76 and Joanne Chayut to support our new computer science program. The Chayut’s generosity represents one of the largest single donations in Cooper’s history and will sustain the growth of this new department for the next decade—funding faculty, student research, and the resources that make Cooper’s distinctive, hands-on model of learning possible.

Thank you again for sharing your valuable time with me on Shoop’s Stoop! You should know that these are just a few of the highlights – the tips of the waves – of activities in a vibrant educational ecosystem. There are many more great things happening in the Albert Nerken School of Engineering, and I look forward to sharing additional updates in future editions of Shoop’s Stoop!

As we come to the close of 2025, know that we are committed to restoring full-tuition scholarships. To stay on track, we must raise $750,000 by December 31. Today we are asking all of our supporters to make a tax-deductible donation before the end of the year. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift today.

On behalf of the entire faculty and staff of the Albert Nerken School of Engineering, we wish for you a joyous holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year!

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