Each year, GW’s Alumni & Families Weekend gathers hundreds of alumni, family, and friends to celebrate the vibrant GW community. This year’s GW Engineering Open House, held on Saturday, October 19, welcomed more than 90 alumni, current students, and their families to the Science & Engineering Hall for a glimpse into the school’s present and future. The event featured a breakfast offering time to mix and mingle, a tour of our state-of-the-art building, an insightful panel discussion, and Dean John Lach’s inspiring remarks.
GW Engineering alums are distinguished by their passion for engineering and diverse interests across a variety of disciplines, including law, public health, international affairs, and much more. In his opening remarks, Dean Lach emphasized how the school curates unique “Engineering and..” experiences that allow students to merge these interests, establishing an interdisciplinary approach to ensure all members of the GW Engineering community can leverage the power of engineering to achieve societal impact.
“These ‘ands’ aren’t just casual interests–they are based on the recognition that engineers can have the greatest, and most positive, impact on society if they do their work with a clear understanding of society. So these ‘ands’ enable our students to be the engineering leaders of the mid-21st century, just as our alumni are now,” Dean Lach stated.
The event’s panel was the first of its kind at GW Engineering. Moderated by Dean Jason Zara and featuring current students from various majors and student groups, it highlighted transformative experiences available to students both in and out of the classroom. Essential programs and initiatives supporting these experiences that exemplify the school’s commitment to innovation, diversity, and professional excellence include the NIST-NSF Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law and Society, GW Professional Research Experience Program, and Consortium on Naval Enterprise Pathways.
Events like the Open House serve as a reminder of GW Engineering faculty and staff’s unwavering commitment to interdisciplinary education that empowers students to think critically about the societal impacts of their innovations. Through hands-on learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a supportive community, GW Engineering provides students with the tools they need to follow in the footsteps of our accomplished alumni.
“We are a school that cares about our community and supports each and every one of our students academically, personally, and professionally. In fact, we faculty and staff regularly talk about how the foundation of our relationship with our students is to ask, ‘What are your goals? And what can we do to help you achieve them?’” said Dean Lach.