Only at GW Engineering

At GW, students have access to a unique combination of resources and experiences that aren’t available elsewhere and that help build skills and networks to better prepare them for their careers.

Graphic 1: Unique Opportunities

Dr. Zoe Szajnfarber’s students have regular opportunities to interact with aerospace leaders. NASA’s chief scientist and chief technologist have scheduled regular sessions with members of her lab to test out proposed strategies. Dr. Szajnfarber’s lab members also were invited to watch a SpaceX launch as VIPs.

Because of its proximity to the FDA, the National Institutes of Health, and many intellectual property firms, the Department of Biomedical Engineering is able to offer a one-of-a-kind Master of Engineering degree in regulatory biomedical engineering.

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Alex Beehler guest-lectured an engineering management course and discussed the country’s transition from fossil to renewable energy sources with students.

 

 

Graphic 2: Student Projects

A Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum educator mentored mechanical engineering students who created a senior design project titled “Landing Gear Cavity Exhibit for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.”

Juniors in Dr. Erica Gralla’s systems engineering course have the opportunity to work on projects with FEMA. Students have presented to large groups of FEMA decision-makers, both on-campus and at FEMA headquarters.

Students in Dr. James Hahn’s Motion Capture and Analysis Lab are working with the Jane Goodall Institute and the GW Innovation Center to build a new educational platform that will use virtual reality to spread Dr. Goodall’s message of environmental conservation to future generations.

As early as their first semester, SEAS students begin to work with practicing engineers to learn about the real-world applications of engineering. Students in Dr. Kartik Bulusu’s Introduction to Engineering course recently participated in a “Grand Challenge” project to re-imagine the Washington, DC Metro. On the final class day, they presented their recommendations to representatives of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

 

 

Graphic 3: Where we Work

Dr. Megan Leftwich and her students work with the Smithsonian National Zoo to study the sea lion’s swimming techniques for possible applications to the design of underwater vehicles.

Dr. Murray Loew works with the National Gallery of Art to develop imaging spectroscopy to digitally peel back the layers of paint on some of the world’s great art and look beneath the surface to help better understand and conserve these masterpieces.

Dr. Erica Gralla and her students have a project in Uganda with the US Agency for International Development to study decision making to strengthen the Ugandan agricultural supply chain systems.

Dr. Taeyoung Lee has worked with the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC for autonomous aerial exploration with unmanned aerial vehicles.

Environmental engineering faculty and students use one of the world’s largest wastewater treatment plants as a real-world laboratory to improve the water quality of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

 

 

Graphic 4: Where we Intern

Nearly 90% of our undergraduate students complete internships or co-ops, most in the Washington, DC region. Our students intern for:

  • National Institutes of Health
  • NASA
  • Army Research Laboratory and Naval Research Laboratory
  • FDA
  • National Science Foundation
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • Tesla, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and more

 

 

Graphic 4: Global Engineering

Nearly 25% of all eligible SEAS undergraduates study abroad and still complete their degrees in four years, which is unusual for engineering programs.

Students from the GW Chapter of Engineers without Borders completed a water sanitation project in Le Pena, Peru, and are now working with a local community in Rajasthan, India, on a water sanitation project.

Seniors in the Department of Biomedical Engineering had the chance to work on their senior design projects with students from Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology. The teams held weekly remote team meetings and combined their engineering and entrepreneurship skills to create biomedical assistive technologies.