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Dean's Blog

Recent Posts

From whom I follow to those who follow me

Allow me to indulge on the theme of mentoring. To fulfill NMSU’s three-pronged land-grant mission (teaching, research and service), our...

Exciting new changes and developments

I am thrilled to see so many face-to-face activities on campus. Life is getting ever closer to pre-pandemic status. Engineering student enrollment...

College of Engineering graduation ceremonies

Now in its second year, the Ron Seidel Engineering Leadership Institute has been grooming our students to become next-generation engineering leaders.

Legacy of Sociedad de Ingenieros

I am very pleased that the College of Engineering will once again hold its 33-year-old graduation tradition in person following two years of...

Being a socially responsible engineer

Engineers are trained to be problem solvers and creators who use their skills to identify problems, work within constraints and find efficient ways...

Growing and strengthening our faculty and research centers

We are busy at the College of Engineering with ongoing searches for new tenure-track faculty members.  We are fortunate that the newly...

The College of Engineering Celebrates Outstanding Alumni

It gives me great pleasure to recognize the accomplishments of our outstanding alumni every year during Homecoming week. This year, Mr. James Owen...

Tactics for enrollment growth in the college

Our college leadership has been engaged in discussions on recruitment and retention trends over the past few years for all of our programs...

NMSU Engineering continues graduation tradition

Taking part in a graduation tradition that began in 1989, some 274 NMSU engineering students participated virtually in the Sociedad de...

Engineering faculty form research teams

COVID-19 hasn’t stopped our faculty from their collaborative research activities...

Differential tuition approved for engineering courses

The Board of Regents approved differential tuition to be charged for engineering courses 300-level and above starting Fall 2021...

Unprecedented times present unprecedented opportunities

Our faculty members have adapted to the COVID-19 situation in unique ways. The instructional deliveries used have become learning opportunities for...

Leadership institute prepares students to serve society

In fall 2019, the College of Engineering launched the inaugural year of the Ron Seidel Engineering Leadership Institute, a two-year program with...

You know you’re in the right place when…

You know you’re in the right place when students are making outstanding suggestions on how the college can handle instruction delivery during...

CEMRC, Carlsbad, reorganized under a new leadership structure

The U.S. Department of Energy recently renewed a five-year $14.5 million grant to NMSU’s College of Engineering to administer the Carlsbad...

Second student cohort joins Seidel Leadership Institute

Engineering isn’t just about numbers, designs, and materials—it’s about leadership...

NMSU Engineering starts Academic Year 2020-21 with good news, new challenges and opportunities

There has been a lot of activity on campus over the summer getting the facilities ready to keep us safe. It has been a challenging time during the...

NMSU Engineering increases research productivity

Assistant Professor Yanyan Zhang, civil engineering, examines a petri dish containing bacteria from treated wastewater as part of her National...

CEMRC receives renewal grant of $14.4 million

Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management, Carlsbad Field Office, announced the renewal of a $14.4 million grant...

NMSU Ron Seidel Engineering Leadership Institute explores six senses of a Whole New Mind

The first cohort of 10 students selected for the leadership institute are engaged in a discussion of Daniel Pink’s right brain senses –...

Every crisis is a learning opportunity at NMSU Engineering

NMSU engineering is navigating through these unprecedented times with a true family spirit...

Century-old student-centric focus of NMSU Engineering

In my preparation for an interview on the historical impact of Ralph Goddard on the NMSU College of Engineering, I found out that the...

A Loss to the College of Engineering

The College of Engineering recently lost one of its own community members...

AIS takes on a new look

It gives me great pleasure to show the Aggie Innovation Space to our visitors...

NMSU Engineering aspires to be a top value and impactful college

In developing our strategic plan, we consulted with almost all of our stakeholders and we used extensive data...

Innovation Imperative

The University of Washington is creating a lifelong-learning model for the changing workforce by developing a 60-year curriculum...

Development of hybrid programs to make engineering degrees more relevant

With the rapid pace of advancements in engineering, traditional disciplines such as civil, mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering have...

The Paradoxes of Learning Spaces

In “Courage to Teach,” Parker Palmer offers six paradoxical characteristics of a learning space...

NMSU Engineering faculty productivity is among the highest of our peers

Among a group of 16 engineering colleges at peer institutions listed below, NMSU ranked high in terms of our faculty scholarship...

Energy-Water Desalination Hub puts NMSU at the top of national water research

I am exceedingly pleased to share the news of the selection of NMSU’s College of Engineering as part of a team that was awarded a U.S....

New collaborative opportunities at NMSU Engineering

Arrowhead Center welcomed Spaceport America as a new tenant this past week...

Education for Life and Work

About two weeks ago, NMSU engineering had a kick-off meeting with the first student cohort of Ron Seidel Engineering Leadership Institute having...

NMSU Engineering welcomes AY 2019-20 with plenty of good news

The campus is full again and students and faculty are making the corridors of our buildings live again with all types of creative conversations...

US-Israel Visit on Strategic Initiatives

I had a wonderful experience last week traveling to Israel with our Chancellor Dan Arvizu and the ACES Dean Rolando Flores, visiting with Israeli...

Aggie Innovation Space gets new funding from the State of New Mexico

NMSU Engineering has done very well at the legislative session that has just ended in Santa Fe...

The case for “A Whole New Mind”

Even after two reads, Daniel Pink’s case for a whole new mind continues to be entertaining to me...

Retention rate in engineering shows increase

It looks as though the student-centric initiatives that have been implemented in the College of Engineering are having some positive effects on our...

NMSU Family of Engineering

Approximately 10 donors among our visiting alumni and advisory council members contributed toward the completion of this beautiful facility...

Opportunity in Crisis

I remember collecting no less than a hundred letters from practicing surveyors all over New Mexico and beyond...

Engineering dean appointed as roundtable member by NAS, NAE

The roundtable will provide a forum for ongoing high-level strategic dialogue and information exchange between Department of Defense leaders of...

Diversity is all about attitudes

I wrote these two newspaper articles in 2006 on diversity. I think they’re still relevant...

From Animatronics to Forensic Computing

I have enjoyed reading the current issue of ASEE PRISM magazine; in particular, the article on Breakthroughs and Trends in the World of Technology...

Wisdom of Crowds

Having recently completed reading two books on diversity, I am compelled to put together these thoughts...

14 grand challenges for engineering in the 21st century

I’m so glad that our Chancellor, Dr. Dan Arvizu (ME ‘73), highlighted the 14 grand challenges for engineering in his acceptance speech...

Wilson’s Consilience

Two metaphors have helped me in trying to visualize the “Consilience” Wilson is championing.

Aggie Innovation Space Receives Support on Giving Tuesday

I am pleased and honored that NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu, mechanical engineering alum, and his wife, Sheryl, have chosen the Aggie Innovation Space...

NMSU Engineering Gains Visibility

With our focus on increasing master’s-level students and establishing collaborations with key engineering colleges in South India, I have...

Where were your songs, my bird, when you spent your nights in the nest?

There was a beautiful poem belonging to Mediaeval India, recited by Tagore, which not only describes function of poetry but also allows us to draw...

Virtues of Learning Community

The great things Palmer was referring to in these virtues are the subjects around which truth-seekers gather to know, to teach, and to learn.

Engineering alum helps build student leadership

Engineering today is a team-based, multidisciplinary endeavor that requires skills beyond technical abilities, but also the ability to work with...

We’re proud of our distinguished alum, Ms. Dion Messer (BSEE, ’84)

Dion’s career path started out as a communications engineer with a NASA contractor at White Sands Missile Range.

Remembering Dr. John W. Hernandez

Recently, the college held a celebration of life for John w. Hernandez. Hearing about his life deeply inspired me.

Leisure time is important to our mission

Do you find leisure to do some real thinking?

Learning: The common

Seeking higher levels of learning in a community setting is an opportunity that is exclusive to land-grant institutions.

NMSU to offer Master of Engineering degrees

I am excited to know our proposal for Master of Engineering degrees has been finally approved by the Higher Education Department of New Mexico.