Engineering students choose to do engineering because they like the idea of designing, creating and building. Many studies have shown that real authentic projects would greatly enhance engineering student learning and reduce retention. Thus, providing students with the opportunities for them to design, create and build like real engineers would greatly motivate them. Of course, the projects and assessment must be carefully designed and planned to ensure optimal learning experience.

A vibrant engineering education enterprise benefits civic, economic, and intellectual activity in this country. Engineering graduates learn to integrate scientific and engineering principles to develop products and processes that contribute to economic growth, advances in medical care, enhanced national security systems, ecologically sound resource management, and many other beneficial areas.

We want to provide an undergraduate education that ensures our graduates can be creators – the artists, if you will – of the scientific and quantitative spheres. They need to understand how technology works so they can be effective as innovators. They also need “soft” skills, such as the ability to communicate their technical ideas and concepts, and galvanize a wide array of people, including those without technological backgrounds and people from other cultures. Combine these skills with the ability to be life-long learners, and our graduates have the potential to make real impacts that can better our quality of life for generations to come.

We also are rapidly expanding the opportunities to work in faculty research labs. This has emerged as another popular endeavour for our students and one where they are enjoying great success. We offer a great number of internship and coop placements for our undergraduates and these are heavily utilized.