Fall 2018 Newsletter

College of Engineering

Fall Newsletter PDF

Dear alumni and friends of the College of Engineering, 

It’s a wonderful time to be on campus at NDSU. The planters and sidewalks are both full of life, with summer’s flowers still in full bloom and students hurrying to and from class. The start of the fall semester is also full of exciting new beginnings for our incoming class of nearly 500 College of Engineering students.

We’re also excited about some new faces on our leadership team this year. David R. Steward is the new chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, David Grewell is the new chair of the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, and Benjamin Braaten is the new chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. You can read more about them below.

One of my first initiatives after joining the college last year was to hire permanent chairs to lead our departments and with the leadership team in place we have begun a strategic planning process to layout the vision and mission for the College of Engineering. Our goal is to build upon the strong foundation of success and take the college to the next level.

Speaking of taking things to the next level, you may have noticed our college website underwent a significant upgrade over the summer and we’re in the process of rolling out the changes to our department sites as well. Establishing a distinctive and compelling public image for the college is something I have made a priority.

That public image is certainly helped by our amazing students. Once again student teams represented NDSU engineering at events around the country and once again they turned in some impressive performances, bringing home several major awards. We all can’t wait to see what innovations they come up with next.

Finally, I’d like to personally invite you to visit us here on campus anytime. It’s always a pleasure to meet with alumni and friends of the college and give them an update on what we’re up to.

Thank you for your support for the College of Engineering. Go Bison!

Alumni News

Donald Nelsen Memorial Scholarship Endowment

North Dakota State University opened up a world full of opportunity for Donald and Jeanne Nelsen. After earning their degrees and getting married, the Nelsens embarked on a life that took them around the world.

Donald graduated from NDSU with a degree in civil engineering in 1967. Not long after, he began a 32-year career with the global oil and chemical company, Amoco Corp.

"Donald really appreciated the degree he got at NDSU," said Jeanne, who earned a bachelor's degree in home economics education. "He always thought that his NDSU education prepared him to do his job very well."

After Donald passed away in 2015, Jeanne decided to establish the Donald Nelsen Memorial Scholarship Endowment, an annual scholarship to be awarded to an NDSU engineering student.

"I thought the scholarship would be a great way to give back and to honor Donald," Jeanne said. "We would not have the life we had if Donald didn't graduate from NDSU.&qu

Alumni Honored by NDSU Foundation and Alumni Association
Distinguished alumnus' Engineering Career Spans the Globe

Faculty Awards

Mechanical engineering chair receives Chamber Service Award

University Distinguished Professor honored with research award

Construction management and engineering chair named

Professor wins CAREER award

Ying Huang, professor from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has won a National Science Foundation CAREER award for $500,000.

The prestigious honor supports faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars and will provide new research opportunities for students.

Promotions

Promoted to full professor:

  • Dilpreet Bajwa, mechanical engineering
  • Xuefeng Chu, civil and environmental engineering
  • Rajesh Kavasseri, electrical and computer engineering
  • Scott Pryor, agricultural and biosystems engineering
  • Chad Ulven, mechanical engineering

Promoted to associate professor:

  • Debasis Dawn, electrical and computer engineering
  • Ying Huang, civil and environmental engineering
  • Zhulu Lin, agricultural and biosystems engineering
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