Our 2015 graduates will soon enter a workforce where the professional opportunities are vastly different than they were just 5 or 10 years ago.  Accordingly, the landscape of engineering education is changing more swiftly than ever before.  As fundamental shifts occur in technology and society we must consider the role engineers will play and how we will prepare students to lead and succeed.

Recently we completed a five-year strategic plan for the college that underscores our commitment to provide our students with a world-class engineering education.  One of our goals is to “build interdisciplinary collaborations that inspire innovation.” In this edition of Washington Engineer you can read about a collaboration that led to the development of an injectable polymer that stems fatal blood loss.  This story exemplifies that goal and shows that it can lead to life-saving impact.

Another goal in our strategic plan is to “create industry and community partnerships to increase our impact.”  We’ve recently launched a new program – the Washington Innovation Advantage – that is a tangible demonstration of our commitment to this goal.  You can read about the program in this issue.

Spring quarter is a busy time for our students and faculty.  Our seniors are wrapping up their capstone or senior design projects, and many students are participating in competitions.  I recently attended the Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge, an event where students pitch their innovations in clean technology, renewable energy and water resource management.  Engineering teams have historically secured the grand prize at this event, and I’m pleased to report that this year was no exception.  In fact, all of the prize winners had engineering students on their teams this year.  I’m proud of our talented and entrepreneurial students.

This quarter is filled with many events including the annual Diamond Awards dinner and, of course, commencement.  I hope to see you on campus soon or at the ASEE Conference in Seattle.

Michael B. Bragg
Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering