Note from the Dean: Welcome Back
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 2011-12 academic year, which promises to be an exciting and memorable one for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.
We start the year with a record-sized incoming freshman class of almost 1,300 students—amazing growth from just over 900 students just two years ago. The economy and resurgence in interest in engineering careers may be factors, but incoming students will also tell you that they chose Fulton Engineering because of our strong commitment to students and emphasis on opportunities for meaningful, resume-building engineering experiences outside of the classroom.
Peer mentors, staff, faculty and alumni who met many of our freshmen at this year’s E2 Camp commented on what a strong group of incoming students this is, and that these students shattered any stereotypes of what they thought engineering freshmen should be.
These students will be the first to experience new elements of our Engineers from Day One initiative: the eSpace design studio, project-based 100-level introduction to engineering courses and interaction with program instructors and their undergraduate teaching assistants. This innovation in education is something we should be proud of and I hope that we can propagate the excitement of the first-year experience into the second year and beyond.
Our incoming freshmen join a highly accomplished group. Over the summer, Team Note-Taker took the top prize in the Microsoft Imagine Cup U.S. finals and then won second place in the Microsoft Imagine Cup Worldwide finals. Our Daedalus team recently placed second in the LDRS event, with a rocket that not only traveled well beyond the 10,000 foot mark—it was one of the fastest to the goal. We have a team named one of five finalists in Entrepreneur Magazine’s College Entrepreneur of 2011 Awards Contest and the first-ever ASU team to compete in the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM). Watch for news, as I am sure there will be more.
As alumni, our engineers continue to shine. We have engineers filling prestigious industry and university positions and being recognized in their fields. Share your news with us too. We love to hear from you.
Go Devils!
Paul C. Johnson, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor
[email protected]
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