Fall 2022 | College of Engineering

Dear alumni and friends of the College of Engineering,

It’s been an exciting last few months on campus. Besides all the events for Orientation, Welcome Week and Homecoming, we also held the Inauguration for NDSU’s 15th President, David Cook. Since starting in May, President Cook has outlined five key areas of focus for advancing NDSU’s success and vision. They include:

Enhancing enrollment, retention and academic success;
Prioritizing our R-1 Carnegie classification status;
Investing in the well-being of the people across our NDSU community;
Building a stronger culture of diversity, equity and respect; and
Embracing our critical role as a land-grant university.

These focus areas are well aligned with the strategic plan we created for the College of Engineering in 2020 and we are excited to be working collaboratively across campus on these important key areas of focus.

One of our strategic initiatives in the college is to build the leadership and innovation skills of our students. That’s why I am thrilled the College of Engineering is the lead on a new $14 million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish the Great Plains Innovation Corps Hub at NDSU.

The I-Corps program has a proven record of being an economic catalyst. During the next five years, this program will provide immersive training for an entrepreneurial workforce and bring cutting-edge technologies to market. I’m thankful for the leadership of David Grewell, chair of industrial and manufacturing engineering, who will serve as the director of the new Great Plains I-Corps Hub.

As an economic engine for North Dakota and the region, increasing enrollment and retention continues to be a top priority. This fall, we welcomed our largest freshman class to the College of Engineering since 2018. We’re also investing in new programs to meet the demands of industry and prospective students and will be launching a new undergraduate degree in software engineering.

As you may have heard, a new engineering building was listed as NDSU’s top priority in the capital projects request to the North Dakota Legislature. While there is still a long road ahead, we are excited to take this next step in the journey to securing funding for the project by sharing our story and vision with lawmakers, alumni and other stakeholders. We believe the outcomes of an investment in the College of Engineering will be transformative for all of North Dakota.

Finally, this will be my last newsletter message as Dean of Engineering at NDSU, as I will be starting a new position as the head and professor of materials science and engineering at Johns Hopkins University in January. I look forward to watching the continued upward trajectory of NDSU’s College of Engineering from afar.

Thank you for your support for the College of Engineering. Go Bison!

Michael R. Kessler

Dean, NDSU College of Engineering

College News

Create out-of-this-world technology

A group of NDSU engineering students developed and built a remote-controlled, solar-powered robot that could help build structures on the moon. The senior design project got NASA’s attention, earned major awards and elements of the final product could end up on the next lunar mission.

A showcase to shine

The College of Engineering Senior Design Expo events in the winter and spring gives students a chance to showcase their work for the campus community, alumni, public, and middle and high school students.

Research on the edge

Danling Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Jen Li, professor of computer science, have been awarded more than $1.4 million from the National Science Foundation to develop cutting-edge healthcare technology using artificial intelligence.

Empower the next generation of leaders

The Society of Women Engineers at NDSU is teaching the next wave of female engineers and scientists at outreach events throughout the year. The overall goal is to empower the next generation of leaders through STEM education.