Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday! Happy Engineers Week!

From the pyramids of Egypt to integrated circuits, from the Great Wall of China to Hoover Dam, from Leonardo da Vinci to Thomas Edison, from Ada Lovelace to Joan Woodard, from Nikola Tesla to the Wright brothers to Fred Kummer, engineers have transformed the future over the millennia. And this week, as we celebrate Engineers Week with the fitting theme of Transform Your Future, we acknowledge the remarkable achievements of engineering with a host of activities here on our S&T campus.

One of the coolest events was yesterday, on Engineering Day, when our Kummer Center for STEM Education hosted over 500 students in grades 7-12, to demonstrate, through hands-on team projects, that engineering is creative, collaborative and open to everyone. Another is our new podcast series in which our students, faculty, researchers, and alumni discuss their ideas, insights and innovations. Do you want to learn about “What is engineering,” or “Plant detective (Phyto forensics),” or “Minerals vital for national security and economy,” or “Small modular nuclear reactors?” Then listen to Engineers Explain Everything to discover how it all works.

Engineers take what seems impossible and turn it into reality. Consider some of the marvels of engineering the next time you are on a transatlantic flight, sitting comfortably at 40,000 feet, flying through -70-degree air over Greenland, and traveling at 600 miles per hour while watching your favorite movie and sipping your drink. Can you name a few inventions and engineering disciplines that made your flight possible? I would start with the Wright brothers’ powered flight, or mining the earth to extract materials, or maybe the manufacturing processes. Then think about all the aviation, navigation and communication inventions associated with modern air travel, not to mention all the ground-based systems and satellite constellations that make today’s global travel possible.

Here at S&T, our engineering students are trained in the art of “possibility thinking” – enabling them to apply the fundamentals of math and physical sciences to “transform the future.” Realizing that engineering is not a solo endeavor, they form teams and enlist students from other majors such as business, education, humanities, liberal arts, computer science, physical sciences, social sciences and information technology. This collaborative approach to learning gives students a greater understanding of the economic, social, political and environmental implications of their creations.

This winning strategy of collaboration and teamwork has resulted in remarkable successes and recognition on many fronts and at a global level. No wonder our engineering graduates command the highest starting salaries in the state and among the top ten in the nation. And the future is bright. Per the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), when it comes to engineers, demand exceeds supply! According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of civil engineers alone is projected to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations. Further, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) highlights that industrial engineering is projected to experience the most growth, with a 12.2 percent rate over the next 10 years. It is also worth noting that nuclear engineering is experiencing a remarkable resurgence. Our first-time-college applications for our nuclear engineering program have grown by 30 percent per year over the last two years, and our enrollment in the program has quadrupled over the last four years. Yet, the demand will exceed supply as the nation’s 15,400 working nuclear engineers are retiring at a rate of 800 per year while the supply is limited to 600 per year.

It is encouraging to note that during Engineering Week many national engineering organizations have highlighted engineers as the men and women who transform the future. A critical review of the lives of the gamechangers I highlighted in my first paragraph above reveals that engineering is not a solitary endeavor, though engineers can be insular thinkers when needed. 

It is also important to note that engineering is more than a job or a profession; it is about outside-the-box thinking and extending beyond the physical realm into imagination, creativity and possibility thinking. Engineers are not just problem solvers; they are the architects of the future.

Congratulations to all engineers, not only for what you have built, but also for the impact you have had and will continue to have on our lives. 

Oh, if you see an engineer this week, give them a hug! Thank them for solving the problems others might not know existed and making the impossible look easy!

Warmly,

-Mo.
 
Share your thoughts!

Read previous Friday morning messages.

Check out stories of more great engineers:

• Famous Black Engineers Throughout History
• What’s in a name? For Chase Stem, leader of S&T’s world-champ Mars rover team — a lot
• Engineers Week Q&A: Dr. Mariam Al-Lami and the power of plants
• Engineers Week Q&A: Bradley Clay helps transform his alma mater
• Engineers Week Q&A: S&T alumnus Malachi Rein works at the intersection of buildings and behavior

Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu