UCLA Engineering: UCLA Engineer Fall 2003

Letter from the Dean

Our students are our greatest resource and, as educators, our greatest responsibility. As the scientists and engineers of tomorrow they will change our world in ways we cannot begin to anticipate.

Many of our graduates will not only change jobs, but also change careers several times in their professional lives. We are making substantial revisions to our undergraduate curriculum to better prepare our students for the challenges they will face in their careers. One of the key components of the new engineering curriculum is a three-course minor requirement as a means of building their knowledge in fields outside their area of specialization to ensure they are equipped to meet the demands of a rapidly changing workplace.

We are also firmly committed to propagating the concept of multidisciplinary research at the undergraduate level, and providing our students with an earlier introduction to research. Many of the faculty in the School are already working with undergraduates, but we are developing formal summer programs to increase the opportunities for our students and faculty to work closely on advanced technologies.

Our Bioengineering Department has finalized its undergraduate curriculum and will welcome its first freshman class next fall. UCLA is home to outstanding schools of both medicine and engineering, ensuring that our new department will surely become one of the preeminent bioengineering programs in the country.

Faculty are also developing new courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to further enhance our educational programs. For instance, we're offering a class this fall designed to develop and improve technical communication skills, as well as a graduate level systems engineering course.

Another priority for the School is to increase the number of available scholarships and fellowships. If we hope to continue to attract and retain exemplary students, we need to offer additional financial support to offset mounting UC fees. We must ensure that no qualified student is denied a quality engineering education solely because of financial need.

Our top-tier educational programs are supported by a dedicated faculty, and we have recruited 14 new faculty this year who offer expertise in several critical areas of study. Biographical sketches of these faculty are included in this issue.

We remain committed to recruiting diverse faculty who are able to conduct research across disciplines, while preserving individual faculty activities and the School's reputation for academic excellence. It is gratifying to note that as we move into the new year, we have added another highly prestigious multi-million dollar research center: the MARCO Focus Center on Functional Engineered Nano Architectonics, which builds on programs already in place in the School. Please see the article on the Focus Center - the only one awarded by the Semiconductor Industry Association this year - for more about this exciting new endeavor.

Sincerely,

Vijay K. Dhir
Dean