Dear R.F. Smith School Alumni and Friends,
Greetings from Olin Hall, where the labs are buzzing, the students are thriving and there’s plenty to celebrate!
This year marks an exciting new chapter for the R.F. Smith School, as we strengthen our undergraduate program with the support of a transformative $2 million National Science Foundation grant awarded this July. Despite all the cuts to the foundation, our five-year plan received glowing reviews and a full budget to get started in earnest this year. This grant is the first of its kind at Cornell Engineering and is enabled by our recent investments in tenure-track engineering education researchers and professors, teaching professors, postdocs and laboratory managers. Of note, 100% of our faculty and staff committed their participation in this grant and its goals – that is unprecedented! This five-year grant will empower us to re-imagine and modernize our undergraduate curriculum to prepare chemical and biomolecular engineers for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. In our nearly 80-year history, we have not undertaken a major revision or update to our program of this scale, nor integrated across our program known pedagogical advances over the last several decades that inform our understanding of how people learn. We are working together to build a nationally recognized program that will create technical experts in chemical and biomolecular engineering, while preparing competent leaders and innovators who will impact the world. Together, we look ahead with optimism and this opportunity to reaffirm our shared mission to empower minds and shape the leaders of tomorrow. In this issue, you will hear more and learn about opportunities to support our ambitious goals.
We’re also thrilled to celebrate the incredible success of our undergraduate ChemE Car project team, which took home first place at the national competition this year! Their ingenuity, teamwork and commitment to safe engineering exemplify the very best of our department. This victory is a testament to the value of emphasizing hands-on learning and collaborative spirit to define our undergraduate experience. Be sure to read more about their journey and triumph in this edition—we’re proud to share their story with you.
Our Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) program has experienced extraordinary growth this year, tripling in size following a strategic revamp of its goals and focus. By aligning the curriculum more closely with industry needs and emerging technologies, we’ve created a dynamic, career-oriented pathway that’s attracting a diverse and talented cohort of students. This transformation reflects our commitment to preparing engineers not just for today’s challenges, but for tomorrow’s opportunities. We’re excited to see alumni engage with this revitalized program—whether through mentorship, collaboration, or offering real-world projects that your company could sponsor—as we continue to build bridges between academia and the world beyond.
Finally, it is exciting to welcome professor Qiuming Yu as the latest director of graduate studies, taking over from professor Chris Alabi who did a tremendous job in bringing the program through many changes that have realigned our program to meet student needs while staying committed to discovery, innovation and excellence in our research. Professor Yu is joined by associate director Marsha Kowal and graduate field assistant Tara Woodard, who form a solid team to lead the graduate programs in the school.
As cherished members of our community, we warmly invite you into the conversation. Your experiences, insights and support are vital to our continued success and enable us to reach even greater heights. What can we do better to share the amazing work we do in Olin Hall and the impact our researchers and students make? Feel free to drop me a line any time to share your thoughts and if you find yourself in the neighborhood, please let me know so we can catch up in person.
Sincerely,
Susan Daniel
William C. Hooey Director of the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Fred H. Rhodes Professor of Chemical Engineering