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ENGINEERING FACULTY
At University Park, the College of Engineering undergraduate student/faculty ratio is 21:1,
with approximately 275 engineering faculty who are known throughout the world for their teaching and research.
Access to faculty is one of the most important factors in a quality education. Our faculty
members hold scheduled office hours for walk-in consultation and will also make appointments to talk with
you face-to-face or online through a growing number of course-based chat rooms. You will get to know the
engineering faculty outside of class during student/faculty mixers, small workshops and seminars, and
informal get-togethers. You will find opportunities to work with faculty in their research laboratories, as
many faculty members have research-grant funds to support undergraduate laboratory assistants.
Engineering faculty infuse their classes with design- and problem-based projects that
challenge you to apply what you're learning. In fact, the engineering faculty successfully created the
Learning by Industry-Driven Design initiative, which received an award from the Boeing Company for
exceptional contributions to improving undergraduate engineering education. The initiative revised EDSGN 100
(the first-year introductory engineering design course taught at all Penn State campuses) to feature design
problems from industry sponsors and integrated industry partnerships into senior capstone design projects.
Other recent initiatives include the new courses and minors that supplement technical
training with business skills. The new offerings include Leadership Principles and Organizations;
Technology-based Entrepreneurship; Creativity, Leadership, and Change; and Business Basics for Engineers.
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ENGINEERING LABORATORY FACILITIES
Extensive facilities in more than 23 buildings support one of the best engineering research
programs in the world. For you, this means that what you learn in the classroom will be as up-to-date as
the leading-edge research down the hall, and your laboratories, equipment, and facilities will be first
class.
The Bernard M. Gordon Learning Factory is a design laboratory and shop built just for our students.
Whether you have an assigned project for a course or a competition in your club or organization, you can
conceptualize and then prototype a product, machine, or system with the equipment there.
First-year students will enjoy the walk-in facilities offered by the college's new Center
for Engineering Design and Entrepreneurship, which features flexible meeting and wireless classrooms, design
studios, a fabrication and assembly shop, and a testing laboratory.
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ENGINEERING RESEARCH
The College of Engineering ranks first in Pennsylvania and Penn State is one of the top
universities in the nation in engineering research funding, with approximately one-third of research
support coming from industry. Engineering researchers—both faculty and students—work in a
network of laboratories and interdisciplinary research centers throughout Penn State.
For undergraduates, the College's strong research activities mean:
- faculty bring the excitement of current, cutting-edge research into
classroom discussions and laboratory assignments
- students have numerous opportunities to engage in engineering research
- strong industry support keeps laboratory equipment up-to-date
- frequent meetings between industry representatives and faculty and
students provide mentoring, information on current industrial issues, and professional
networking opportunities
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