Dear Colleagues and Friends,

We have reached the mid-point of the semester and things are busier than ever in the Padnos College of Engineering and Computing. Last month we commented on the excitement in the air due to the arrival of our fall student population to campus. This month, the excitement comes from the School of Engineering marking a major accreditation milestone. The 2022 ABET accreditation decision states that all six undergraduate programs in the School of Engineering are accredited until September 30, 2029.

ABET accreditation provides evidence that the School of Engineering programs have met standards essential to produce graduates that are ready to enter the engineering profession, and that graduates from our program have a solid educational foundation, allowing them to become leaders in engineering innovation, emerging technologies, and public safety/welfare needs.

This month's newsletter also features information on our various K-12 outreach initiatives, an alumni spotlight, and PCEC's engagement with Tech Week GR.

Next month, PCEC is hosting an Alumni Homecoming Tailgate on Saturday, October 28th from 12-3 PM. Please join me and PCEC faculty and staff for complimentary appetizers and beer during GVSU Homecoming. We look forward to seeing you there!

If you have questions or comments, follow this link to Connect with the Dean.

Nicki Bonczyk is passionate about giving back to her community and encouraging the next generation of Laker engineers.

She graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in product design and manufacturing and began working at JR through the GVSU Co-Operative education program. Currently, Bonczyk is an engineering onboarding lead at JR Automation, where she oversees the onboarding and training experience for JR’s 11 North America locations. In her role at JR, she enjoys connecting with current GVSU students and alumni and supporting them on their engineering journeys.

Bonczyk first visited GVSU as a high school student competing in a FIRST Robotics event. FIRST is a global robotics community that prepares young people for the future through inclusive, team-based robotics programs. Since 2009, Bonczyk has volunteered with FIRST in many roles including as a coach, mentor and referee. Since 2019, she has served as the event and volunteer coordinator for FIRST events at GVSU, where she recruits dozens of fellow graduates to volunteer for the program.

In 2017, she was a STEP Ahead Award National Honoree for Outstanding Female in the field of manufacturing. Bonczyk also volunteers with the Grand Haven Musical Fountain and the American Cancer Society by organizing Relay For Life and the West Michigan Farm to Table events.

For more information about the GVSU Alumni Awards, visit gvsu.edu/alumni/awards.

From September 10th to the 14th, WGVU and the GVSU College of Education and Community Innovation jointly hosted the National Education Telecommunications Association (NETA) public media conference. The NETA Conference is an annual gathering that provides public media professionals with meaningful and relevant connections to the people and ideas that are at the heart of their mission to educate, engage, and entertain. This event draws attendees from various corners of the country, encompassing a broad spectrum of public media disciplines and national organizations. 

This year's conference theme centered on the exploration of the roles diverse communities and university-based entities can play in offering innovative, experiential learning opportunities that facilitate students' connections to their local communities and the broader world. Universities and public media were positioned as the catalysts of this endeavor. 

In line with the theme, the Shape Corp. Innovation and Design Center afforded the NETA conference attendees a unique field trip experience. The field trip engaged participants in the design and construction of an aircraft capable of delivering a small cargo load through a vertical wind tunnel, utilizing basic office supplies as materials. Remarkably, nearly every design proved successful, with minor adjustments and input from fellow participants enhancing their performance. This aircraft-building activity not only provided an amusing and enjoyable design challenge but also sparked discussions on weight distribution, balance, structural integrity, fragility, and resource constraints. 

Grand Valley kicked off its offerings for Tech Week GR on September 19 with an immersive display of projects, collaborations and partnerships that stem from the Padnos College of Engineering and Computing.

On display at the Shape Corp. Innovation Design Center were initiatives from all of PCEC's research and development centers, K-12 community outreach, student organizations and alumni businesses.

Shelby Harrison, office coordinator for PCEC Student Services, worked with a committee to pull this Tech Week event together. Harrison said the event was similar to the college's Project Day, "but this time it's a showcase for faculty and staff."

"This is every piece of PCEC on display," Harrison said. "This is who we are."

To view full article please click here

The Electromagnetic Compatibility Center (EMC), housed at the Shape Corp. Innovation Design Center, was a highlight for a group of attendees at the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility and Signal Integrity Symposium, held July 31-August 4 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids.

Bogdan Adamczyk, director of the EMC Center and professor of electrical engineering, said it was the first time the IEEE EMC+SIPI Symposium was held in Grand Rapids. Adamczyk and Scott Mee, owner and EMC specialist of E3 Compliance in Grand Rapids, took that opportunity to promote the center as a unique academic-industry partnership.

The center employs co-op engineering students through a collaboration with E3 Compliance. The 6,000 square-foot facility houses seven EMC test chambers and provides support for electromagnetic compatibility courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as EMC certificate courses for industry. "There's really no other such place like this," Adamczyk said.

Co-op students with E3 Compliance led tours of the center and also attended the IEEE symposium. Mee said participants were impressed with the size of the center and its capabilities, including a new three-meter EMC chamber with abilities to test and evaluate medical devices.

The School of Engineering marked a major accreditation milestone, achieving reaccreditation of its baccalaureate programs in Computer, Electrical, Interdisciplinary, Mechanical, and Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering and an initial accreditation for its new Biomedical Engineering program.  The 2022 accreditation decision received by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) states that all six undergraduate programs are accredited until September 30, 2029, with the Biomedical Engineering accreditation action retroactively extending from October 1, 2020, which coincides with the first cohort of students to graduate from the program.

ABET accreditation provides evidence that the School of Engineering programs have met standards essential to produce graduates that are ready to enter the engineering profession, and that graduates from the program have a solid educational foundation, allowing them to become leaders in engineering innovation, emerging technologies, and public safety/welfare needs.

To read the full article please click here.

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