The rescuers search for survivors in the darkness of a vast labyrinth, deep below the surface. They squeeze through tight spaces, navigate blind turns, scramble over obstacles, and struggle to avoid innumerable traps laid for them. One wrong turn could spell disaster. Communication is limited. And time is running out.
A year and a half after Oregon State University launched the Center for Exascale Monte Carlo Neutron Transport, or CEMeNT, its researchers have displayed impressive progress in their quest to develop ultra-high-speed computer simulations for predicting the behavior of neutrons.
Ken Williamson joined the College of Engineering as an undergrad, stayed for his master’s degree, returned as a professor, and eventually became a school head. Now, a decade into his ‘retirement,’ he’s a key industry partner.
Ravonne Byrd’s school and work are both in Corvallis, although her home is much closer to Albany — not the one just up the road, but that other Albany — about 3,000 miles away, in New York.
A student in the popular postbaccalaureate computer science online degree program offered through Oregon State Ecampus, Byrd also telecommutes to her job with the College of Engineering’s Center for Applied Systems and Software.
Oregon State University
Ecological Engineering Student
Pursuing a degree in ecological engineering — with a minor in environmental engineering — is a natural extension of Katelin Godwin’s upbringing and lifelong awareness of the fragility of the natural world and her sense of obligation to protect it.
A team of researchers from the College of Engineering was recently awarded a patent (US 20200321948A1) for technology related to ultra-low-voltage circuits that could someday find its way into a variety of useful products, such as wearable electronics that run without batteries.
When Glencora Borradaile was starting out as a young assistant professor at Oregon State University, they worked long hours — teaching classes, writing grants, and conducting research — all with the goal of making tenure.
“I was really stressed out by work,” said Borradaile, who uses gender-neutral pronouns. “I was also unhappy about the state of the world, and climate change was really bumming me out.”
Four faculty in the Oregon State University College of Engineering have received prestigious early-career investigator awards from the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. Erica Fischer, Kelsey Stoerzinger, and Rebecca Hutchinson are recipients of the Faculty Early Career Development, or CAREER, award from the NSF. Meagan Wengrove is the recipient of a Young Investigator Program award from the ONR.
One of seven siblings, Blessed Ndlovu grew up without electricity or running water in rural Zimbabwe, a landlocked nation in southern Africa with over 15 million people in an area roughly 1.5 times the size of Oregon. In Ndlovu’s small village, opportunities were limited. Subsistence farming was the norm.
Our faculty are the heart of the College of Engineering’s pursuit of excellence. These are the people in whom our research and education missions live and breathe. Not only are the college’s faculty shaping the future by driving discovery and innovation — in the areas of artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced manufacturing, clean water, materials science, renewable energy, and many others — they are teaching and mentoring tomorrow’s leaders. Above all, faculty excellence fosters student success.
