Message from the chair

As autumn wraps up on campus, the department’s energy is palpable. Classrooms are full, labs are busy and More Hall is abuzz with the largest junior cohort in our history. More than 220 students are starting their junior year, up from about 150 last year and 120 the year before. Against that momentum, recent state and federal actions are shaping how the department operates, and it is important to share where things stand.

In the recent state budget, support to the university was reduced and the UW adopted a 6.5% across-the-board budget cut. At the same time, federal research funding has also become less predictable. Some awarded grants have been revised or delayed, leading faculty to scale back new graduate appointments to maintain support for their current students.

Amid these constraints, the department is focused on honoring current funding commitments for graduate students, sustaining strong support for undergraduate teaching, and keeping research moving by bridging short funding gaps to maintain research continuity.

Support from our community is especially important at this time, from personal gifts to partnerships. This issue of The Bridge includes an article on individual giving that answers common questions and highlights practical ways to help the department. For our external partners looking to get involved, we are expanding industry capstone projects that allow students to connect with companies and faculty on real-world design work.

Also in this issue, timely research about Professor Faisal Hossain’s team using satellite data to predict river temperatures for salmon recovery, Professor Mike Dodd’s work examining how disinfectants affect antibiotic resistance genes, and Professor Don MacKenzie’s research on how perceptions of charger reliability shape electric vehicle adoption. Lastly, we have a look inside our undergraduate construction materials class, where students get their hands dirty learning the ins and outs of concrete.

Thank you to our alumni, partners, students, staff and faculty for steady engagement through a period of change. That shared commitment continues to make a direct difference for CEE and for the region we serve.

Bart Nijssen
Chair & Professor