Mark Asta, interim dean, speaks at the Grimes Engineering Center opening celebration. (Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)Empowering future engineers
In my new role as the interim dean of Berkeley Engineering, I have had the pleasure this semester of welcoming one of the largest cohorts of new students ever at the college. While doing so, I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on my own experiences as a “triple bear,” pursuing bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees at Cal. The impact of a Berkeley Engineering education stems from a powerful combination of rigorous classroom curricula and a myriad of co-curricular opportunities, such as those provided by our student organizations. These organizations provide impactful opportunities to build community, experience hands-on learning and hone leadership, teamwork and communication skills that have never been more important for the future workforce.
These organizations provide opportunities that have never been more important for the future workforce.
That’s why I am excited that we are celebrating the opening of a new center for large-scale fabrication activities to support student organizations and competition teams at the Richmond Field Station (RFS). This is part of our ongoing transformation of RFS as a site supporting experiential learning and translational green research at scale.
Students will also have more opportunities in the area of academics. Starting this semester, we are enrolling students in two new undergraduate educational programs that address pressing industrial and societal needs: electrical and computer engineering to meet the growing demand for expertise in the semiconductor industry, and environmental engineering to address modern challenges in protecting the environment and human health. Additionally, we are recruiting new faculty into our aerospace engineering program who will provide new curricula and research opportunities in an area of rapidly growing student interest.
Among the tectonic shifts in our modern world are those linked to the revolutionary advances in artificial intelligence, many born out of Berkeley Engineering labs. Not only have researchers here pioneered revolutionary new advances in AI, they’ve also led its applications across engineering fields. It is only fitting that we would also be leaders in providing students with the skills they need to handle AI-led changes in the workforce. We are actively recruiting additional faculty with deep domain expertise in engineering fields and innovative developments in AI, and we are also committing financial resources to advancing new approaches to leveraging AI in teaching to enhance the learning experience for our students.
I’ll end with this thought. My appreciation of the transformative power of a Berkeley Engineering education has deepened in recent months after countless conversations with alumni and students. Their stories solidify the qualities that make UC Berkeley the best public engineering program in the country, providing the foundation for students to become future innovators and leaders, prepared to tackle the most pressing societal challenges.
The journey ahead involves the entire Berkeley Engineering community, including you. Please stay connected, because together we thrive and excel.
Go Bears!
—Mark Asta
Interim Dean and Roy W. Carlson Chair College of Engineering