Engineering and... News: March 2024

Greetings GW Engineering Community!

Some of the core differentiating factors of our school include our commitment to supporting experiences for our students that extend beyond the borders of our institution and our pledge to advance equity and ethics in engineering research and education.

I have the privilege of witnessing the revolution of the field of engineering in real-time.
Historically a male-dominated field, engineering is changing into a discipline that is no longer defined by gender, race, ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic status and that in fact is thriving from having so many perspectives at the table when solving society’s grand challenges.

In honor of the revolution happening in our field, in March we celebrated female engineers who are members of the GW community, including GW’s Vice Provost of Research and Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering professor Dr. Pamela Norris, GW Engineering alumna and Zoox CEO Aicha Evans, and Biomedical Engineering student Amarachi Elekeokwuri. I am proud to be at an institution that is a national leader in the rising number of women engineers, and we strongly believe that it is our responsibility to empower, support, and create opportunities for women everywhere.

In the spirit of change and transformation, I’m excited to celebrate Professor Jason Zara’s new appointment as our Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Professor Zara has a long track record of fostering relationships with students across all of our departments, providing them guidance and supporting their success both within and beyond the classroom. His belief that all students should have an equitable opportunity to thrive and equitable access to educational and personal growth experiences made him the right person for this new role.

In a project supported by the National Science Foundation, assistant professor of Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Caitlin Grady is working to advance the understanding of best practices for teaching engineering ethics in the curriculum to ensure all students develop a broad moral agency. The project, “Engaged student learning through coupled ethical-epistemic pedagogy,” aims to answer the question of how educators can better equip future engineers to act ethically and understand the broad societal implications of their work.

Thanks to a partnership between students from GW Engineering’s chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and the national organization e-NABLE, dozens of 3D-printed prosthetic limbs were produced for child amputees. Led by engineering senior Alec Tripi, the limbs were donated to Infinite Technologies Orthotics and Prosthetics and will be given free of cost to child amputees in need.

While it is important to celebrate the revolution taking place in engineering, we recognize that there is still more that can and must be done, which is why we launched our Inclusive Excellence project earlier this semester. We are continuing to gather input from members of our community to learn more about your experiences in GW Engineering and to get your perspectives on how we may best cultivate a culture of inclusion and provide equitable access to opportunities. Your input will then be used to inform action items for the coming year. Together, we can ensure that each member of our community has a strong sense of belonging and an equitable opportunity to thrive and achieve their full potential as their most authentic self.

Raise High!
John Lach

As a faculty member and administrator, Dr. Jason Zara acknowledges how fortunate he is to work with GW Engineering students every day, assisting in preparing them for success as they transition to their next chapter. Since 2021, he has been supporting undergraduate students as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies (ADUS), and in September 2023 took on the additional responsibility of supporting graduate students as the Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Studies (ADGS). 

On March 1, Zara merged the two roles to support GW Engineering students of all levels when he stepped into the new position, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (ADAA). GW Engineering Dean John Lach identified Zara as a strong candidate for this role because “this joint service has prepared him well for the combined role of ADAA.”

April 1 from 12-12:30pm: National Nuclear Security Administration Graduate Fellowship Info Session

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April 2 from 8am-6:30pm: 2024 GW Business & Policy Forum: Imagining the Future with AI

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April 3 from 10-11am: GW Engineering Admitted Graduate Student Live Chat

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April 3 from 12-1:30pm: "Words, words, words": Craft of Writing in the Age of AI

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April 3 from 1-5:30pm: 2024 TCO Innovation Competition & NAI GW Chapter Induction Ceremony

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April 5 from 1-4pm: SEAS Block Party

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April 5 from 3-4pm: Farewell for Now: How to Transition Away from your Role & GW

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April 8 from 6-7pm: How will my research change the world?

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April 11 from 1:30-2:30pm: CONNECT-preneur Master Class: "Managing for Sustainability"

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April 13 from 1-5:30pm: LEED Green Associate Training Webinar

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Engineers today hold key roles in shaping our world and driving innovation. Their prominent role in tackling society’s grand challenges makes it critical for educators to train future engineers across all disciplines who are not just technically proficient but also more ethical and globally aware individuals. In a project supported by the National Science Foundation, assistant professor of engineering management and systems engineering Caitlin Grady is working to advance the understanding of best practices in engineering curricula for teaching engineering ethics to ensure all students develop a broad moral agency.

Professor Luyao Lu Receives NSF CAREER Award for Automated Lab-on-a-Chip Platforms

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Developing a National Capability for Integrated Water Resource Management

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Professor Pless Aids in Harnessing LLMs to Support Community Health Workers in Nigeria

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Innovating for a Sustainable Environment: Smart Grid Pioneer Payman Dehghanian Honored as U.S. ASPIRE Prize Runner-Up

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Why is Biden Blocking the Cheapest, Most Popular EVs in the World?

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GW Professors Abroad: Dr. Kausik Sarkar Visits IIT Madras in India

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GW Online Engineering Programs is now accepting applications for a new online Master of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) program designed to provide students with an understanding of the advanced algorithms, models, and computational methods that underpin AI and ML technologies. The 10 required courses cover a range of topics, including neural networks, natural language processing, computer vision, deep learning, robotics, and autonomous systems. In addition to technical skills, the program emphasizes ethical considerations and the societal impacts of AI/ML technologies. Upon completion, students will be prepared for careers in technology, finance, healthcare, and transportation as well as research or doctoral studies in these rapidly evolving fields.

Human Resources Manager Marion Flythe-Inman oversees employee-related activities, such as talent acquisition and employee benefits, while working tirelessly to attract, recruit, and retain top talent in engineering.

Q: How long have you been working at GW and what is your position?
A: I am the HR Manager at GW Engineering. I’ve been at GW for 28 years, soon to be 29 this November!

Q: What led you to this career?
A: My career in HR was not the path I originally chose. I started at GW as a temporary Administrative Assistant in Alumni Relations. I was hired by Alumni Relations as a full-time Assistant in 1995, then transitioned to the Division of Operations as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director for Facilities. It was then that I was approached by the HR Manager for Facilities at the time to apply for an open position as an HR Coordinator, and the rest, as they say, is history. I served as the HR Manager for Facilities from 2008 until 2017, when I transferred to GW Engineering.

On March 2, 2024, over 160 attendees gathered at The Westin in Georgetown for a fun night filled with music, dancing, and a photo booth at GW Engineering’s annual Engineer’s Ball. E-Council played an integral role in the planning and execution of the event and worked tirelessly to ensure that every GW Engineering student felt a sense of community and had fun. This is the first post-pandemic E-Ball hosted off-campus.

With 63 total games in the NCAA men's basketball tournament and 2 possible outcomes of each game, there is a total of 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 possible March Madness brackets. Can you create the perfect one? Adjunct professor and Technical Director of Data at IT Concepts, Inc. (ITC), Joel Klein, organized the AI/ML Bracket Challenge where GW Engineering students utilized artificial intelligence and machine learning to try and pick better brackets.

GW and WAMU partnered to host a unique opportunity to catch a peak behind the curtain of the national radio show, Science Friday, at a special live performance on March 23. Members of the GW community and the public gathered in GW’s Lisner Auditorium to listen to host Ira Flatow cover science news and stories happening right here in Washington D.C., such as urban trees, local seafood sustainability, and much more.

The GWU-PREP is a collaboration with GWU in Washington, DC and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland. GWU-PREP provides research opportunities at NIST to students, faculty, research staff, and postdoctoral researchers at GW as well as researchers at SURA-affiliated universities.

We support your ambitions by offering financial support to eligible GW community members, including a monthly stipend, hourly wage, or full tuition reimbursement for qualifying undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff.