Whitacre College of Engineering

Last updated
Edward E. Whitacre Jr.
College of Engineering
Whitacre College of Engineering logo.svg
Established1925 (1925)
Endowment $100 million
Dean Roland Faller
Academic staff
155
Students5,088 [1]
Undergraduates 4,360 [1]
Postgraduates 728 [1]
Location
Lubbock
,
Texas
,
U.S.

33°35′14″N101°52′34″W / 33.587172°N 101.876017°W / 33.587172; -101.876017
Website www.coe.ttu.edu
Engineering Key TTeng.jpg
Engineering Key

The Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering is the college of engineering at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. The engineering program has existed at Texas Tech University since 1925. Additionally, the Whitacre College of Engineering administers graduate engineering degree programs at the university's campus in Amarillo, Texas. Many of the college's degree programs are accredited by ABET. The Whitacre College of Engineering is the first and, presently, only school in the world to offer a doctor of philosophy degree in wind science and engineering. [2]

Contents

In August 2008, the Whitacre College of Engineering announced that it would rename its petroleum engineering department the Bob L. Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering. Herd, a Texas Tech petroleum engineering alumnus and Tyler, Texas oil man, donated $15 million to the college. [3] The department was ranked tenth in the nation in the April 2008 edition of U.S. News & World Report. [4]

History

The Texas Technological College, present day Texas Tech University, School of Engineering was created in the fall of 1925. At that time the school consisted of 313 students and two faculty members, and was housed in the textile engineering building, now the industrial engineering building. [5] In 1928, the School of Engineering expanded and opened the west engineering building, now the electrical and computer engineering building. [5] The school's civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, and textile engineering programs were accredited by the Engineering Council for Professional Development in 1933. The chemical engineering and petroleum engineering programs were accredited in 1959 and 1960 respectively. [5] The chemical engineering building opened for classes in 1960. In the early 1970s the Pulsed Power Research Center was created for the purpose of plasma research. [5]

On November 12, 2008, Texas Tech announced that they received a $25 million gift from AT&T and friends of Ed Whitacre in honor of former CEO and Texas Tech alumnus Edward E. Whitacre Jr. Additionally, the college announced that it will be renamed the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering. [6]

Recognitions

In 2011, Texas Tech’s Whitacre College of Engineering was ranked 78th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. [7] In the magazine's 2010 graduate engineering rankings, the overall graduate engineering program moved up to 99th among 198 programs nationwide. The Department of Industrial Engineering ranked 29th in the industrial/manufacturing category.

Texas Tech University recently made the top ten in Forbes.com survey of the "Best Colleges for Women and Minorities in STEM." Texas Tech ranked the No. 7 "Best Colleges for Minorities in STEM." [8]

Hispanic Business magazine's September 2007 issue ranked the Whitacre College of Engineering as the 14th best in the United States for Hispanic students. The college focused on enrolling students from minority backgrounds and from 2006 to 2007, freshman Hispanic enrollment increased by 23 percent. [9]

Academic departments

Civil engineering building TTUcivilengineering.jpg
Civil engineering building

Research centers

Center for Advanced Intelligent Systems

The Center for Advanced Intelligent Systems is an interdisciplinary laboratory in the computer science department. [10] Currently the center conducts research in the fields of data understanding, human-centered computing, computational mechanics and materials, declarative languages and software engineering. [10] The center's research on data understanding is focused on data and knowledge representation, finding causal links, and mining of large databases containing macro and micro data. [10] The center also researches seamless interaction of dry and wet intelligent agents in the field of human-centered computing. [10] Its declarative languages research aims to develop intuitive abstractions for the construction of symbolic and numerical computations. [10] In the field of software engineering, the center is also conducting research on the impact of software architecture, classifications of software, and technology transfer considerations on the process of software development. [10]

Center for Engineering Outreach

The principal goal of the Center of Engineering Outreach is to promote integration of engineering education in K-14 education at the regional and state level. [11] The center aims to accomplish this by developing curricula, teacher training, and other academic resources designed to help K-14 educators and institutions engage students in the fields of engineering. [11] To work towards this goal, the center provides experiences that reinforce interest and learning about engineering at the K-14 level through competitions, mentoring, campus visits and early admission. [11]

Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation

The Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation (TechMRT) was established in 1997 to serve as a focal point between Texas Tech and the various transportation research funding organizations and programs. [12] In the area of pavement engineering and construction, the center has conducted research on constructability and material selection for surface treatments, asphalt binder quality assurance and best practices for pavement edge maintenance and repair. [13] TechMRT's research in environmental and right-of-way issues has included projects on developing an integrated roadside management system for TxDOT and addressing fire ant dispersal along Texas highways. [13] In the field of geotechnical engineering, the center also conducts research in the area of expansive solids, pavements and foundations, as well as in the areas of design, construction, and performance of geotechnical systems including earth retention systems, bridge foundations and bridge approaches. [13] TechMRT also conducts research in the area of transportation structures including projects in innovative design and construction methods for off-system bridges, controlling vibration in cable-stayed bridges, rapid bridge replacement and live load testing of a sandwich plate system. [13] The traffic engineering branch of TechMRT was created in 2004 and has conducted research in ways to make highways and intersections safer from aggressive drivers, as well as methods to make roadways safer during weather events. [13]

Center for Nanophotonics

The Center for Nanophotonics at Texas Tech is a focal point in Texas for conducting innovative research and development on active nano-scale photonic materials and devices (devices that convert light to electricity or vice versa). The center’s research areas cover a broad spectrum, ranging from basic to applied, and dealing with state-of-the-art[ citation needed ] nano-scale material synthesis, device processing and fundamental physics. In particular, the center’s research works have significantly advanced the fundamental understanding of III-nitride wide bandgap semiconductors (GaN, AlN, AlGaN, InGaN, and InAlGaN) and their applications (these materials promise to be effective in producing renewable energy and light more efficiently).

Center For Pulsed Power and Power Electronics (P3E)

The Center For Pulsed Power and Power Electronics (P3E) conducts interdisciplinary research in plasma, pulsed power, and power electronics. [14] Plasma research at Texas Tech started in 1966, and was focused on harmonic ion cyclotron resonances in small mirror machines, laser heating of magnetized plasmas, and pellet injection in hot dense plasmas. [14] In 1977 a small Tokamak was constructed for the purpose of wave propagation studies in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies. [14] In recent years, the emphasis of P3E has shifted to theoretical wave propagation and turbulence studies, as well as applications of plasma technology to pulsed power devices, plasma synthesis of thin films, high power microwave generation, and electric space propulsion engines. [14]

Pulsed power research at Texas Tech began in the early 1970s with studies in high beta controlled thermonuclear fusion. [14] Based on this initial research and other research in the field the need to understand the physical phenomena of pulsed power technology. [14] Today the Texas Tech pulsed power research program at P3E focuses on high power switching, materials studies, and high power microwaves. [14]

P3E's power electronics research is focused on the usage of very large power insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) for intermittent and steady state operation, the use of ultra high power silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCR) for pulsed power applications, research into advanced electrical and thermal packaging, robust controls to supply nonlinear loads such as plasma arcs, and high bandwidth monitoring and control of electric machines. [14] The program is also working collaboratively with the University of Minnesota to develop a power electronics curriculum at the national level. [14]

Nano Tech Center

In the fall of 1999, the Texas Tech Nano Tech Center was formed to capitalize on the growing interest in microsensors and microanalysis systems. [15] Currently the center is focused on the fundamental science and growth of advanced semiconductor materials for optoelectronic and CMOS applications, and the design, fabrication, characterization and implementation of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). [16]

Murdough Center for Engineering Professionalism (National Institute for Engineering Ethics)

The Murdough Center for Engineering Professionalism/National Institute for Engineering Ethics provides engineering ethics and professionalism education, research, and communications to students, faculty, staff, and engineers in industry, government and private practice, other professionals, and citizens in the community, state, and nation. The goal of the center is to increase the awareness of the professional and ethical obligations and responsibilities entrusted to individuals who practice engineering, and encourage cooperation among individuals, universities, professional and technical societies and business organizations with regard to engineering ethics and professionalism issues.

Water Resources Center

The Water Resources Center (WRC) was established by the Texas Tech Board of Regents in 1965. Since its inception, the WRC has encouraged, conducted, and coordinated water resources research and related activities. To accomplish this purpose, WRC has adopted a multiphase approach, encompassing research, education, and public service. The WRC also provides public services, both locally and statewide, through its publications, seminars, workshops, and as a resources contact with access to water-related experts throughout the campus.

National Wind Institute

The National Wind Institute Research Center at Texas Tech is an interdisciplinary research center focused on education and information outreach. Its goals are to exploit the useful qualities of wind and to mitigate its detrimental effects. The Center offers an education in wind science and engineering to develop professionals who are experts in design for windstorms and wind-induced effects. Currently the NWI is composed of approximately 25 faculty associates from seven academic departments, four research associates, eight professional staff and 40 graduate students. It is also the home to the only wind science and engineering doctorate program.

Notable organizations

Notable people

Former students

Faculty

NameDepartmentNotabilityJoined TTULeft/retiredAlumnus/na?Refs
M. M. Ayoub Ergonomics Pioneer in the field of Ergonomics (Active)no
Fazle Hussain Fluid Dynamics National Academy of Engineering member,2013(Active)no
Kishor C. Mehta Wind Engineering National Academy of Engineering member, director of Wind Science and Engineering Research Center, developed the Enhanced Fujita Scale.1965(Active)no

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Tech University</span> Public university in Lubbock, Texas, United States

Texas Tech University is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on October 2, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University System. As of Fall 2022, the university enrolled 40,528 students, making it the sixth-largest university in Texas. Over 25% of its undergraduate student population identifies as Hispanic so the university has been designated a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upsilon Pi Epsilon</span>

Upsilon Pi Epsilon (ΥΠΕ): International Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines, is the first honor society dedicated to the discipline of the computing and information disciplines. Informally known as UPE, Upsilon Pi Epsilon was founded on January 10, 1967 at Texas A&M University and has chartered over 270 chapters at college campuses around the world. With the rise of importance of information technology to many fields, other honorary societies have added computer science to their traditional scope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore</span> University in Punjab, Pakistan

The University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore is a public university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan specializing in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. It is the oldest and one of the most selective engineering institutions in Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Institute of Technology</span> Private university in Melbourne, Florida

The Florida Institute of Technology is a private research university in Melbourne, Florida. The university comprises four academic colleges: Engineering & Science, Aeronautics, Psychology & Liberal Arts, and Business. Approximately half of FIT's students are enrolled in the College of Engineering & Science. The university's 130-acre primary residential campus is near the Melbourne Orlando International Airport and the Florida Tech Research Park. The campus is located 16 miles from Patrick Space Force Base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honor society</span> Rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers

In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy Scouts of America. Chiefly, the term refers to scholastic honor societies, those that recognize students who excel academically or as leaders among their peers, often within a specific academic discipline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College of Engineering, Trivandrum</span> Government Engineering College in Trivandrum

The College of Engineering, Trivandrum, commonly shortened to CET, is an engineering college in the Indian state of Kerala, situated in Thiruvananthapuram. Founded in 1939 by the Travancore monarch Chithira Thirunal, it is the state's oldest technical institution. It currently offers undergraduate, graduate and research programs in eight branches of engineering and has been affiliated to the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University since 2015, prior to which it was part of the University of Kerala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nedderman Hall</span>

Santa Clara University School of Engineering was founded and began offering bachelor's degrees in 1912. Over the next century, as the Santa Clara Valley transformed from a largely agricultural area to an industrial center, the school added master and doctoral programs designed to meet the area's growing need for expert engineers. Today, the Silicon Valley provides a setting for the school's programs offered through a broad range of departments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mehran University of Engineering & Technology</span> Engineering university in Jamshoro, Pakistan

Mehran University of Engineering & Technology is a public research university located in Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan focused on STEM education.

The Cockrell School of Engineering is one of the eighteen colleges within the University of Texas at Austin. It has more than 8,000 students enrolled in eleven undergraduate and thirteen graduate programs. The college is ranked 10th in the world according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities, 9th nationally for undergraduate programs and 6th nationally for graduate programs by U.S. News & World Report. Nine of the ten undergraduate programs and seven of the eleven graduate programs are ranked in the top ten nationally. Annual research expenditures are over $180 million and the school has the fourth-largest number of faculty in the National Academy of Engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vidya Academy of Science and Technology, Thrissur</span> Engineering college in Kerala

Vidya Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) is a privately financed engineering college in Thrissur District in Kerala. The college offers a degree in Bachelor of Technology and courses in six branches of engineering - Production, Civil, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronics, Electronics and Communication, Mechanical. The college also offers a degree in Masters in Computer Application (MCA). From the year 2011, the college has offered four MTech courses and two PhD programmes in Electrical engineering & Computer science engineering. The college was established and is administered by Vidya International Charitable Trust (VICT), a body formed by more than a thousand non-resident Keralites mostly based in the Arab States of the Persian Gulf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science</span>

The University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), is the undergraduate and graduate engineering school of the University of Virginia. Established in 1836, the school is the oldest university-affiliated engineering school in United States, and oldest engineering school in the Southern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Texas at San Antonio College of Sciences</span>

The College of Sciences at the University of Texas at San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas is a college in science and research education. The college hosts more than 5000 students enrolled in fifteen undergraduate and sixteen graduate programs. The seven departments employs 286 tenure and non-tenure track faculty members. Students are exposed to collaboration through programs with local external research institutions including UT Health Science Center, Southwest Research Institute and the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research.

The School of Engineering at Rutgers University was founded in 1914 as the College of Engineering. It was originally a part of the Rutgers Scientific School, which was founded in 1864. The school has seven academic departments, with a combined undergraduate student enrollment of over 2,400 students. It offers over 25 academic and professional degree programs. These include several interdisciplinary programs, such as Environmental Engineering with the Department of Environmental Science, and the graduate program in mechanics.

The College of Engineering at Michigan State University (MSU) is made up of 9 departments with 168 faculty members, over 6,000 undergraduate students, 10 undergraduate B.S. degree programs and a wide spectrum of graduate programs in both M.S. and Ph.D. levels. Each department offers at least one degree program, however many include more than one degree, multi-disciplinary programs, certifications and specialties as well as other degree programs affiliated with other colleges at Michigan State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisiana Tech University College of Engineering and Science</span>

The College of Engineering and Science (COES) is one of five colleges at Louisiana Tech University, a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. The roots of the college date back to the founding of Louisiana Tech in 1894 when the Department of Mechanics was created. Today, the college includes twenty-five degree-granting programs: fourteen undergraduate, seven master's, and four doctoral programs. College programs are located on the Louisiana Tech campus in Ruston, Louisiana. In addition, courses are offered at the CenturyLink Headquarters in Monroe, Louisiana, at Barksdale Air Force Base, in Bossier City, Louisiana, and at the Louisiana Tech Shreveport Center in Shreveport, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhammad M. Hussain</span>

Muhammad Mustafa Hussain is an electronics engineer specializing in CMOS technology-enabled low-cost flexible, stretchable and reconfigurable electronic systems. He is a professor in King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. He is the principal investigator (PI) at Integrated Nanotechnology Laboratory, and Integrated Disruptive Electronic Applications (IDEA) Laboratory. He is also the director of the Virtual Fab: vFabLab™.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edl Schamiloglu</span> American physicist, electrical engineer, and inventor

Edl Schamiloglu is an American physicist, electrical engineer, pulsed power expert, inventor, and distinguished professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of New Mexico. He has been known in public media for his expertise in the design and operation of directed-energy weapons. He is also known for his assessment on the possible origins of alleged health damages presumably caused on U.S. embassy personnel in Cuba in 2016 as part of the Havana syndrome incident. He is the associate dean for research and innovation at the UNM School of Engineering, where he has been a faculty since 1988, and where he is also special assistant to the provost for laboratory relations. He is also the founding director of the recently launched UNM Directed Energy Center. Schamiloglu is a book author and co-editor, and has received numerous awards for his academic achievements. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Physical Society.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Total Enrollment by College - Fall 2013". www.irim.ttu.edu. Texas Tech Institutional Research. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
  2. ↑ "Coordinating Board Approves First Wind Science and Engineering Doctorate - News". Texas Tech University.
  3. ↑ "Petroleum Engineering Receives $15 Million Gift". Texas Tech University. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  4. ↑ "U.S. News & World Report Ranks Texas Tech Graduate Programs Among Best". Texas Tech University.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "About the College :: History". Texas Tech University College of Engineering. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
  6. ↑ "Unknown".[ permanent dead link ]
  7. ↑ "Whitacre College of Engineering Among America's Best". Texas Tech University. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  8. ↑ Doss, Natalie (2010-12-15). "Best Colleges For Women And Minorities In STEM". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  9. ↑ ""Tech College of Engineering ranks high for Hispanic students" - News". Texas Tech University.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "About the Center for Advanced Intelligent Systems". Texas Tech University Center for Advanced Intelligent Systems. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
  11. 1 2 3 "About the Center". Texas Tech University Center for Engineering Outreach. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
  12. ↑ "Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation". Texas Tech Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Nash, Phillip T. "Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-09-20.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Center For Pulsed Power and Power Electronics". Texas Tech Center For Pulsed Power and Power Electronics. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
  15. ↑ "Nano Tech Center History". Texas Tech Nano Tech Center. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
  16. ↑ "Nano Tech Center". Texas Tech Nano Tech Center. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.