Cornell University College of Engineering
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| Established | 1870 |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Dean | W. Kent Fuchs |
| Faculty | 248 |
| Undergraduates | 2,911 |
| Postgraduates | 1,234 |
| Location | Ithaca, New York, USA |
| Website | www.engineering.cornell.edu |
The College of Engineering at Cornell University is a highly respected engineering program. It is the best Ivy League engineering program, and one of the top ten engineering programs in the nation.[1]
The engineering school is also known for a number of firsts. It currently grants bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in a variety of applied fields, and is the third largest undergraduate college at Cornell by student enrollment. Also, the college offers over 450 engineering courses. The annual research budget of the College of Engineering exceeds $112 million.[2] In 2006, Bill Gates donated $25 million for the construction of a new Computer Science building.
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[edit] History
The College of Engineering was founded in 1870 as the Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts. The program was housed in Sibley Hall on the Arts Quad, both of which are named for Hiram Sibley, the original benefactor whose contributions were used to establish the program. The college took its current name in 1919, when the Sibley College merged with the College of Civil Engineering. In the 1940s the college moved to the southern end of Cornell's campus.
The college is known for a number of firsts. In 1883, the first course of study in electrical engineering in the world was introduced at Cornell. In 1889, the college took over electrical engineering from the Department of Physics, establishing the first department in this field. The college awarded the nation's first doctorates in both electrical engineering and industrial engineering. The Department of Computer Science, established in 1965 under the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences, is also one of the oldest in the country.
Cornell Engineering is home to many teams that compete in student design competitions and other engineering competitions. Presently, there are teams that compete in DARPA Grand Challenge, Formula SAE, Mini Baja, RoboCup, Solar Decathlon, The Great Moonbuggy Race, and others. Cornell's Formula SAE team has been particularly successful, having won the international event nine times, more than any other team.
[edit] Reputation
Cornell's College of Engineering is highly regarded in the engineering community, and has been ranked as being one of the top ten engineering programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.[1] The engineering physics program at Cornell was ranked as being the best by U.S. News and World Report in 2005. Cornell's operations research and industrial engineering program ranked fourth in nation, along with the master's program in financial engineering.[3] Cornell's Computer Science program is ranked #5 according to U.S. News and World Report.
In nanotechnology, the college has developed into a leading institution. In a survery done by a nanotechnology magazine Cornell University was ranked as being the best at nanotechnology commercialization, 2nd best in terms of nanotechnology facilities, the 4th best at nanotechnology research and the 10th best at nanotechnology industrial outreach.[4]
[edit] Departments and schools
With about 3,000 undergraduates and 1,300 graduate students, the college is the third-largest undergraduate college at Cornell by student enrollment.[2] It is divided into twelve departments and schools:[5]
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering
- Department of Biomedical Engineering
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- School of Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Department of Computer Science
- Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- School of Operations Research and Industrial Engineering
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
[edit] The Engineering Quadrangle
The Engineering Quad, originally designed in the 1940s and 1950s has undergone major changes in recent years, particularly with the completion of Duffield Hall. In 2004, relandscaping with a design inspired by Cascadilla Gorge was completed and its landmark sundial was restored to its rightful place on the quad (after having been stored in Upson Hall during the construction period) [6]. Also, modern and open collaborative working spaces were introduced with the construction of a large atrium connecting Duffield, which houses research and teaching facilities for nanoscale science and engineering, with Phillips and Upson Halls. Connected to Upson Hall, away from the quad, are Grumman Hall and Frank H.T. Rhodes Hall, which currently houses the Cornell Theory Center. On the southern end of the Quad, next to Upson and near Cascadilla Creek, are Kimball, Thurston and Bard Halls, all part of a single brick and concrete structure. Thurston is the home to the Theoretical and Applied Mathematics department, and Bard Hall the home of the Material Sciences department. Between Upson and Kimball stands Ward Hall, the soon to be closed down and former building for nuclear sciences. Next to Bard, and across the street from the Cornell Law School, stand Snee Hall and Hollister Hall. Carpenter Hall, containing the Engineering Library, stands next to Hollister on the northwestern corner. The edge of northern face of the quad, mostly open space, is lined with trees along Campus Road.
[edit] Future Developments
With the receipt of a $25 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2006, the college is looking to add a new William H. Gates building to house the Department of Computer Science, as well as portions of the Theory Center and Program of Computer Graphics. Furthermore, the university is also planning to build an information campus based on the Gates building, and other buildings potentially, depending on the receipt of additional grants.[7]
[edit] Degrees
The College of Engineering offers 13 undergraduate majors, 15 undergraduate minors, 17 MS/Ph.D fields and 14 Master of Engineering fields. The College of Engineering grants degrees in the following programs of study.
| B.S. | M.Eng. | M.S. / Ph.D. | |
| Aerospace Engineering | O | O | |
| Applied and Engineering Physics | O | O | O |
| Applied Mathematics | O | ||
| Atmospheric Sciences | O | ||
| Biological Engineering | O | O | O |
| Biomedical Engineering | O | O | |
| Biophysics | O | ||
| Chemical Engineering | O | O | O |
| Civil and Environmental Engineering | O | O | O |
| Computer Science | O | O | O |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | O | O | O |
| Engineering Management | O | ||
| Geological Sciences | O | O | O |
| Information Science | O | O | |
| Materials Science and Engineering | O | O | O |
| Mechanical Engineering | O | O | O |
| Nuclear Engineering | O | ||
| Operations Research and Engineering | O | O | O |
| Statistics | O | ||
| Systems Engineering | O | ||
| Theoretical and Applied Mechanics | O | O |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Cornell University News Service: Cornell ranks fourth in nation according to Washington Monthly, tops in engineering physics according to peers. Cornell University. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.
- ^ a b Cornell Engineering: College Facts. College of Engineering, Cornell University. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.
- ^ Cornell Engineering Information Update. College of Engineering. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.
- ^ Small Times: Nanotechnology Rankings. Small Times: Maganize on Nanotechnology. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.
- ^ Cornell Engineering: Departments and Schools. Cornell Engineering. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.
- ^ Duffield Hall, landscaping project to give Engineering Quad new look. Cornell University. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.
- ^ Cornell gets $25 million grant to build William H. Gates Hall, launching new home for computing and information science. Cornell Chronicle Online. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.
[edit] External links
- College of Engineering official site
- Quad Cam: A live view of the Engineering Quad
- Explore Cornell: Engineering Quad
- Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: History
