The State of McCormick 2009

[Sam_Lee]

<p><a href=“http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/docs/MEAS%20Strat%20Plan.pdf[/url]”>http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/docs/MEAS%20Strat%20Plan.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

Engineering is now a foundational discipline; students with degrees in engineering pursue a multitude of career options. Regardless of the fields they choose, engineering thinking
stays with them. We believe that creative engineering — engineering thinking with lasting impact — requires whole-brain engineers. Engineering is an activity grounded in analysis, logic, synthesis, and math — all considered elements of left-brain or convergent thinking. Left-brain skills are essential in engineering, but to prosper in this rapidly changing world and to foster adaptability and cross-linking, we need to add another high-level thinking skill: right-brain or divergent thinking — the thinking that is at the root of intuition, artistic ability, and creativity. If innovation and leadership are the goals, divergent thinking is a must.</p>

<p>One way, though not the only way, to infuse right-brain thinking in engineering is through design.
Design is one McCormick’s core competencies. Our view of design is broad: it extends from product design to systems design to design of services, and it includes such areas as health-care systems, financial products, and architecture. </p>

<p>At both the undergraduate and graduate levels we are interested in design because we want to foster design thinking — the ability to solve the right problem behind the perceived problem. Engineering teaches problem solving; design teaches problem framing. These skills differentiate our students from their peers.

</p>

[Sam_Lee]

<p>Undergraduate students

We have worked closely with the Office of Undergraduate
Admission in several ways to redefine the quality and skills needed by the engineering students
of the future. Undergraduate applications in engineering have increased 23 percent over the
past three years, and the selectivity percentage (percent of applicants admitted) has improved
by 5 percent. Applications for the class entering fall 2009 increased 7.5 percent
over the previous year. In addition:
• McCormick has the highest SAT math and verbal scores (1447) among the six undergraduate
schools at Northwestern
• The student body represents high levels of diversity for an engineering program:
30 percent of McCormick undergraduates are women vs. 17 percent nationally
• 35 percent of students participate in the Walter P. Murphy Cooperative Engineering
Education Program; most others do internships or research
• 55 percent of our students do on-campus research during the academic year
• 20 percent of the McCormick curriculum is in the humanities, social sciences, and
communication (the U.S. average for engineering schools is 8–12 percent)

</p>

[tenisghs]

<p>Not bad, not bad at all. McCormick graduates come out with a well-rounded education. Go NU!</p>

[OHZark]

<p>This curriculum really is different from most Engineering schools and it seems to align well with the National Academy of Engineering’s viewpoint of “The Engineer of 2020, Visions of Engineers in the New Century”, the basic idea being that engineers must be more well rounded to deal with Globalization and be able to integrate well with other disciplines to make changes that the world needs. They actually suggest a Masters of Engineering type of degree (not Masters of Science) with the undergraduate degree being more liberal arts-oriented. </p>

<p>Their focus on creativity/design and integration of math/science with real world problem solving for clients starting Freshman year is what attracted my son to McCormick and he’ll be attending Fall 2009.</p>

[Sam_Lee]

<p>As a former practicing engineer who went through the traditional (old for NU) curriculum, I honestly believe what NU has now is far better than what I had before. Actually I did my freshmen year at WashU but it would have been the same just about everywhere else, including NU at that time. There’s usually hardly any engineering, let alone real engineering design, in the first year in most other schools today. </p>

<p>[Engineering</a> First - EA1: Home](<a href=“http://ea1.mccormick.northwestern.edu/home/]Engineering”>http://ea1.mccormick.northwestern.edu/home/) shows the sample syllabus/course materials for EA-1 (the first of the 4-course sequence)</p>

[tenisghs]

<p>Sam Lee, you’re not doing engineering work anymore?</p>

[Sam_Lee]

<p>No. Back to school.</p>

[Sam_Lee]

<p>Two NU teams won the top two prizes (Grand and Most Creative) of The 2009 DiabetesMine™ Design Challenge. There were over 150 entries and teams from UC Berkeley, Harvard, Stanford, and MIT! </p>

<p>[ANNOUNCING OUR WINNERS: The 2009 DiabetesMine? Design Challenge - DiabetesMine: the all things diabetes blog](<a href=“Diabetes Blog: Diabetes Information, News & Resources”>Diabetes Blog: Diabetes Information, News & Resources)</p>