Dean’s List 2021

What was once a parking lot will be transformed, by summer 2023, into a state-of-the-art center for learning computer science, data science, and engineering. Construction began in July. Curious how it’s coming along? Our building webpage features a link to the live site cam.

A total of 5,649 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in UIC Engineering, setting an all-time record for the College and helping UIC to announce its largest-ever first-year class.

UIC’s future engineers and computer scientists need to see themselves represented in the ranks of our faculty. Faculty diversity took a significant step forward this fall as we welcomed Associate Professor Thomas Searles, lecturers Chris Fulton and Ellen Kidane, and postdoctoral researchers Dieff Vital and Zizwe Chase.

We were proud to learn of Christopher B. Burke’s election to the National Academy of Engineering. In addition to teaching civil, materials, and environmental engineering, Burke has demonstrated extraordinary generosity toward the College and has helped to launch the careers of so many of our students. We once again extend our warmest congratulations.

College of Engineering faculty are reaching new heights in sponsored research. Combined, their 234 projects are supported by $141 million in grants, a 27-percent increase over last year’s funds.

UIC launched a new major in data science. The degree includes coursework from three UIC colleges—engineering, liberal arts and sciences, and business—to give students core knowledge that is applicable in any industry.

The National Science Foundation awarded two UIC Engineering faculty members its prestigious CAREER award in the last year. Elena Zheleva is studying causal reasoning with big data, and Amit Trivedi is researching micro-scale autonomous drones.

Our two premier programs for gender diversity in engineering and tech — Women in Engineering Programs and Break Through Tech Chicago — served more than 500 students combined in the past year. Their efforts help to close the gender gap in Chicago and beyond.

Our researchers continue to apply their knowledge and skills to take down the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Among the recent developments: Vikas Berry is using graphene to detect COVID-19, and Zhangli Peng worked with two undergraduate biomedical engineering students to create a coarse model of the virus’s unique spike protein.

Faculty are tackling the need for clean water from multiple angles, from groundwater decontamination to oil spill cleanup to keeping contaminants out of stormwater. Their work demonstrates the College’s commitment to using engineering and computer science approaches to protect our planet.