If you clicked here, it must mean you want change the world! It must mean you are creative! It must mean you are a problem solver!

Engineers are creative problem solvers and they tackle some of the biggest ones we will face in the future.  They can critically analyze anything.  Therefore, people with engineering degrees can contribute to society in unlimited and indeterminate ways.  And yes, engineers also create new products, jobs and industries that truly grow the economy in a global fashion. Engineers create jobs through new product development, and the most innovative engineers create those products that are both unanticipated and transformational.

Some of the challenges we face include the deteriorating physical infrastructure of our nation, particularly in urban settings; the need for alternative sources of energy, renewable and clean; the ever-increasing stress on the environment due to population growth and the non-uniform distribution of key resources around the globe; providing a high quality of life for an aging population; and the need to develop technologies that are sustainable, minimizing their environmental footprint.  Understanding the social framework for technological innovation will be a key asset of engineering leaders in the future.  To build a sustainable world, society needs engineers who not only are innovative integrators of technological advances, and who understand the social context of their work, and are willing to embrace a leadership role to shape public opinion in favor of technically sound, socially responsible decisions for the greater good. 

What will be the next hot product?  Who knows?  The one thing of which we can be absolutely certain is that there will be countless such products in our future, with each requiring expert engineering expertise to develop, design, and manufacture. Did we even know we needed cell phones until they were invented? Of course not.

When we contemplate the future of our society, we look to and depend upon a continuing series of technological innovations to resolve society’s most challenging issues such as global warming, the rapidly growing demand for energy in the face of finite petrochemical resources, and the threat of pandemics.  And when we want to escape from these challenges and be entertained, we turn to technological innovations such as our MP3 players, HD TVs, and the extraordinary media productions that are created for our enjoyment and are accessed with these devices.  Below are a few stories about how engineering dramatically changed a few fields. WE could tell many stories here – how communication changed from over time from smoke signals to satellite and cell communications, how medical imaging is taking dramatic leaps right before our eyes right now, the list is truly endless. These stories will need to be rewritten periodically as people like you continue to innovate and build upon what has been done by others.

Olympics

The competitive nature of the Games, and the high importance placed on winning, provide the motivation for talented people of all nations to hone their skills in pursuit of the ultimate performance in their particular event.  In pursuit of that outcome, high technology has played, and will continue to play, a pivotal role.  My first realization of this fact occurred quite a long time ago (in the winter of 1959).  My Dad loved track and field competitions and each year would take me to a few indoor track meets at the old Madison Square Garden.  There I saw Don Bragg set the world record in the pole vault of 15ft 9.5in, a record that still stands today for vaulters using a metal pole.   This feat was considered the ultimate, and for several years leading up to that moment I had a full appreciation for just how difficult it was to achieve such a standard.  Yet, in 1959, it all changed with the widespread introduction of the fiberglass pole.  The dynamics of the fiberglass pole was so different from the metal pole that it required significant adaptation by the athlete to exploit its features and benefits.  But once mastered, the results were spectacular.  From 1942 to 1959 the world record in the pole vault increased by only 1.7 inches.  With the advent of the fiberglass pole, the world record increased by 12 inches within just four years.  Now pole vaulters use carbon composite poles and the record stands at 6.14 meters (that’s 20ft 1.7in), the record set by Sergey Bubka in 1994. 

Entertainment

Consider for the transformation that took place over the last century in home entertainment.  For thousands of years, dating back to before the Roman Empire, personal entertainment was defined by traveling bands of performers with special skills.  Actors, gymnasts, singers, comedians all would travel from town to town, often as bands of minstrels or gypsies, to perform shows to entertain communities scattered across large geographic regions.  The ultimate manifestation of this concept was the traveling circus, and it served as the exclusive entertainment enterprise right up until the end of the 19^th century. 

And then, in 1897, Marconi invented the radio. From that point onward, the paradigm for home entertainment shifted dramatically.  From the moment that Marconi demonstrated “proof of concept” and the commercial relevance of this new technology was realized, a process of continuous improvement was applied by scientists and engineers, steadily advancing and perfecting the technology to the point where, by 1920, the people in the U.S. experienced their first commercial radio broadcast.  Consider the remarkable transformation that took place over this relatively short period of 23 years.  Before Marconi in 1897, family entertainment consisted exclusively of traveling shows of performers for as far back as anyone could remember.  But less than 30 years later, family members would sit in the comfort of their home and listen to singers, comedians and news commentators on the radio.

As this technology improved, its penetration into the global marketplace increased.  By 1950, an estimated 94% of American homes had a radio.  Meanwhile, thanks in part to the profits generated by the sale of these radios, research intensified with respect to the use of electromagnetic wave transmission as a means to broadcast information over large distances.  The electronic equipment needed for transmission, reception and presentation of such information continued to be perfected by the natural process of continuous improvement, both in terms of the sophistication of the technology and the quality and efficiency of the manufacturing processes for the products needed to enable the technology.  As a result, radio technology became ever more reliable and cheaper to access.

At the same time, scientists and engineers not only mastered the radio technology but also expanded it to include the broadcast of video along with audio information.  Remarkably, it was only 15 years after the first commercial radio broadcast that the first television broadcasting service was established in Germany (in 1935).  By 1950, 21% of American families owned a black-and-white TV, and by 1953 the first color TV network broadcast took place in the United States.  And how advanced is this technology today?  The paradigm shift in home entertainment today is enabled by the advent of digital signal processing, which brings high definition television broadcasts into our living room and flawless satellite radio for our automobiles when we are “on the go.”

In summary, following the discovery and elucidation of the principles of electromagnetism in the mid 1800s, the concept of audio (and then video) broadcasting over the airwaves was demonstrated and then perfected into a commercially viable technology, quickly creating a paradigm shift in the entertainment world.  Subsequently, through a deliberate process of continuous improvement that continues to this day, engineers incrementally advance this technology, devising products of remarkable quality and capability, while making them ever more affordable to almost everyone in the developing world.

The programs offered by the Kate Gleason College of Engineering prepare students for careers in industry or for graduate study in engineering or related fields. The undergraduate curricula emphasize fundamentals and, in the fourth and fifth years, provide courses that allow students to specialize in their chosen fields of study. To help ready students for life in the larger community, a balance among humanistic-social subjects, the physical sciences and professional studies is maintained.

Goals

• to prepare graduates to join the work force as sought-after engineering professionals,
• to provide graduates with the educational foundation to assist in entering select graduate programs.

Means

• integrating cooperative education into the program for all students,
• providing a strong foundation in mathematics and science as well as an appropriate balance between liberal studies and technical courses,
• establishing an appropriate balance between the engineering design and engineering science components of the program,
• incorporating a strong laboratory component in the program with outstanding laboratory facilities,
• having a diverse faculty committed to engineering education.

Lifelong Success

The career orientation of all programs recognizes the changes in technology and engineering and works to establish in all students an appreciation and desire for lifelong learning. The faculty pride themselves on having integrated engineering practice into the academic program. The overall program incorporates classroom and laboratory instruction, engineering research projects and special student projects to prepare students for their industrial work assignments or for advanced study in graduate school.

In addition to our co-op partners, the College engages industry in a variety of ways.

Each degree program has an advisory board with whom they meet regularly to ensure that our academic programs are providing a curriculum that is current with industry needs and standards. These boards also help the college identify external funding opportunities and support. Board members come from a wide variety of industries and some are alums of the program boards on which they serve.

The Dean’s Advisory Council serves to advise the Dean on overall direction and strategic planning for the College. All members are engineers by education and many are entrepreneurial in spirit and action.

Senior Design, a two term sequence course that all KGCOE seniors take provides another avenue for us to involve industry. This course sequence prepares students for modern engineering practices. Students work in teams, often multidisciplinary, with corporate sponsors on real-world engineering problems. They define and analyze the problem, then design solutions within customer requirements and constraints. Students have worked on a wide variety of projects over the years – here a just a few titles that provide a sense of the depth and breadth of senior design:

• Navigation Aid for the Blind
• Wireless Power Transmission Through the Skin
• Moog Flight Simulator
• Wind Energy Collection to Energy Bank
• Photovoltaic Energy Housing
• Near Space Solar Power Conditioning
• Next Generation Charcoal Stove for Haiti
• Green Sauna
• Wegman’s Freezer Inventory Management
• Intra-building Navigation Device
• Dresser Rand Wellsville Ventilator Factory
• Cheesecake Water Dosing
• Monitoring Device for Human Smoking Behavior

Also see: Corporate Gateway

The Kate Gleason College of Engineering at RIT is the nation’s premier career-oriented college of engineering. Students are well prepared for to be immediately valuable contributors to their employers or to go on to graduate school

Fall 2012 Enrollment

Total headcount is 3,015 up from 2,791 in 2011, 7.2% growth

Undergraduate Students          2458 (497 female)

Graduate Students                   557 (100 female)

Students (excludes international programs such as Dubai)

• The middle 50% of accepted engineering students scored between 1780 and 2030 on the SAT.
• Energizing, innovative students who collectively create a vibrant campus community-learn more at Engineering Student Organizations
• Average class size is 36
• Study abroad opportunities will maintaining progress towards degree
• An honors program that offers selected students in depth learning about product innovations for a global society
• A first to second year retention rate over 95%
• An award winning Formula SAE Team – list awards for last five years, link to their site.
• 132 Hispanic, 155 Asian, 70 African-American, 42 mixed race, 1865 white, 310 unknown, 414 international, 3 American Indian, 26 Deaf/Hard of Hearing. 9.9% AALANA with steady increase from fall 2007 where it was 7.1%

Faculty & Staff

• KGCOE faculty are passionate about engineering and focused on student success. Faculty are approachable and engaged in teaching.
•  Over 90% hold a doctorate degree and many hold one or more patents.
• RIT's cooperative education program is the 4th oldest and 5th largest in the world; with over 2000 co-op placements for engineering students at 500 different companies each year. Our Co-op Education and Career Services Office maintains solid relationships with our industry partners and provides our students with superior advice and mentoring on obtaining co-ops and permanent positions after graduation.
• Our Student Services office provides academic advising for engineering exploration students and counseling for all engineering students who seek it. They help students find the resources they need to be successful.
• Extraordinary "Women in Engineering" program that is nationally recognized for its success in attracting and retaining women students-learn more at WE@RIT

Facilities

• Outstanding, high tech facilities, expanded labs for true hands-on experiences
• The largest and most well equipped micro-fab clean room facility in the nation for undergraduate education
• Industry-standard CAD and CAM software tools for design and analysis
• State-of-the-art classroom technology and an Engineering Learning Center, staffed with tutors, to help students achieve their very best
• Wifi throughout the engineering complex

Research

KGCOE faculty are actively engaged in a variety of research areas: (this could link to our new research page on our site)

• Bio-engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Fuel Cell
• Lasers
• Optics
• Robotics
• Thermal Dynamics

Engineers design the future and it is imperative that they recognize the great impact they have on society.

Kate Gleason College of Engineering faculty, students, and staff are truthful and honorable, and do not tolerate lying, cheating, stealing, or plagiarism

Joining the RIT engineering community means embracing this philosophy and upholding the highest standards of ethical behavior. Adhering to these principles reinforces a pattern of behavior that remains throughout professional life.

The ethical learning objectives outlined below is woven into the general curriculum throughout the all of the undergraduate engineering programs.

Year 1 Learning Objectives

1. Understand the elements and objectives of the overall KGCOE Ethics Program as it relates to the profession of engineering.
2. Comprehend university and college academic honesty policies.
3. Develop an appreciation of ethics as it relates to your college experience and academic pursuit in the context of engineering.
4. Develop an awareness of acceptable practices within academic settings pertaining to course assignments and exams.
5. Apply basic criteria for ethical decision making.

Year 2 Learning Objectives

1. Demonstrate an appreciation of ethics as it relates to the college experience and academic pursuit in the context of engineering.
2. Explain basic criteria for ethical decision making.
3. Understand ethical behavior in a team environment.
4. Describe how to build and maintain a professional reputation.

Year 3 Learning Objectives

1. Explain ethics as it relates to the engineering profession.
2. Integrate basic criteria for ethical decision making within the engineering profession.
3. Demonstrate ethical behavior in a team environment.
4. Discover how to build and maintain a professional reputation.
5. Illustrate the broader impact of engineering decisions.

Year 4 Learning Objectives

1. Explain criteria for ethical decision making within the engineering profession.
2. Demonstrate ethical behavior in a professional work environment.
3. Create a professional reputation.
4. Explain the broader impact of engineering decisions.

Year 5 Learning Objectives

1. Explain ethical behavior in a team environment.
2. Summarize how to build and maintain a professional reputation.
3. Recognize the complex relationships that exist between engineering decisions and their broader impact.

Graduate Student Learning Objectives

1. Demonstrate an appreciation of ethics as it relates to the responsible conduct of research.
2. Demonstrate an appreciation of ethical responsibility in the context of the engineering or statistics professions.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of ethics as it relates to authorship and plagiarism.
4. Explain basic criteria for ethical decision making.
5. Identify professional standards and code of ethics relevant to their discipline