Engineering programs were on the horizon<\/a> last year, the creation of the department allows this new academic initiative to be realized.<\/p>\n\u201cThis is a monumental development for Brock University,\u201d said President Gervan Fearon. \u201cThe creation of the Department of Engineering is years in the making and to see it come to fruition is a success to be celebrated by the entire University community. It adds an important academic program in demand by students, and it supports the economic vitality of the region \u2014 these items are directly aligned with the strategic priorities of the University.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brock plans to welcome its first cohort of 100 Integrated Engineering students for the 2023-24 academic year. Students will explore topics such as big data, artificial intelligence, medical devices, sustainability and climate change, robot automation, manufacturing and transportation. Until then, a minor program in Engineering Science is set to launch in September 2021.<\/p>\n
Integrated Engineering takes key concepts from traditional engineering fields \u2014 such as mechanical, civil and electrical \u2014 and brings them together into a single coherent program where students learn about each field as well as the connections between them.<\/p>\n
Brock will be one of only three Canadian universities offering Integrated Engineering programs at the undergraduate level.<\/p>\n
With student employability at its core, Brock\u2019s program is intended to produce graduates who are skilled in communication, instinctively collaborative and inherently transdisciplinary in their approach to problem-solving.<\/p>\n
Through a variety of experiential learning opportunities, students will gain real-world experience, build industry connections and enhance their professional skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis dynamic program will give students a competitive edge in the technology-driven economy, providing them with not only the skills needed to succeed, but also industry experience that employers value,\u201d said Lynn Wells, Brock\u2019s Provost and Vice-President, Academic.<\/p>\n
Response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive thus far, Wells said, with engineering firms and other industry groups offering support and looking to build connections for future student work terms and work integrated learning opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe introduction of Engineering helps to advance the key priorities of Brock\u2019s Institutional Strategic Plan, including expansion of the University\u2019s research capacity, the offering of a transformational and accessible academic and student experience, and the fostering of a culture of inclusivity, accessibility, decolonization and reconciliation,\u201d said Fearon.<\/p>\n
Students with a wide variety of backgrounds and qualifications will be encouraged to apply for the Integrated Engineering program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe University is committed to promoting inclusivity in Engineering education, with an overall aim to achieve gender balance, equity, diversity and meaningful Indigenization among students, faculty and staff,\u201d said Wells.<\/p>\n
Creation of the department also opens up new areas of impactful research at Brock, said Tim Kenyon, Vice-President, Research.<\/p>\n
\u201cEngineering research responds to complex problems with solutions that draw on many other kinds of research as well, while thriving on connections with industry partners,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a natural extension of Brock\u2019s strengths in transdisciplinary research, partnerships, and research that makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
The process is currently underway to hire the Department of Engineering\u2019s first three dedicated faculty members, who will lay the groundwork for the program\u2019s launch and oversee the hiring of additional academics. Given the interdisciplinary nature of Brock\u2019s Engineering program, a number of shared hires are also planned, with three underway.<\/p>\n
Faculty of Mathematics and Science Dean Ejaz Ahmed called it an exciting development for the Faculty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Department of Engineering is an important next step in the future of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science,\u201d he said. \u201cThis will open the doors to new possibilities for our faculty members and students from teaching, learning and research perspectives.\u00a0It will provide a broad skill set necessary to solve many of the world’s most challenging problems.”<\/p>\n
Many people are to be thanked for their contributions to the development of the academic proposal approved by Senate, including Greg Finn, Special Advisor to the President and Provost, and members of the Advisory Committee of Engineering.<\/p>\n
After its undergraduate programming is in place, Brock intends to expand its Engineering offerings to graduate students with research-based master\u2019s and PhD opportunities.<\/p>\n
More information on Engineering at Brock is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brock University has taken the next big step towards its goal of launching dynamic Engineering programs that teach \u201coutside the book\u201d and focus on the employability of students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":51884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9794,7,3319,4052,37,41,1,4,5,38],"tags":[159,3106,1958,5398,4436,10324,8809,5624,7711,11217],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72205"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72205"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72206,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72205\/revisions\/72206"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}