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Dear Friend of the VCU School of
Engineering,Welcome to the inaugural
edition of our quarterly electronic newsletter, the most
efficient way we know to keep you apprised of the exciting
developments taking place at the VCU School of Engineering.
Help us spread the world about the school. Click here to forward this
newsletter to friends and associates. Urge them to sign
up for free subscriptions. And please let us know what
kind of news you'd like to read about in future editions.
Dr. Robert Mattauch
Dean
VCU School of
Engineering rjmattau@vcu.edu
May 11,
2004
P.S. You can unsubscribe easily by clicking here
A Crucible for
CreativityVCU's expansion into
the proposed Monroe Campus means more than a bigger, better
School of Engineering. It represents the Richmond region's
commitment to building an economy based upon technological
prowess and entrepreneurial innovation.
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William F. Goodwin, Chairman of the
VCU School of Engineering Foundation Board of Trustees,
has set an ambitious objective for an engineering
program so new that it has admitted only five entering
classes. He's aiming for "25 in 25" - a top 25
engineering-school rank within 25 years.
Consider the magnitude of the task. The School
has no network of wealthy alumni to tap for
contributions. VCU's engineering graduates - the
first class matriculated in 2000 - have barely
embarked upon their
careers. |
"It's
certainly a difficult goal," acknowledges Goodwin, a Virginia
Tech engineering graduate and one of Richmond's most
successful, hard-driving business leaders. He knows full well
how high he has set the bar. "But I've never let a difficult
goal stop me. The people involved just have to share the same
vision.
"Fortunately, VCU Engineering has proven that
it can meet ambitious goals. Not only has the school built a
handsome, $30 million building and $10 million
micro-electronics lab, it has recruited 44 faculty members who
are generating $10 million in sponsored research. Perhaps most
impressive, says Engineering Dean Robert J. Mattauch, the
school has attracted a strong student body: Average SAT scores
of 1240 are comparable to those at Virginia Tech.
The
School of Engineering's strategic plan calls for more than
doubling the size of the institution over the next decade.
Integral to that plan is an expansion across Belvidere Street
into what VCU officials are calling the Monroe Campus. In
VCU's vision for the 10.8-acre, $196 million complex, there
will be room not only for a second engineering building, but
new facilities for the School of Business, an executive
conference center, on-campus apartments and possibly a home
for the VCU Ad Center. Assuming the property can be assembled
and the money raised, the Monroe Campus will provide the
physical space for Engineering to add roughly 30 faculty,
1,500 students and space for state-of-the-art laboratories. More
Built to LastA notable aspect of the
Monroe Campus is the thinking behind its architectural
guidelines. The buildings will be built for the ages and the
streetscapes designed for people, not automobiles.
Walk down West Franklin Street in the vicinity of
the Commonwealth Club, says architect Eddie Smith, and you'll
see a slice of downtown Richmond with a distinctive - and
delightful -- architectural tradition.
Many structures
are built right up to the sidewalk; others are separated by
only modest front yards. Building facades are ornamented with
visually interesting detail like archways, elaborate brickwork
and prominent entrances. Property lines are set off by granite
slabs, some of them inset with wrought-iron rails. Handsome
trees line the curb, creating a buffer between the sidewalk
and the busy thoroughfare. The setting, Smith observes,
provides "a sense of comfort and human scale."
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Contrast the strong sense of
place on West Franklin with the view that presents
itself when you walk down the hill to Main Street.
Gazing toward the freeway, you see parking lots,
dilapidated buildings and empty acreage stubbled with
grass. Automobiles rush down Main
Street. |
While much of
Richmond's central business district has blossomed over the
past decade, the 12-acre eyesore on downtown's western edge
has steadfastly resisted improvement. But that will change
when Virginia Commonwealth University builds the $210 million
Monroe Campus to house the School of Engineering, the Business
School and other academic programs.
The Monroe Campus
complex of three- and four-story buildings will dominate
downtown Richmond's western marches and set the tone for the
stores, offices and townhouses that university officials
expect to sprout all around. Opportunities to make an impact
on such a large chunk of the city may come along once a
generation, and it's critical that VCU get it right. Fully
aware of the stakes involved, the university engaged Smith --
a big-picture architect whose projects include many college
and university projects -- to draw up architectural guidelines
for the dozen or more academic buildings, dormitories and
other structures planned for the project over the next dozen
years. More
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Issue 1, No. 1
May
2004
This newsletter was made
possible by a generous grant from PMUSA.
Biomedical
Chemical
Computer
Science
Electrical
& Computer
Mechanical
Jennifer S.
Wayne,
Ph.D., has
been elected into the American Institute for Medical and
Biological Engineering's College of Fellows, a prestigious
professional organization that represents the top 1.5 percent
of all biomedical engineers in the United States. More.
Anthony Guiseppi-
Elie was profiled in Richmond
BioSynthesis, an electronic newsletter about the Richmond
region's life sciences industry.
"A Chip in Time... may save lives. Tony
Guiseppi-Elie is developing biochips that can be implanted in
soldiers to monitor damage from battlefield
trauma."
Philip Morris Donates Machine Shop
Equipment
Virginia
Commonwealth University engineering students now have a
machine shop they can call their own. Surplus metal-working
equipment, donated by Philip Morris USA, will allow students
to build working models of their designs without leaving the
School of Engineering. Until now, they have had to go across
campus to use the machine shop in the School of the Arts'
building on West Broad Street. More.
Brad Crosby,
Chem.E.'02
Alumni Board News
We hope that this new quarterly newsletter
will give you and opportunity to catch up on recent news and
events at VCU School of Engineering (SOE). We will be
featuring our alumni and their accomplishments in the
newsletter and need your help to gather that news. Please
email us with information on you, your families, your career
and other exciting events in your life. More | |
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