College of Engineering Undergraduate Welcome Magazine

REPUTATION

Matters

Our reputation is measured by the world-class faculty we attract, the cutting-edge research we generate, the outstanding academic opportunities our students have, and the immeasurable contributions our students, faculty, and alumni make to engineering a better world.

CMU TEAM DESIGNS THE AIRPORTS OF TOMORROW

Engineering students were among the Carnegie Mellon University student team who won NASA’s Blue Skies: Airports of Tomorrow competition. Their project focused on sustainability, and connected autonomy was also rewarded with internships at NASA. The new NASA competition asked teams from universities around the United States to “develop external airport infrastructure design concepts to support the emerging aviation technology and markets that will comprise the climate-friendly aviation industry of tomorrow.”

engineering.cmu.edu/blue-skies

CMU TEAM WINS WORLD’S LARGEST HACKING COMPETITION

Carnegie Mellon showed off its cybersecurity talent by winning DEF CON’s Capture the Flag competition in 2022 for the sixth time—the most of any team in the competition’s history. CMU students in the Plaid Parliament of Pwning joined forces with CMU alumnus and University of British Columbia Professor Robert Xiao to beat out 16 teams of students, industry workers, and government contractors from around the world. Competitors attempted to break into each other’s systems, steal virtual “flags,” and accumulate points while simultaneously trying to protect their own flags during the 72-hour hacking spree.

engineering.cmu.edu/defcon

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION HAPPEN HERE

Carnegie Mellon students have a front row seat to some of the most exciting technological innovations happening in engineering.

Artificial Intelligence Faculty throughout the university are not only employing artificial intelligence in their work, but they are also advancing this rapidly evolving field. The college is the first to offer master’s degrees in AI Engineering

Softbotics

Carnegie Mellon engineers are revolutionizing robotics with the creation of the new field of Softbotics. Unlike large, industrial scale robots, the new generation of smaller machines are safe and comfortable devices made for direct physical interaction with humans.

ACADEMIC

Powerhouse

Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering is ranked among the best engineering colleges in the world.

Find our welcome magazine online at engineering.cmu.edu/ welcome-mag

RESEARCH

Carnegie Mellon is a global research university that challenges the curious and passionate to imagine and build the world we all want to live in.

EDUCATION

The breadth of the Carnegie Mellon engineering curriculum allows students to create a very personalized educational journey. The depth of expertise here ensures that our students develop an exceptional skill set in their chosen course of study.

Each of our core engineering programs is ranked among the best in the nation. So, Carnegie Mellon is a very good place to major in civil and environmental, chemical, electrical and computer, materials science, and mechanical engineering

Additional majors in engineering and public policy and biomedical engineering offer our students unique opportunities to expand their engineering education into the fields of medicine and public policy.

And Carnegie Mellon is deeply immersed in related disciplines of artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and advanced manufacturing.

When compared to our highly rated peers, our class sizes are much smaller, and our students have much greater access to faculty.

Our faculty and students are always pushing the boundaries by asking important questions. Would drones use less energy and generate fewer emissions than conventional delivery methods? Can artificial intelligence make robots that are safe and smart enough to work in open warehouse settings? How will autonomous vehicles safely share the road with humandriven cars? Can human hearts be 3D printed?

Faculty researchers are finding the answers to these and other important questions in their research at Carnegie Mellon. Our undergraduate students are not only participating in major research projects, but they are also given opportunities and support to undertake their own independent research projects.

Research adds to global knowledge; provides new ideas, methods, and perspectives; and generates innovative solutions to problems. Participating in academic research allows students to gain in-depth understanding and hands-on experience that expands their ability to take on engineering challenges they will face in academic as well as industry careers.

Playful

Hands-on learning is so much fun that you might forget it’s school.

Student organizations and programs are great ways to make friends and build professional connections, but the activities, events, and encounters are often as educational as they are entertaining. Campus traditions celebrate our students’ competitive spirit, but they also showcase the creative, inventive, and collaborative approach that our engineering students excel in.

PRODUCTIVITY

SPRING CARNIVAL

As part of the annual spring celebration, engineering students are some of the most active in the annual celebration where students show off their brilliant, quirky, creative minds. Booth showcases student built multi-story structures displayed along the Carnival Midway. Buggy is Carnegie Mellon’s long-held tradition of building and racing aerodynamic vehicles powered by brains and brawn instead of engines. And MoBots are autonomous vehicles (“MObile roBOTs”) that students build and race along a slalom-type course.

WINNING THE RACE

Chip Ganassi, the Motor Sports Hall of Famer and five-time Indy 500 racer, is a big fan of Carnegie Mellon Racing, and he supports the student organization’s work to build and race Formula Hybrid cars. In 2021, he flew six team members to Indianapolis to tour Ganassi Racing headquarters. And in 2022, the student team, made up largely of engineering undergrads, won first place in the Society of Automotive Engineering sponsored electric vehicle category.

engineering.cmu.edu/racing

RETHINK THE RINK

During the annual weeklong makea-thon, Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering students teamed up with the Pittsburgh Penguins to make hockey safer for players of all ages by exploring ways to improve upon protective equipment and redesign the boards and glass.

engineering.cmu.edu/ rethink-the-rink

CREATIVITY

Counts

Innovation is a creative pursuit. Students here express their creativity, indulge their curiosity, and seek collaboration. They apply what they learn in our classrooms to what they build in our maker spaces. They imagine bold ideas, risk failure, and discover new and better approaches. They solve problems by integrating technology, science, and art.

Find our welcome magazine online at engineering.cmu.edu/ welcome-mag

TECH SPARK

At Tech Spark, Carnegie Mellon’s largest makerspace, students use an incredible variety of tools, take courses, and work with experts who have decades’ worth of combined experience. One of those courses is Introduction to Manual Machining. It introduces students to the tools and techniques required to manufacture a complete set of parts from raw materials. Carnegie Mellon is one of the few engineering schools to offer a course like this, in which students gain practical experience and understanding of the entire work process. In engineering, tools such as computer-aided design (CAD) software, 3D printers, and laser cutters help accelerate discovery and manufacturing. But no matter how advanced those tools become, there are certain things that can’t be replaced with a computer. engineering.cmu.edu/tech-spark-course

ENGINEERING ART

Carnegie Mellon engineering students can have their technology and creativity too by pursuing an additional major in Engineering and Arts. By choosing an art concentration in Architecture, Art, Drama, or Music, engineering students like Sophie Paul receive formal training in the creative arts, as well as a strong foundation of interdisciplinary research to integrate their interests. Sophie’s bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering was enriched by the arts courses that gave her the opportunity to create 3D printed pop-up textiles for modular interlocking wearable fashion.

engineering.cmu.edu/art

BUILD 18: FREESTYLE TINKERING EVENT

Build18 provides students with a risk-free environment to pursue personal engineering challenges where the only limiting factor to creation is their own ingenuity. Build18 signifies the start of the spring semester and a chance for students to build for fun.

engineering.cmu.edu/build18

HAVE A

HELPED HIMSELF BY HELPING OTHERS

Society needs brilliant engineering minds, but humanity needs engineers with heart. Much of the work we do is rooted in a genuine commitment to caring for broader communities and respect for each other.

BRINGING SOCIAL SCIENCE TO ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

Before any such academic program existed, a small group of mostly junior engineering faculty at CMU wanted to train engineers in the broader societal impacts of technology.

They respectfully ignored the advice of senior colleagues that such an academic endeavor was too risky, and in 1971, Engineering & Public Affairs was established, making it the first public policy driven program in engineering.

Eventually the program grew into the Department of Engineering and Public Policy (EPP), and it is the first of its kind created to educate engineers in the broader societal impacts of technology. Today, EPP is a very popular additional major for students who want to develop skills in economics, decision-making, social sciences, and communication. cmu.edu/epp

The warm welcome Andrew Thompson got from First-Year Orientation counselors inspired him to become an orientation counselor himself. He was good at reassuring newcomers with his bright personality and quick smile—often telling them, “It isn’t how you start; it’s how you finish.” His own strong finish includes impressive academic performance and a great job offer as a consultant with Deloitte when he graduated with a double major in civil and environmental engineering and engineering and public policy. engineering.cmu.edu/how-you-finish

At the Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering, our culture of Advanced Collaboration® provides boundless opportunities to learn from and work with engineers and scientists who share your passion, expand your knowledge and enrich your experience.

“We believe diverse perspectives and lived experiences encourage innovation and creativity in collaboration. We can all positively impact our environments and create a more inclusive and equitable community.”

—Alaine Allen, associate dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, College of Engineering

“Being a conduit for constructive societal change motivates our work and often brings out the best in us. The pandemic changed how we live, and it highlighted aspects of our lives that could be improved through engineering. I believe that our faculty and students who have worked and studied through the pandemic will approach future work with a deeper sensitivity toward human need. This will become another strength of a Carnegie Mellon engineer.

—Williams Sanders, dean, College of Engineering

When it does, it’s top employers who want the best trained engineers. Yes, Apple, Boeing, Microsoft, and General Motors come here looking for new talent. So do exciting startups who want bold innovators as well as graduate engineering programs looking for ambitious researchers. Carnegie Mellon engineering students are ready for these opportunities because of the academic rigor, real-world experience, placement support, and our robust alumni and professional networks.

STEM CAREER FAIR

Among the activities run by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is the STEM Career Fair, which brings 100 employers to campus each fall. There is no shortage of employers who want the chance to hire Carnegie Mellon engineers.

“The talent at Carnegie Mellon is above and beyond. For example, it’s especially impressive to find students here with double majors like chemical and bio engineering,” says Covestro recruiter Jillian Voyten.

INTERNSHIPS LAUNCH CAREERS

Thanks to a fellow member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) who alerted Rama Hassabelnabi that Microsoft was on campus, she landed two internships with the company and worked on app development for Xbox. “CMU has quite the reputation in the engineering field. It is nice to know that companies like Apple and Google and startups that are showing up everywhere are really interested in CMU Engineering students,” said Hassabelnabi, who served as president of NSBE and is now a software engineer at Microsoft.

engineering.cmu.edu/admitted-playlist

JUGGLING COLLEGE OPTIONS

During his search for the perfect college, Gabe Blanco spotted Masters of Flying Objects, a community of Carnegie Mellon students, staff, and faculty, who shared his interest in juggling. But what was even more important for Blanco, who wanted to pursue engineering, was cost. He is one of three triplets, who were applying to colleges at the same time. That’s why when Blanco was invited to join the Tartan Scholars Program, he knew his decision was made. The program targets highachieving applicants from limited-resource backgrounds, who find a rich network of academic, social, and financial support. engineering.cmu.edu/tartan-scholars

Find our welcome magazine online at engineering.cmu.edu/ welcome-mag

DISCOVER

WHAT WILL YOU FIND IN PITTSBURGH?

• Big city vibe, small town feel

• Low-cost living, high-quality amenities

• Job opportunities with top employers

• Trendy neighborhoods, cool shops, and fabulous food

• Pretty parks, waterfront trails, and nearby Pennsylvania forests

• Three rivers – the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio

• Art, music, and culture on stages and in museums, galleries, and more

• Steelers football, Pirates baseball, Penguins hockey, and Riverhounds soccer

• Public transportation by bus, light rail, and incline free for CMU students

• Carnegie Mellon University College of Engineering