Welcome to Fall Semester of 2026 at Cooper Union as we begin this academic year. Thank you for again joining me on Shoop’s Stoop as I share some of the activities and accomplishments in the Albert Nerken School of Engineering since our last newsletter. 

During Welcome Week, I had the opportunity to engage with our incoming class. The first-year class is an amazing group of talented individuals who will bring diverse lived experiences, contribute to the richness of our learning environment, and add to the vibrancy of our community. Let me begin by providing you with some context about this incoming engineering class. Women comprise nearly 38% of the class, 29% self-identify as the first in their family to attend college, and 12% are international.  Quantitatively, this class is amazingly strong, academically. The first-year class had a median SAT score of 1490 and a median Math SAT score of 780.  Qualitatively, this class includes students who have already conducted research in a diverse range of fields, as well as a number of accomplished artists and musicians. On the research front, one student conducted nanoscience experiments in photolithography and nanoparticle synthesis.  Another, through an international program in China, researched surface plasmon resonance at Shenzhen University and analyzed gas-sensitive materials for fiber optic sensors.  Yet another researched skin cancer genes at Columbia University. One member of this class is internationally ranked in Rubik's Cube competitions, another is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt, and yet another is a competitive pianist who has performed at Carnegie Hall. We had 120 entering engineering first-year students join our ranks, with 29 ChE, 30 CE, 22 EE, 23 ME, and 16 CS. 

Over the summer, we had three tenure-track faculty members attend the 2026 Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Project-Based Learning Symposium at WPI. Professors Stella Banou (EE), Tommy George (Chemistry), and Martin Lawless (ME) attended this symposium and then led a professional development workshop for our other faculty at the October Faculty Meeting.

At the beginning of this academic year, we celebrated several academic promotions. Cynthia Lee (CE), Jabeom Koo (EE), Kamau Wright (ME), and Fabiola Barrios-Landeros (Chemistry) were tenured and were promoted to Associate Professor.  And Professor Jen Wieser (ChE) was promoted to Professor of Chemical Engineering.

At the start of Fall Semester, we welcomed another five new full-time faculty to our ranks. We added three additional computer science faculty to fill out the new Computer Science Department. Dr. Lalita Devadas received the B.A. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Columbia University and completed her Ph.D. in computer science at MIT, with a focus on cryptography. Dr. Amna Liaqat received the bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Simon Frazer University in Canada and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in computer science from the University of Toronto, Canada. She joined us after completing a postdoctoral appointment at Princeton University. Her area of expertise is om Human Computer Interface. Finally, Dr. Luke Evans received his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and Scientific Computation at the University of Maryland, College Park, and will fill a joint appointment with the Simons Foundation Flatiron Institute Center for Computational Mathematics. His area of expertise is artificial intelligence. Most recently, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Computational Mathematics at the Flatiron Institute. In addition, we welcomed two new electrical engineering faculty members. Dr. Aaron Langham received the B.S. in electrical engineering from Auburn University and completed his Ph.D. at MIT with a focus on sustainable energy systems. Dr. Phillip Hagen received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Idaho, with a focus on adaptive electromagnetic systems, reconfigurable RF hardware, embedded sensing, and data driven modeling.

For those keeping track, since arriving at Cooper, I have hired 21 new tenure-track faculty in the School of Engineering. With the new Computer Science Program, this number is over 50% of the authorized tenured and tenure-track faculty in the School of Engineering! In 2013, the composition of the tenured and tenure-track faculty in the School of Engineering was 6.3% women and in Fall 2025 it remains 42% women! This academic year, we will be hiring one tenure-track faculty member in electrical engineering.

As you know, I agreed to stay on as the Dean of Engineering for one additional year. A Dean of Engineering Faculty Search Committee has been formed, led by Dr. Robert Topper, professor and chair of the chemistry department. The committee also includes Ben Davis, professor and Eleanor and Stanley Ensminger Chair of chemical engineering; Sam Keene, professor and chair of computer science; Jabeom Koo, associate professor of electrical engineering; Dirk Luchtenburg, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Stan Mintchev, professor of mathematics; Cosmas Tzavelis, professor and George Fox Chair of civil engineering; and Phil Yecko, professor and chair of physics. In addition, we’ve engaged Chuck O’Boyle and his firm, C.V. O’Boyle, as a search consultant. Chuck brings deep experience and counsel in conducting comprehensive national searches for colleges and universities seeking new senior leadership.

Mid-semester, we welcomed Amanda Lombardo as our Director of Engineering Laboratories, Shops, and Technicians, replacing Doug Thornhill, who is now the Director of the NYU MakerSpace and Design Lab. Amanda is a graduate of our own mechanical engineering program and has an advanced degree from Columbia University. She has previously worked at NYU Gallatin as the Associate Director of Science, Technology, Arts, and Creativity, as well as at Columbia University as the Manager of Instructional Laboratories in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Finally, on the curricular front, this year we introduced a new vertically integrated projects (VIP) section on Urban Sustainability. This course is a cross-disciplinary course that develops solutions to environmental challenges in modern cities. Students investigate innovations that support sustainable urban development across buildings, transportation, energy systems, water, waste, public health, and climate resilience.

I encourage you to take some time to read the articles included in this newsletter. You will find inspiring articles highlighting the accomplishments of students, faculty and staff, and a sampling of the vibrancy of all that is going on in the School of Engineering.

Thank you for sharing a seat and some 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