Greetings from Northwestern Engineering
A message from Dean Schuh
One of the best parts of my job as dean has been talking with faculty, staff, students, and alumni about the future of engineering and, of course, the future of our school. Over this last year, I have worked with our department chairs and senior leaders to analyze our strengths and growth areas to create a guiding strategic vision.
The result is three strategic pillars that will guide us in pushing engineering into the next era: revolutionizing the methods of engineering, transforming engineering education, and advancing the critical applications of engineering. Within each of these pillars are individual areas of research focus, paths forward for educational initiatives, and targeted plans for how we will approach the grand challenges and opportunities of our day, including climate change, AI, and human health. In a nutshell, our strategic plan aims to strengthen and build on the groundbreaking research and education that we do so well while also keeping the door open for once-in-a-generation ideas.
This issue of the magazine features some of those trailblazing research areas. Quantum computing and devices are undergoing a new revolution. By harnessing the power of quantum mechanics, researchers could ultimately solve problems in areas ranging from information technology to drug discovery to transportation and logistics. Several of our faculty across departments are working to build and refine these technologies, and the results, both in the near and far term, are bound to change the world as we know it.
This issue also features work by faculty members Mark Hersam— a pioneer in nanoelectronics who was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering—and Ludmilla Aristilde, a member of our Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering whose research into soil pathways could have implications in ecosystem health and agricultural productivity.
I hope you enjoy reading about this work, and I look forward to connecting with you in the coming year to tell you more about our vision for the future of McCormick.
Dean, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science