2008-2009 Bulletin – PDF - SEAS Bulletin - Columbia University

A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
The great scientist-engineer Theodore
Von Karman said that “scientists
discover the world that exists;
engineers create the world that never was.”
That clear-cut distinction between science
and engineering might have been true in the
mid twentieth century, but it is not true now.
Engineering and applied science and their
analytical precepts are an integral part of
endeavors that were formerly thought of
as pure science.
Since the 1990s, there has been a
blending of pure science, with its applications,
and engineering where the project
technical objectives, not the discipline,
drives the research initiatives. In addition,
the realization now exists that the analytical
tools of engineering practice and research
can be applied successfully to a broad
range of professions, especially in business
and finance. In many ways, engineering has
become the new liberal art, providing a firm
intellectual foundation for many different
types of careers.
Columbia Engineering’s program of
study, both undergraduate and graduate,
is designed to meet the new reality of the
world in which we live. Our School has
long recognized the need for collaboration
among and between scientific and technological
disciplines to solve some of the
world’s most intractable problems. We have
also fostered connections with Columbia’s
other major professional schools in areas
of overlapping interest. Because of this
foresight, our School will continue to serve
as a dynamic hub for the intellectual and
scientific forces of the University.
On the undergraduate level, we offer
you Columbia’s famed Core Curriculum and
the opportunity to minor in an evergrowing
range of liberal arts subjects, from English
and history to philosophy and music. In
addition to the variety of academic options,
research opportunities abound. Last year,
there were more than 260 research projects
available for undergraduates alone. The
research opportunities are even more
numerous for graduate students.
On all levels of study, Columbia
Engineering provides the tools of modern
technology and rigorous academic programs
to allow you to pursue your goals, whether
they are interdisciplinary, business-oriented,
or within traditional engineering fields. We
welcome you to take full advantage of the
opportunities our world-class teaching and
research university offers.
Gerald A. Navratil
Interim Dean
Morton B. Friedman
Vice Dean
SEAS 2008–2009