Page 10 - Imagine Yourself at UCMerced

School of Engineering
10 | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED
Dear Future Engineer:
It It is wonderful that you are interested in studying engineering at UC Merced. Our engineering profession is at
the epicenter of ways for improving lives in both the developing and developed worlds. You will have the
opportunity to learn with us about how engineering and appropriate technology helps people. From the time
you enter our program you will be exposed to new technologies that will become the tools that you will use in
solving problems and delivering exciting new products and services to society. Your experiences both inside
and outside the classroom will provide a solid foundation for a career of leadership and responsibility.
You have embarked on an exciting journey. Your engineering education at UC Merced will be both challenging and satisfying, and will
give you the chance to meet some extraordinary people: world-class faculty, committed fellow students, dedicated staff, and partners
from the local community and around the world. The global social network you will develop in engineering and beyond during your
time at UC Merced will last throughout your career.
Your education in Engineering is a launching pad. Some of you will go on to pursue careers in engineering design, others will become
engineering managers, and still others will pursue graduate education in engineering or perhaps go into international development or
other professions such as medicine or law. Once you master the methods of engineering problem-solving, you will have the skills and
flexibility to chart your own course and to adapt to whatever your future holds.
Congratulations on your vision and initiative. I look forward to welcoming you into our program and watching you develop into a
technical leader for tomorrow.
E. DANIEL HIRLEMAN
Dean, School of Engineering
Highlights
UC MERCED GRADUATE STUDENT
BRANDI MCKUIN spent time studying the
energy needs of rural villages in India that
have been told by their government that
they’ll never get electricity. Her work was
part of a larger project designed to find
renewable energy and other sustainability-
related solutions for those villages. And
the project is a prime example of the work
being done by Engineers for a Sustainable
World (ESW), a research network head-
quartered at UC Merced.
STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE
ENGINEERING SERVICE LEARNING
CLASS, through the Foster Family
Center for Engineering Service
Learning, installed a stationary,
solar-powered web camera in the
Los Banos wetlands area. Now
anyone with a computer can view
the wildlife area as often as they
wish and learn about the plants and
animals they see.
UC MERCED PROFESSOR ASHLIE
MARTINI joined UC Merced because
she wanted to make an impact. She is
a former world-class judo athlete who
once had aspirations of competing
in the Olympics. Her research focus
is tribology‚ the study of the interac-
tion between surfaces in motion and
issues such as friction, lubrication and
wear. Martini says of UC Merced‚ “The
best part is interacting with the dedi-
cated faculty and staff and working
together to help UC Merced grow.”