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Office of Undergraduate Admissions Columbia
Engineering
Columbia University
212 Hamilton Hall, MC 2807
1130 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027
For more information about Columbia University,
Plus
please call our office or visit our website:
212-854-2522
undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu
Columbia
Engineering Plus
1 Engineering Revolution 4
2 An Education for
Engineers Who Lead
12
3 Real Research, Real Impact 20
4 New York and
the Next Big Thing
28
5 Our Students Define
Engineering Plus
36
6 Future Smart 48
Departments and Majors 54
Aerial view of
Columbia campus
with Columbia
Engineering-affiliated
buildings highlighted
in blue
1
Go to one of the oldest and most distinguished
engineering programs in the country, where 1
College entrepreneurs
3
A photo of the
attend a pitch Columbia Non-
leadership, entrepreneurship, groundbreaking competition, where neutral Torus, a small
students take 60 stellarator at the
innovation, and social responsibility are part seconds to “pitch”
their ideas for new
Columbia Plasma
Physics Laboratory
of the air you breathe. ventures and products
to industry leaders.
designed to conduct
the first investigation
of non-neutral
2 plasmas confined on
Don’t just be an engineer. Be a Columbia With a nearly $1
million federal grant,
magnetic surfaces.
Engineer. It will make all the difference.
Columbia Engineers 4
are studying cracking The Combustion &
and collapsing polar Catalysis Laboratory
ice sheets to better focuses on converting
understand their link carbon-based material
to global warming. into something useful
(such as greenhouse
gases into fuel).
1 2
Pitching Startups Climate Change
3 4
Non-neutral Torus Combustion and Catalysis Laboratory
2
Columbia Engineering’s
Better World Blueprint Our way of engineering
means joining some
of today’s smartest,
most versatile young
people to collaborate on It means gaining
high-impact research the tangible skills
with professors companies look for so
whose patented that you are technically
ideas and inventions astute — able to design,
Columbia Engineering generate more income build, and test your
is believing that than almost any other ideas — while also able
engineering is essential university. to think about problems
to a safer, healthier — in a broader context so
even happier — world you can bring creative
and future. ideas to the table.
It means working on
socially responsible,
culturally appropriate
and environmentally
sustainable solutions
from day one.
It means immersing
Columbia Engineering yourself in a university
means not limiting known around the world
yourself to one- for its field-shaping
dimensional engineering thinkers in every
but rather gaining a deep discipline — not only in
Going to Columbia
understanding of the science and engineering
Engineering means
world itself before you but also in business,
becoming one of the
try solving its greatest economics, law, design,
most sought after
challenges. media, and philosophy.
young leaders of
your generation no
matter what field(s)
you choose, from
biomedical, chemical,
mechanical, and
financial engineering
to environmental
law, nanotechnology,
It’s a blueprint that calls Our blueprint for a
computer science, or
for living in a global better world is a formula
medicine.
capital of innovation, for leaders who are
entrepreneurship, ready to solve society’s
opportunity, and most pressing needs.
inspiration, otherwise We invite you to make it
known as New York City. your formula too.
3
1
Engineering
Revolution
4
5
Engineering Revolution
What do curing disease, cyber security, investment banking, renewable energy,
and digital media all have in common? Engineering. No silo-confined discipline but
a transferable, transformational knowledge base, engineering has become a
key to solving many of the world’s most pressing problems. Columbia Engineers
are leading this revolution. Here’s where we’ve been and where we’re going.
1754 1910
Founded as King’s Navigation … the In 1910, Professor
College, Columbia knowledge of … and future Nobelist
University has various kinds of Thomas Hunt
always been an Meteors, Stones, Morgan’s research
institution of and for Mines and Minerals, on fruit flies led
engineers. Among Plants and Animals, him to develop the
other disciplines, and everything useful 1899 chromosome theory
the University’s for the Comfort, the Michael Idvorsky of heredity—the
original charter laid Convenience and Pupin, Class of 1883, cornerstone of
out a plan to teach Elegance of Life.” invented the “Pupin modern genetics.
“the arts of Number coil,” extending the
1913
Edwin Howard
and Measuring, range of long-distance
Armstrong, Class of
of Surveying and telephones.
1913, invented the
superheterodyne
1900
1940
1850
circuit and developed
1754
the method of
frequency modulation
(FM) for radio
broadcasting.
1864 1932
Columbia founded the Irving Langmuir, Class
School of Mines, the of 1903, invented the
first in the U.S. and the gas-filled tungsten lamp;
1815 foundation for today’s 1904 research in monolayering
John Stevens, Columbia Engineering. William Barclay and surface chemistry
Class of 1768, The school’s first Parsons, Class of 1882, led to a Nobel Prize in
procured patents Dean, Charles was the chief engineer chemistry in 1932.
in early steamboat Frederick Chandler, of New York City’s first
technology; was a pioneer of subway system.
received the first modern sanitation in
railroad charter in his role as the head
United States. of the New York City
Metropolitan Board
of Health.
Columbia effectiveness of our
Engineering’s approach is the fact
uniquely broad and that the world has long
rigorous education embraced the work of
is a student’s best Columbia Engineers,
preparation for who continue
a leadership role in to distinguish
engineering or in any themselves in almost
of the diverse career every field of human
paths our graduates endeavor.
follow. Proof of the
6
1954
Admiral Hyman
George Rickover,
Class of 1929, served
during the Second
World War as head of
the electrical section
of the Navy’s Bureau
of Ships. He directed
the planning and
construction of the
world’s first nuclear
submarine, launched
in 1954.
1956 1982
Emerita Electrical
Joseph Engelberger,
Engineering Professor
Class of 1946, was
Gertrude Neumark
the father of modern
Rothchild was
robotics, founding the
inducted as a fellow of
world’s first robotics
the American Physical
company.
Society in 1982 for her
research improving
1960
1980
light emitting and laser
diodes now used in
many cellphones, flat-
screen televisions, and
Blu-ray disc players.
1978
Edmund DiGiulio,
Class of 1950,
received both an
1964 Oscar and an Emmy
Dr. Charles Hard for his development
Townes shared the of the Steadicam
Nobel Prize in Physics and other specialty
for his work at Columbia cameras designed
in quantum electronics especially for Stanley
that helped develop Kubrick and now used
laser technology. extensively by movie
directors.
7
1997
Columbia Engineering
is officially named
The Fu Foundation
1996
School of Engineering
A named inventor
and Applied Science
in multiple patents,
(SEAS) in honor of
Applied Physics and
the late Chinese
Applied Mathematics
philanthropist Z.Y. Fu,
Professor James Im’s
who gave the school
process for developing
$26 million to bring
high-quality silicon film
the best and brightest
is playing a crucial role
faculty and students to
in the latest generation
Columbia Engineering.
of flat-screens. Top
display makers,
including LG Display, 1997
2000
Sharp, and Samsung, Robert C. Merton,
1990
have already licensed Class of 1966, won
this technology. the Nobel Prize in
Economics for his role
in developing a formula
for the valuation of
stock options.
1996
Computer Science
Professor Shree Nayar
invented the first
360-degree camera in
1996; he also created
the BigShot, low-cost 1998
cameras used to teach Professor Emeritus
engineering concepts of Applied Physics
to children in high- and I.I. Rabi Professor
need populations. Emeritus of Physics,
Horst Stormer won
the Nobel Prize
for Physics for his
discovery of a new
form of quantum fluid
with fractionally
charged excitations.
82005
Industrial Engineering
2001 and Operations
Electrical Engineering Research Professor
Professor Keren Emanuel Derman
Bergman, who developed one of
joined SEAS in 2001, the first interest
is working to speed rate models and his
up the Internet. Her memoir, My Life as a
central research Quant: Reflections on
project involves the Physics and Finance,
fiber optic network— was selected as one of
the portion of the Web Business Week’s top
that consists of optical ten books of 2005.
fibers over which data
can be sent in the form
of light waves. Her
work has captured the 2003
attention of industry Elisa Konofagou,
2001 partners like Alcatel- Associate Professor
Applied Mathematics Lucent Bell Labs and of Biomedical
Professor Chris AT&T Labs Research. Engineering and
Wiggins, who joined Radiology, is pioneering
SEAS in 2001, is using new uses for an
data-driven modeling imaging technology
to determine how to that is radiation
turn off cancer genes. free. She joined SEAS
in 2003.
2002 2004
Computer Science Earth and Environmental
Professor Tony Jebara Engineering Professor
is a coinventor and Klaus Lackner, who
holds multiple patents joined SEAS in 2004,
in vision, learning, is developing “artificial
and spatio-temporal trees” that will scrub
2002 modeling that have carbon dioxide out of
Michael J. Massimino, social media and the atmosphere in much
Class of 1984, was face recognition the same way that real
one of two NASA applications. He joined trees do.
astronauts aboard SEAS in 2002.
the Columbia shuttle
mission which
successfully upgraded
the Hubble Space
Telescope (he was
also the first person to
Tweet from space).
92008
Mechanical Engineering
Professors Jeffrey
Kysar and James
Hone were the first to
determine the actual
2010
strength of graphene,
Mechanical
the strongest material
Engineering Professor
ever measured.
Kristin Myers studies
the engineering
2008 behind pregnancy.
Biomedical
Her ultimate goal is to
Engineering Professor
prevent miscarriages
Gordana Vunjak-
and preterm labor.
2008 Novakovic created 2010
A cofounder of the the global the first viable, Civil Engineering and
Columbia Water consumption crisis. anatomically shaped Engineering
Center, Earth and His work focuses human bone and was Mechanics Professor
2010
Environmental on tripling water inducted into the Huiming Yin is
Engineering Professor efficiency by changing Women in Technology developing roofing
Upmanu Lall is the way farmers International Hall materials that double
working to solve water crops. of Fame. as solar panels.
2007 2009 2009 2011 2011
Professor Ah- Funded by a multi- Helen Lu, Associate Popular Science Kartik Chandran,
Hyung (Alissa) Park million dollar grant Professor of magazine named Associate Professor of
is developing an from the National Biomedical Computer Science Earth & Environmental
efficient, cost-effective Institutes of Engineering, received Professor Eitan Engineering, was awarded
energy conversion Health, Mechanical the Presidential Grinspun among $1.5 million from the Bill &
system that turns Engineering Early Career Award its “Brilliant 10,” the Melinda Gates Foundation
non-recyclable and Biomedical for Scientists and magazine’s annual to develop technology
plastics into jet fuel. Engineering Professor Engineers (PECASE)— list of the top 10 that will convert waste
Gerard Ateshian the nation’s highest researchers in treatment facilities into
is working to grow honor for young the United States. biorefineries, a practical
artificial cartilage in scientists. Lu Grinspun studies the boon for poor and
his lab that’s as strong focuses on biological basic rules of motion resource-starved regions.
and resilient as the interfaces between and turns them into
native tissue. different types of computer programs
connective tissues and that are animating
2009 how to re-establish Hollywood movies and
Computer Science distinct tissue-to- creating new tools for
Professor Peter Allen tissue boundaries graphic designers.
co-published his post-injury.
leading-edge work on
building disposable
surgical robots.
102012
Columbia University, in
partnership with New
York City, launched
the Institute for
Data Sciences and
2012 Engineering. Housed
Both Christine within Columbia
Fleming, Assistant Engineering, the new
Professor of Electrical Institute strives to
Engineering, and be the world-leading
Changxi Zheng, institution in research
Assistant Professor of and education in the
Computer Science, theory and practice
were listed on the of the emerging 2012
Forbes 30 under 30 field of data science. Alvin Roth ’71
List for Science and Equally important to its received the Nobel
Healthcare, among mission is supporting Prize in Economics.
innovators doing and encouraging Roth was recognized
breakthrough work entrepreneurial for his pioneering
in a range of areas, ventures emerging contributions to
including synthetic from the research the theory of
biology, brain conducted by its stable allocations
mapping, Alzheimer’s, students, faculty, and and the practice of
and aging. collaborators. market design.
“Students at Columbia Engineering
become part of a vibrant,
intellectually challenging school
with a distinguished history of
transformational breakthroughs
that have impacted the world. As part
of that legacy, we anticipate that
they, too, will transform the future.”
mary cunningham boyce
Dean, Columbia Engineering
112 An Education for Engineers Who Lead 12
13
A Combination You Can’t Find
Anywhere Else
Columbia Engineering’s unique program includes an unparalleled breadth
and depth of majors and minors, a first-year introductory engineering course,
professional-level courses, hands-on design projects, research in New York
City and around the world, and Columbia’s legendary Core Curriculum. It’s a
combination you can’t find anywhere else.
The
Columbia
Engineering
Core
The Art of Engineering
Calculus
Professional-Level Courses
Firsthand experience with the most
● Molecular Engineering and
Product Design 16
Areas of
Physics
current skills, practices and ideas ● A Better Planet by Design
Chemistry
in the field. A sampling of courses
Computer Science ● Physics of the Human Body
Study
includes:
Economics
● Introduction to Electrical
Physical Education ● Atomic-Scale Engineering of
Engineering, with Laboratory in
New Materials
Circuit Design
● Design of Buildings, Bridges,
Majors
● Engineering Graphics Applied Mathematics
and Spacecraft
Applied Physics
● Mechanical Engineering:
● Engineering in Medicine Biomedical Engineering
Micro-Machines to Jumbo Jets
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Earth and Environmental Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Financial Engineering
Engineering Mechanics
Engineering Management Systems
Industrial Engineering
Columbia’s School of Materials Science and Engineering
The
Mines was founded Mechanical Engineering
in 1864 and was the Operations Research
first mining school
in the United States.
The School awarded Columbia
College
the first Columbia
Ph.D. in 1875 and
was the keystone for
today’s Fu Foundation
School of Engineering Core
and Applied Science.
Le Marteleur (The Columbia Engineering
Metallurgist), created students take about
by the Belgian sculptor
Constantin Meunier,
half of the Columbia
was a class gift from College Core.
one of the early School Literature Humanities,
of Mines classes (1889) Contemporary Civilization, or
and stands in the Global Core
Columbia Engineering Art Humanities or Music Humanities
courtyard. University Writing
14Research,
Internship, and
Entrepreneurship
Opportunities
in New York City
and the World
Undergraduate Research
Involvement Program
400+ research positions working with
prizewinning faculty reserved for
Liberal Arts engineering undergraduates.
and Engineering Engaged Entrepreneurship
Program
Minors Promotes innovation and entrepreneurship
through interdisciplinary minors; student
challenges such as the Columbia
Engineering Minors Liberal Arts Minors Venture Competition that offer project
Applied Mathematics Anthropology opportunities and prize money; support
Applied Physics Architecture from national and international experts
Biomedical Engineering Art History through the Entrepreneurship Advisory
Chemical Engineering Dance Board; outreach in New York via the
Civil Engineering East Asian Studies Columbia-Harlem Small Business
Computer Science Economics Development Center.
Earth and Environmental English and Comparative
Engineering Literature Science Technology
Electrical Engineering French
Engineering Program (STEP)
Engineering Mechanics French and Francophone
Offers Columbia students high-quality
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Studies
internship experiences in a comprehensive
Industrial Engineering German
array of engineering fields through alumni
Materials Science and Engineering Greek
and employer partnerships. Recent
Mechanical Engineering Hispanic Studies
opportunities include design engineering,
Operations Research History
cancer research, software development,
Sustainable Engineering Latin
and nanotechnology.
Middle Eastern, South Asian,
and African Studies
Music Global Internships
Philosophy Every summer Columbia Engineering
Political Science students intern in companies, NGOs, and
Psychology labs around the world through several
Religion established global internship programs in
Sociology Germany, Scandinavia, Brazil, France, and
Statistics multiple cities in Asia and Africa.
Columbia Affiliate Research
Not only does Columbia have faculty
and labs doing pioneering research in
nearly every sub-field of every discipline,
affiliated institutions like NASA Goddard
Institute for Space Studies and Nevis
Physics Laboratories make the research
possibilities virtually limitless.
15How does Columbia’s Because in order to find
renowned Core solutions to the world’s
Curriculum make you most pressing problems,
a better engineer? you have to fully
understand the world
around you.
“I knew that I had to find a university to the latest engineering knowledge
that touched not only on the but also to the impacts on those on the
technical dimension but also on the receiving end of those solutions.”
human dimension - Columbia’s Core Carmen Zapata ‘07
Curriculum did just that. As I refined my Associate, Advanced Analytics
understanding of humanitarian relief Booz Allen Hamilton
efforts in my Supply Chain Management Supports Department of Homeland
course, in my Contemporary Civilization Security and Immigrations and
class I learned about philosophy and Customs Enforcement
world religions, which strengthened
my understanding of others and honed
my sense of ethical duty. It is more
important than ever that engineers find
solutions with consideration not only
16Civil Engineering and
Engineering Mechanics
Professor Patricia
Culligan’s laboratory.
Her research focuses
on geoenvironmental
engineering, porous
media flow and
transport, urban
sustainability, and
geotechnical centrifuge
modeling. She
teaches Engineering
for Developing
Communities, Urban
Ecology Studio, and
works with students on
independent studies
and research.
Rather than general
education requirements,
Columbia College’s Core
Curriculum is a single
set of small, discussion-
based seminars taught
by leading professors
in every department.
Columbia Engineering
Why do we give you over Because great engineers and Columbia College
students come
20 minors in the liberal see problems from multiple together to discuss the
arts, plus innovative perspectives. groundbreaking ideas
in timeless works such
interdisciplinary minors Plato’s Republic.
in emerging fields from “In managing hardware and software
engineering teams I’ve found that the
which to choose? most difficult challenges in engineering Mechanical
are often not engineering problems. These Engineering Professor
challenges involve understanding cultural Elon J. Terrell’s
research involving
boundaries, organizational behavior, and
lubricated gearbox
making a decision on what to do (versus systems, such as those
how to do it). Columbia prepared me to used in wind turbines,
could be the first to
navigate not only the technical challenges,
integrally connect
but also those that require you to reach fluid mechanics,
beyond your knowledge base and comfort solid mechanics, and
zone and be a leader.” particle dynamics
applicable to several
Stephen Wang ‘06 industries. He teaches
Project Manager for Tribology: Friction,
top Silicon Valley company Lubrication and Wear
as well as individual
(household name that likes to remain honors tutorials and
nameless in publications such as this) project courses.
1718
Butler Library is a
favorite study spot.
It is the main library
within the Columbia
University system,
which is one of the
ten largest academic
Why do we immerse Because engineering has library systems in
the nation.
you in a course that to be tested in the real
requires a semester-long world and applied to real
group project where problems.
you work to solve a real
engineering problem as “Senior year I got to help
soon as you arrive? Why Professor Shree Nayar develop
an online curriculum for
does every major include BigShot, a build-it-yourself
preprofessional digital camera designed
courses with knowledge to expose kids to science,
and experience fresh engineering, and photography.
from the field? My favorite moment was field
testing the camera with real
kids in Japan. It was the first time
a project of mine made such
a big impact.”
Brian Smith ‘09
Ph.D. student in the Computer
Vision Laboratory at Columbia
Why do we do what other engineering schools
don’t? Because we don’t just educate great
engineers. We educate great engineers, global
citizens, and entrepreneurial thinkers.
We educate leaders. We are a different kind
of engineering school.
193 Real Research, Real Impact 20
21
As a Columbia Engineer you will be part of
fascinating research endeavors on the cusp of A team of Columbia
Engineering students
working with
breakthroughs that have a major impact on Electrical Engineering
Professor Ken Shepard
the way we live our lives today and tomorrow. at the Bioelectronics
Systems Lab.
You will be mentored by superstars in Chemistry, biology,
and integrated circuit
their fields. You will be part of a great tradition design come together
in the lab to build
of socially responsible engineering and a micrometer-scale
arrays of sensors that
can detect biological
close community of scientists, engineers, and molecules or select
strands of DNA.
innovators. The work you do here
will make you part of the next generation
of leaders.
Carleton Strength of
Materials Laboratory,
home to one of
the country’s largest
centrifuges, has a
rich history of
supporting the
New York engineering
community with
specialty testing
in a wide variety of
Senior Design Projects projects, ranging
from high-strength
manhole covers to
full-scale shoring
system tests, as well as
fatigue testing of
suspension bridge
wires and monotonic
and cyclical concrete
masonry block testing.
Some recent senior design
Epilepsy Brain Sensor for In Vivo Reflectance Windmill-Driven Water Pump projects range from a rapid
Observation prototyper 3D printer to
a nationally award-winning
neonatal vital signs
monitor to a windmill-
driven water pump; senior
engineering capstone
projects allow students to
integrate all that they’ve
learned to design, test,
and build the novel, the
viable, and the useful. The
projects often lead to new
companies and patents
Rapid Prototyper 3D Printer Novel Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt and even future careers.
22Earth and Environ- in industry, but he also
mental Engineering uses his knowledge
major Henry Jones of the engineering
has gained hands-on problem-solving
experience working in process now as
Columbia’s Depart- a mentor for a high
ment of Mechanical school robotics team
Engineering. He not that competes
only plans to use that around the country.
experience working
23“From my very first year
at Columbia, I worked on
a project that had a direct
impact on a church in East
Harlem. The next year
when I found out one of my
courses was being taught by
a leader in climate change
studies, Professor Faye
McNeill, I jumped at the
opportunity to work in her
lab.” Ultimately, Joe was
able to develop his own
study on ultrafine particle
emissions and learn how to
model chemical reactions
in the atmosphere via
computational chemistry
methods.
Climate Chemistry
Joe Barakat
Hometown: Chadds Ford, PA
Major: Chemical Engineering
Professor of Chemical
Engineering Faye McNeill
received a prestigious
CAREER Award from the
National Science Foundation
to fund her research into
one of the biggest problems
facing climate scientists: how
aerosol particles and ice in
the environment profoundly
influence Earth’s climate and
atmosphere.
24“As a rising sophomore
I worked in Professor
Ah-Hyung (Alissa) Park’s
lab. Working in the lab
gave me the chance
to delve into areas of
environmental engineering
I was not aware of that
ended up being my real
passion — environmental
bioremediation techniques;
more specifically, within
brownfields and water
contamination.” Now Judy
is working with the Mayor’s
Office of Environmental
Remediation, focusing
on risk assessment of
contaminants in brownfield
sites in the New York
City area.
Professor in Applied Climate
Science Ah-Hyung (Alissa)
Park has been called the
“Carbon Lady.” She is one of
the leading experts on the
many forms carbon takes as
humans transform and move
it through the environment.
Her path-breaking work may
help pave the way to a future
in which society obtains
energy from a wide range of
sustainable sources and deals
with its excess carbon in
surprising ways.
From Lab to Mayor’s
Office
Judy Kim
Hometown: Clarksville, TN
Major: Earth and Environmental Engineering
25“All I’ve known is living
the refugee life. But I’ve
always had arms stretching
out to help me.” Morris is a
former Sudanese refugee.
He is also a key member of
Professor Sam Sia’s research
team and plans to become
a doctor. “I feel like I owe it
to the world to help people
around me.” His senior
design project is a vital signs
monitor for developing
countries. Such devices
usually start at $1,000 but
his would cost between
$50 and $200. Plans are
already underway to test it
in Uganda.
Professor of Biomedical
Engineering Sam Sia has
received the National Science
Foundation’s CAREER Award
and been called one of the
World’s Top Young Innovators
for his groundbreaking
work in biotechnology
and medicine. Sia uses
microfluidics to build low-
cost handheld devices for
Vital Designs
performing sophisticated
medical tests on a small
Morris Kaunda Michael
microchip. His lab-on-a-chip
device allows for diagnosis
Hometown: Syracuse, NY, via Sudan of multiple diseases on
Major: Biomedical Engineering the spot.
26If you’re a Columbia Engineer,
you’re doing research using state-of-the-art labs and equipment and an almost
overwhelming array of basic and advanced research installations. Centers include:
● Brookhaven National ● Columbia High-beta ● Materials Research
Laboratory Tokamak Science and Engineering
Center
● Carleton Strength of ● Geotechnical Centrifuge
Materials Laboratory ● Microelectronics Sciences
● Laser Diagnostics and
Laboratories
● Center for Electron Solid-State Physics Lab
Transport in Molecular
Nanostructures
You’re working with
professors at the cutting
edge of their fields
in one of Columbia’s 200 research centers and institutes. Research centers like
the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, where the concept of plate tectonics
was formulated, currently home to hundreds of researchers studying the origin,
evolution, and future of the natural world, but also:
● Center for Computational ● Columbia Water Center ● Lenfest Center for
Learning Systems Sustainable Energy
● Earth Institute at Columbia
● Center for Integrated
● Goddard Institute for
Science and Engineering
Space Studies
And you’re part of
Columbia Engineering’s
Undergraduate Research
Involvement Program,
which gets you involved in projects like:
● Brain imaging of ● Nanotechnology for solar ● Space physics, microwave
psychological disorders energy and fuel cells heating, and plasma
sources
● DNA cloning ● Recovery of heavy metals
by recycling of industrial ● Tissue engineering of
● Electrophysiological
wastes cartilage-bone interface
measurements and signal
processing ● Reliability of fatigue- ● Virtual worlds and
sensitive structures, augmented reality
● Laser probe of thin films
including aircraft and ships
and thin film processing
● Response of materials to
● Modeling and simulation of
ultrasonic excitation
genetic networks
● Seismic behavior of
reinforced soil structures
274 New York and the Next Big Thing 28
29
Routes to Inspiration Museum Mile
Nine museums along Fifth
Pioneering work in the built environment from skyscrapers to long-span bridges, Avenue and across from Central
from subways to water supply systems. Continuous innovation in efficiency and Park: Museum for African Art,
El Museo del Barrio, Museum of
sustainability, resulting in one of the smallest carbon footprints of any major
the City of New York, The Jewish
city on Earth. Global leaders in research. Silicon Alley – it’s all here. New York Museum, National Academy
City puts our students and faculty at the nexus of every next big thing on campus Museum and School of Fine
Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim
and off. While you may find the spark of a new idea along any New York avenue,
Museum, and Smithsonian
here are a few spots guaranteed to inspire whether you’re researching, interning, Cooper-Hewitt National Design
or just visiting. Museum, Metropolitan Museum
of Art, Goethe House German
New Jersey’s Cultural Center.
Pharmaceutical Corridor
What makes Columbia a great
place for research? In part, it’s
location, location, location. New
York is surrounded by great
collaborative opportunities,
especially for engineers. New
Jersey’s big pharma corridor
is a perfect example. No other
area has a greater concentration
of pharmaceutical research and
development.
Rose Center for
Earth and Space
Featuring the
Hayden Planetarium
Columbia has close research
ties with this major museum and
World Science Festival
research center, which is just
blocks from campus.
Cofounded by Columbia
Professor of Mathematics and
Physics Brian Greene, the
World Science Festival takes
over New York City each June. The Intrepid Sea, Air &
The world’s leading scientific
Space Museum
minds are joined by renowned
artists and influential thinkers The Museum is centered on the
for a five-day celebration aircraft carrier Intrepid (CVS-
of science. 11), one of the most successful
ships in U.S. history.
Silicon Alley
Many of Manhattan’s tech and
new media innovators like
Google and DoubleClick make
their home along a corridor
from the Flatiron District down
Over 2,000 bridges was the world’s first to SoHo and TriBeCa along
and tunnels make vehicular tunnel. And Broadway.
New York a city of two bridges set records
civil engineering as the world’s longest
feats. The Brooklyn suspension bridges
Bridge (shown here) when they opened, the
is one of the oldest George Washington
suspension bridges Bridge in 1931 and the
in the United States, Verrazano-Narrows
opening in 1883. The Bridge in 1964.
Holland Tunnel (1927)
30Columbia University Botanical Garden
Medical Center Explore 50 diverse gardens
and plant collections across
On 20 acres in the Washington
Bronx Zoo 250 acres.
Heights community of northern
Manhattan, our Medical Center
The largest metropolitan
provides world-class leadership
zoo in the United States.
in scientific research, health and
Bisected by the Bronx River with
medical education, and patient
indoor and outdoor exhibits
care with faculty from four
on 265 acres of park lands and
schools (College of Physicians
naturalistic habitats.
and Surgeons, College of
Dental Medicine, School of
Nursing, and Mailman School
of Public Health) teaching and
conducting research there.
Grand Central New York Hall of Science
New York is the largest Built initially as a pavilion for the
transportation hub in the 1964 World’s Fair, the New York
world and Grand Central is an Hall of Science is now New York
enduring symbol of that fact. City’s hands-on science and
One of the city’s most famous technology center.
landmarks and listed on the
National Register of Historic
Places, the station was an
Columbia University innovation in transit-hub design
that continues to inspire today.
The Museum of Arts
and Design
The Museum of Arts and
Design explores the intersection
of art, design, and craft today.
World Health Organization
WHO is part of the United
Nations — responsible for
leadership on global health
matters, shaping the health
research agenda, providing
technical support to countries,
and assessing health trends.
DUMBO
The Down Under the
Manhattan Bridge Overpass
(DUMBO) section of Brooklyn
is one of the newest hubs for
start-up companies. DUMBO
includes “Silicon Beach,” which
Wall Street had 65 digital companies in a
five-block radius at last count —
You’ll find just as many of the largest being Etsy, the online
today’s investment bankers with site for vintage and handmade
engineering degrees as MBAs. clothing and other items.
Home to the world’s largest DUMBO is also the first New
stock exchange, Wall Street York City neighborhood to offer
makes New York City one of the free wireless on its streets and in
world’s prime financial centers. parks and plazas.
31Real-World Symbiosis:
Your Professional Network
Our city is the front door to innovation, and opportunity is always knocking.
In this world capital of culture, media, science, education, health, politics, finance,
and technology, Columbia Engineering’s network can connect you to thousands
of internships, job opportunities, and mentors in coveted firms and organizations.
Access is key for an engineer and that’s what you have when you live in a city that
is home to an amazing percentage of the world’s visionaries, experts, iconic and
next-generation institutions, and global leaders. Active, global, fresh, and exciting,
every opportunity that’s now and next is here.
Columbia’s STEP (Science, Technology,
Engineering Program) Internships
Our STEP summer program places engineering students with firms across
the city and around the country. Here are some of the companies, start-ups, and
organizations Columbia Engineers are interning and working with:
Alcatel-Lucent Jaros, Baum & Bolles
American Express Consulting Engineers
Arup Jefferson Laboratory
E*TRADE Langan Engineering & Rockstar Games
ECI Technology Environmental Services, R3 Energy
Ernst & Young Inc. Sony Music Entertainment
FactSet Research Corporation LimeWire LLC Sunoco
Facebook Lucasfilm Time Warner
BASF GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. Tissue Engineering Group —
Bloomberg L.P. General Dynamics Electric University of Melbourne
Broadcom Boat
Brookhaven National Goldman Sachs
Laboratory Google Major League Baseball
Brooklyn Motorized Greensulate MediaMerx
Corporation Merck U.S. Patent and Trademark
Bug Labs Merrill Lynch Office
Buro Happold Micro Empowering U.S. Department of State
Microsoft U.S. Department of
Morgan Stanley Transportation
HSBC Bank USA U.S. Foreign Service
Hazen and Sawyer Van Dam Engineering
CIA HEICO Aerospace VMWare
Citigroup Institute of Bioengineering
CodeGreen Solutions and Nanotechnology NASA
Columbia Water Center Institute for Myeloma & Bone New York City Mayor’s Office
Con Edison Cancer Research of Operations
Credit Suisse Integral Derivatives LLC New York State Department
of Transportation
Northrop Grumman
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Pfizer
32“One of Columbia’s greatest assets is
its New York City location. I’ve
networked with professionals from
PepsiCo, The New York Times, and
Cisco. And my friends have worked in
Big name companies
like Citigroup,
Facebook, Google, and
Goldman Sachs are a
subway ride away from
both large established companies
campus. The #1 Train,
which runs the length and small start-ups.”
of the city, has a stop
steps from Columbia’s victoria velez
main entrance. Baltimore, MD; Mechanical Engineering
33Global Engineering
Experience
Engineering is synonymous with a global perspective. At least it
should be. Urbanization, public health, poverty, sustainability —
these are global challenges that engineers are uniquely positioned
to tackle. Global engineering for the good of the world is at the
heart of Columbia Engineering. The international flow of ideas
through the work of students and faculty here leads to cooperation
and partnerships with other universities, communities,
companies, NGOs and governmental bodies around the world.
Owning an obligation to help advance society is the
history of Columbia Engineering. It also happens to be the Columbia University
future of engineering. We’ve just been doing it all along.
Global Centers
We have Global Centers in Mumbai,
India; Paris, France; Beijing, China;
Amman, Jordan; Nairobi, Kenya;
Santiago, Chile; Istanbul, Turkey;
and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Columbia
Engineering also partners with Columbia Engineering
undergraduates can
Tsinghua University in Beijing to participate in a 12-
collaborate in cutting-edge genomics week international
and with Jordan University for research experience in
sustainable engineering
Science and Technology in biomedical co-led by the University
engineering and nano-technology. of Campinas.
Global Internships
Columbia students have interned all
The Columbia University over the world including Brazil, France,
Middle East Research Germany, and Scandinavia. Intern
Center is headquartered with the Pasteur Institute in Paris,
in Amman, Jordan,
providing a base for
gaining hands-on laboratory experience
research and projects in biomedical engineering. Work in
throughout the region. forestry and life sciences in Finland or
sustainable engineering in Brazil. The
Columbia Experience Overseas (CEO)
program also offers students dozens of
internship experiences.
34Global Alumni
From pioneering advances in
international shipping and open
management styles to leading
universities and aerospace companies,
Columbia Engineering graduates
are using their expertise in finance
and banking, music and media,
Global Social biotech and education to make a
Responsibility Projects positive and significant impact in the
Students here have abundant international arena.
opportunities to work with
groundbreaking faculty like Professor
of Earth and Environmental
Engineering Kartik Chandran, who has Study Abroad Study in Paris while
continuing your
The Columbia
University network is
developed a revolutionary new model In addition to the many global major in computer nearly 300,000 strong
in water, sanitation, and energy. Or study options available, Columbia science, mechanical or with long-standing
civil engineering, or alumni chapters in
Professor of Mechanical Engineering Engineering students can study applied mathematics cities around the world.
Vijay Modi, who leads the UN abroad through programs designed and physics.
Millennium Project’s efforts on energy specifically for them with Columbia
services and rural infrastructure. Given partner universities, including
our mission of global social impact, École Polytechnique or École Centrale
it’s no coincidence that Columbia’s de Paris in France, University College
chapter of Engineers Without Borders London or Imperial College in
(EWB) was one of the first in the the United Kingdom, and Boğaziçi
country. Our EWB chapter works to University in Turkey.
improve the lives of others locally
and around the world through creative,
sustainable engineering solutions.
“Our role as engineers isn’t to go into
Columbia’s EWB has
current projects
a community and say, ‘This is wrong.
in Ghana, Morocco,
and Uganda. We’ll fix it.’ Our role is to listen
to the people in a community and
understand their goals and work with
them to achieve them.”
patricia culligan
Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
355 Our Students Define Engineering Plus 36
37
Columbia Engineering does not live by
data sets, systems, chemicals, and circuits Going to college in New
York City means living in
alone. An engineering education at Columbia
one of the largest and most
diverse cities in the world,
where you are at the center
University is engineering plus a generous helping of every industry - research,
business, technology, arts,
of a student’s other talents and passions. You get media, publishing, and
more. Going to Columbia
a phenomenal engineering curriculum, faculty, means free and discounted
tickets to theatre, concerts,
and research program. Beyond that you have and museums, ensuring
you’ll have access to all that
New York City offers.
all of Columbia as well as New York City and the
world to expand on your education in almost Not only do you get all
limitless ways. On the next few pages, read five of the advantages of
New York City but also a
students’ personal versions of engineering plus. traditional college campus
with guaranteed campus
housing for all four years.
38Columbia Engineering
Columbia Engineering students are not only part of a world-class engineering
school, they are also part of a top-ranked college of arts and sciences, and one of
the premier research universities in the world.
1,500
undergraduates.
400+
research positions reserved
51
members of the National
17
members of the
for undergraduates. Academy of Sciences. National Academy of
9
Engineering among
40,000+ 15+
current faculty.
academic departments.
Columbia Engineering startups a year in all
16
Alumni Network. kinds of fields, from clean
tech to high-tech,
are created as a result
majors. of the work of Columbia
Engineering faculty
and students.
Columbia University
4,500 13 22
Almost
Columbia College
200
study abroad programs.
graduate and professional libraries.
undergraduates to call schools.
20+
your friends, classmates,
139 4
teammates, and fellow
Columbians.
residence halls.
faculty in the American
80+
affiliate institutions:
Academy of Arts and
500+
● Barnard College
Sciences.
● Jewish Theological
areas of study from Seminary
82
creative writing to ● Teachers College student clubs and
sustainable development. ● Union Theological organizations.
Seminary
Nobel Prize winners are
80%+
Columbia alumni, faculty, or Nearly
of undergraduate
classes have fewer than
former faculty. More Nobel
Laureates have graduated
from or taught at Columbia
300,000
university alumni.
than any other university in
20 students.
the Ivy League.
39Engineering Plus
Theater
60+
a capella, comedy,
Lisa Mack
dance, film, music,
and theatre clubs
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA and organizations.
“In high school I was always branded as a “science kid,” but I’ve always had a
More than a
dozen
passion for theatre. Being a Chemical Engineering major, I was worried I would
have to leave theatre behind, but since coming to Columbia I’ve been able to
act in, play music for, direct, and produce countless plays. How many engineers
can say that they performed in a play on Broadway*? Only Columbia could conservatory-
create an opportunity like that. While what I learn in the classroom will help caliber arts majors
me throughout the rest of my life as an engineer, some of my favorite moments and programs.
at college have been performing a Shakespearean play outside on Low Steps at
midnight or seeing the cast of a play that I directed nail a performance.”
* Our blackbox theatre is on Broadway, so every show I’ve done is technically on Broadway.
The Varsity Show,
an entirely student-run
performance now in its
Major
Chemical Engineering,
120th
year.
Psychology minor
The CU Arts
Activities Initiative offering
free
Theatre, Engineering Student
Council, Residential Programs (I
was a Resident Adviser last year and
I’m a Community Adviser this year). and discounted
Volunteer at St. Luke’s Hospital.
tickets to New York
City cultural events,
Internships and Research
including Broadway
I’ve interned with Advanced
Lubrication Specialties calibrating shows, Lincoln
pressure sensors of oil holding Center concerts, and
tanks. Last year I conducted blockbuster films.
atmospheric chemistry research
with Chemical Engineering Professor
Arts
Faye McNeil and now I am working
in Chemical Engineering Professor
Sanat K Kumar’s lab. His lab
Link
focuses on several areas including
biochemical engineering, composite
materials, interfacial phenomena,
nanotechnology, and polymers.
I’m working on nano-composite A Columbia program
polymer research with him.
allowing professors to
seamlessly include arts
Post-Columbia Plans
and cultural events
Work in the engineering industry
and then go to graduate school. around the city in their
syllabi. Professors can
also take their classes
on self-guided museum
tours with all costs
covered by ArtsLink.
4041
42
Engineering Plus
A Fellowship and Social
Res. Inc.
The mission of the
Engineering-Entrepre-
Entrepreneurship neurship Residential
Initiative or “Res. Inc.” is
Daniel Bell to foster innovation and
entrepreneurship through
Hometown: El Paso, TX a residential community
of engineering students
“I chose Columbia because of the ‘pluses’ and I have intended to have as many as interested in starting new
possible. One of my big pluses is being a Kenneth Cole Community Engagement ventures. It’s a “dorm-
cubator” — a creative,
and Civic Action Fellow. As a Fellow I have the opportunity to work and learn
entrepreneurial environ-
about community engagement and civic action through courses and through
ment for engineering.
hands-on experience in the community during a summer internship. I’ve also
been able to travel to Norway, England, and Italy as a student here. Another
Kenneth
big plus for me is minoring in Entrepreneurship and Innovation so that I can start
my own business one day.”
Major Cole
Electrical Engineering
with minor in Entrepreneurship Fellow-
and Innovation
Activities
ships
Fashion designer Kenneth
I’m very involved with the Multicultural Cole established his
Recruitment Committee — we host namesake fellows program
events, speak to students, and help
throughout the year to bring talented
at Columbia to encourage
students of underrepresented students to become
backgrounds to Columbia. agents of social change.
The program includes
courses, community-based
summer internships,
Internships annual colloquia, and a
As a Kenneth Cole Fellow, I met Mr. unique living-learning
Cole while spending the summer
working with the Community League of
arrangement in Columbia’s
the Heights. My internship focused on residence halls.
helping to develop a new community
center in the neighborhood. I’ve also
been invited to go to Haiti to continue
Our annual
Pitch
community work there with the
Kenneth Cole Fellows.
Post-Columbia Plans Com-
petition
I hope to own my own business
focused on green technology and
innovative ways to develop a more
self-sustaining society.
allows you to pitch your
entrepreneurial ideas and
compete for funding
to launch your business.
4330+
religious/spiritual
campus organizations.
60+
social justice, service,
and student-led
initiatives, clubs, and
organizations.
Community Impact
is one of the largest
community service
organizations in the Ivy
League, in which 950
students participate in
25 community service
programs, serving
more than
Megan Armstrong “One of the projects I’m Activities
8,000
people each year.
Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI involved in is the Columbia Columbia University Peer Health
University Peer Health Exchange; InterVarsity Christian
CU
Fellowship, Social Justice team
Exchange, which gives leader; Columbia Outdoor
Major
teenagers the knowledge Orientation Program (COÖP) leader;
EMS
Biomedical Engineering and skills they need to Columbia Undergraduate Scholars
Program; High School Tutor;
make healthy decisions. Veritas Forum inter-faith discussion
Through the program, I’ve group leader is a student-operated,
been trained as a public New York State-certified,
speaker, gained expertise in Basic Life Support (BLS)
Post-Columbia Plans
health topics, learned how volunteer ambulance
I see three possible paths I
to manage a classroom, and may take: One is working in the corps that provides
discovered I love teaching. biomedical engineering field, prehospital emergency
When I became a leader in taking new technologies to parts
medical care, free of
Civic Engagement the program, I also learned of the world that need them.
Another path would be social charge, to Columbia
to manage groups, which justice work, leading the training University’s Morningside
has been really useful in of social activists and their efforts
Heights neighborhood
at activism. The third option is
other organizations and on — just one way to gain
med school to become a doctor of
engineering projects. None osteopathy, taking everything I’ve hands-on healthcare
of these things would have learned to parts of the world that
experience.
happened if I had not come lack adequate health care.
to Columbia.”
4431
NCAA Division I Sports.
40+
Club Sports.
40+
Intramural Sports.
90
individual Ivy
League titles in the
last five years.
17,000
seat stadium at
Baker Field, home to
Jesse Vella “Athletics brings together Internships and Research
Columbia’s football,
Hometown: New York, NY students from Columbia Biomedical internship at Columbia
Presbyterian under Dr. Levine;
baseball, crew, field
Engineering, Columbia
Landmark Advisors Fund of Funds hockey, football,
College, and Barnard. The Research and Marketing Intern
Major lacrosse, softball,
athletic and academic vision
soccer, tennis, and
Earth and Environmental here are in sync — focused Post-Columbia Plans
track and field teams.
Engineering on scholar-athletes at the Environmental consulting,
highest level — and that preferably for large-scale city
infrastructure.
creates great, well-rounded
people. Being a member of
Columbia’s Men’s Division
I Varsity Soccer Team
introduces a component
of college life that I love.
I feel honored knowing I
Varsity Soccer have developed a wonderful
family away from home.”
45Engineering Plus Instruction in over
Languages, Culture, and 50
foreign languages.
the Great Outdoors
Mike Linshi
Hometown: Naperville, IL 5
pre-orientation
programs:
“There are so many non-engineering interests that I’ve been able to pursue here
at Columbia. I’m very interested in learning new languages and experiencing ● CUE (Columbia Urban
new cultures, and I’ve been able to take multiple semesters of Chinese, Spanish, Experience) —
Community service
and Japanese classes. While I love being in a city like New York, I also have a around New York City
strong interest in nature and the outdoors. As a COÖP leader (Columbia Outdoor ● International Student
Orientation Program), I’ve had the opportunity to test hiking trails in the Catskills Pre-Orientation Program
(ISOP)
over the summer, and share my passion for nature with a group of incoming first- ● 3 COÖPs (Columbia
years on a canoeing trip down the Delaware River in the fall semester. This year, I University Outdoor
lived on and volunteered at an organic farm in upstate New York during spring break. Orientation Programs
— HOP for hiking, BOP
I’ve also been volunteering at a nonprofit farm and education center in the Hudson for biking, ROP for river
Valley aiming to increase awareness of healthy and sustainable food systems.” canoeing)
13
Major
Industrial Engineering and
Operations Research Environmental and
outdoor clubs:
● Columbia Barnard Earth
Activities Coalition
● Consilience: The Journal of
Undergraduate Recruitment
Sustainable Development
Committee; COÖP leader;
● CoreFoods Food
Class Council.
Cooperative
● Cycling
● Equestrian
● Hiking
● Kayak
● Road Runners
Internships ● Rock Climbing
During the summers I’ve had ● Sailing
internships at an investment firm in ● Ski
Chicago and a management consulting ● Students for Economic and
firm in New York. One semester Environmental Justice
during the school year, I interned in ● Triathlon
the sales department of the major
American fashion label Marc Jacobs.
Post-Columbia Plans
I’ll be staying in New York and working
at a management consulting firm with a
focus on the financial services industry.
I’m excited to stay in the city, and to
be directly applying my academic
background in optimization and
analysis. One day, I’d really like to start
my own business — something that my
parents have done and that I respect
and admire greatly.
4647
6 Future Smart 48
49
More than ever before, leadership in every
field requires a deep understanding of Designed in the Beaux-
Arts style by acclaimed
science and technology. That’s “future
architects McKim,
Mead, and White, the
Columbia University
smart.” Columbia Engineering is the perfect campus has been
described as one of
education for such leadership because the great urban spaces
in America.
we integrate top engineering majors and
research, technological innovation, and
a stellar humanities education like no other
82%
admit rate to medical
engineering school can or does. Graduates school, almost
twice the national
define “future smart” — becoming trailblazers average, and equally
high acceptance
in every field from biomedicine and banking rates into the most
to education, environmentalism, and selective graduate and
professional schools.
entrepreneurism to security, shipping, and
social media to corporate leadership and Sampling of
city planning. employers hiring
new Columbia
Engineering
graduates:
● Accenture
● AllianceBernstein
● AT&T
● BlackRock
● CitiGroup
● Deutsche Bank
● Goldman Sachs
● Google
● IBM
● JPMorgan Chase
● Teach For America
The
top
three
graduate schools
attended by Columbia
College and Columbia
Engineering graduates
are Columbia
University, Harvard
University and
Stanford University.
50Trailblazing Alumni
Clues to the Innovating to
Universe Educate
Just a few months after mindset—a way of looking “From my science and improve performance of
NASA astronaut Mike at a problem—that helps engineering background, U.S. high school students
Massimino and his team him the most. “Engineering I learned discipline, in STEM (science,
successfully updated the teaches you how to solve problem solving, turning technology, engineering,
Hubble Space telescope, problems. It teaches you to complexity into simplicity, and math) subjects.
21 new galaxies were look at a problem, decide managing by fact—all of “We need more people
identified. Massimino finds what’s important, and break these are fundamental to pursue engineering
himself regularly falling it down into something you attributes of successful careers, especially women
back on what he learned can engage.” engineers and, I believe, and minorities, because
as a Columbia Engineering Michael J . Massimino ’84 of successful leaders,” says our companies are better
student. In particular, he NASA Astronaut Xerox CEO Ursula Burns. when we build engineering
says, it’s the engineering In addition to leading communities that are
Xerox, she was appointed diverse.… I want to help
by President Obama to help them get there.”
lead Educate to Innovate, Ursula Burns ’82
an initiative intended to CEO, Xerox Corporation
A view of the
Northwest Corner
Building, an
interdisciplinary
science and
engineering building
that includes —
among other state-
of-the-art resources
— one of the world’s
largest science and
engineering libraries.
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