Cockrell School of Engineering
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| Established | 1894 |
|---|---|
| Official name | The Cockrell School of Engineering |
| University | University of Texas at Austin |
| School type | Public |
| Endowment | $144 million |
| Dean | Gregory L. Fenves |
| Faculty | 247 |
| Undergraduates | 5,047 |
| Graduates | 2,125 |
| Location | Austin, Texas, USA |
The Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (formerly known as the College of Engineering) has more than 7,100 students enrolled in nine undergraduate degrees and seventeen graduate programs. Each program is consistently ranked in the top twenty nationally. The college is ranked 6th in the world according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities and 11th by U.S. News Report. Housing the fourth largest (behind MIT, Stanford, and University of California, Berkeley) number of National Academy of Engineering members in the faculty, the Cockrell School of Engineering is highly respected worldwide.
Contents |
[edit] Undergraduate departments
College of Engineering undergraduate departments. Rankings, in parentheses, taken from the 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report unless otherwise specified.
- Overall: 10th
- Aerospace (8th)
- Biomedical (19th)
- Chemical (7th)
- Civil (4th)
- Computer (8th)
- Electrical/Electronic (10th)
- Environmental (7th)
- Materials (18th)
- Mechanical (10th)
- Petroleum/Geosystems (1st)
[edit] Graduate departments
Overall: 8th[1] This source is incomplete. Does not actually show any statistics.
[edit] Name Change
On July 11th, 2007, The University of Texas at Austin renamed the College of Engineering to the Cockrell School of Engineering after Ernest Cockrell Jr., a 1936 UT graduate whose family has, over the past 30 years, helped to build a $130 million endowment. [2]
[edit] Traditions
[edit] The Ramshorn
The Ramshorn is one of the most prominent symbols associated with the College of Engineering. Its origins as such can be traced back to over a century ago, when T.U. Taylor, the first engineering faculty member and first dean of the College, began drawing the elaborate checkmark on students' work. A mark reserved for perfect papers, Taylor overheard a student remark he had received a "ramshorn" in 1905, from which the symbol took on its current interpretation and significance. For current engineering students, it is a reminder of the high quality standards associated with all UT Austin engineers, past and present.
[edit] Alexander Frederick Claire
Alec is one of the most well-known traditions known of the College of Engineering. Over nearly 100 years, Alec has had his share of adventures; however, his beginnings as the patron saint of the College came as the byproduct of the efforts of a group of clever, mischievous sophomore engineers back in 1908.
Joe H. Gill and his engineering friends thoughtfully considered how to make a holiday of April Fool's Day. After an unsuccessful attempt involving tying cans around dogs' tails and releasing them to disrupt class, the group of students saw a wooden statue about five feet high while getting refreshments, which they requested to borrow. The next day, Gill presented the statue as their patron saint and traced his ancestry back to ancient times between classes. The presentation successfully broke up classes, and led to his christening as Alexander Frederick Claire, patron saint of UT engineers, exactly one year later. Alec was at the center of a friendly rivalry between law and engineering students for many years, and was subject to numerous escapades such as kidnappings and amputations. Today, what is left of the original wooden statue is safely preserved in the engineering library.
Every year, engineering groups on campus build new Alecs which are then voted on by the students. The winner is announced on April 1st during Alec's birthday party.
[edit] Notable faculty
- John B. Goodenough, responsible for research leading to creation of lithium-ion battery
- Hans Mark, former Secretary of the Air Force and Deputy Administrator of NASA
- Yale Patt, inventor of the WOS module, the first complex logic gate implemented on a single piece of silicon
- Ilya Prigogine, recipient of 1977 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to non-equilibrium thermodynamics
[edit] Student Organizations
- The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is an active student organization within the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University. Its membership consists of approximately 300 ME students. Over the past few years, ASME has worked hard to develop ties outside the community and works with corporations to further diversify the major. Most notably, ASME has received many awards and accolades including winning the EWEEK trophy the past 3 years.
- The Roden Leadership Program was created by The Clint W. Murchison Chair of Free Enterprise to recruit and retain students with strong potential and interest in leadership. Initiated in the Fall of 2001 with a gift from Mr. Ted Roden (B.S. Ch.E. 1943), the Roden program was founded to cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit in these students. The Program limits itself to no more than 21 members at a given time. It's mission is "To a make a positive impact on the world around us by developing leadership in ourselves and inspiring leadership in others." [3]
- SEC (Student Engineering Council) is the umbrella organization of all the engineering societies with over 30 organizations affiliated. They run the Engineering EXPO, which is the 2nd largest student-run career fair in the United States, and appropriate thousands of dollars to engineering student organizations.
- SEEK (Student Engineers Educating Kids) is an active group of 60 volunteers that participate in over 1500 hours of community service per year.
- TBP(Tau Beta PI - Engineering Honors Society) is an active honor society which provides students of exemplary academics and outstanding character an opportunity to make a contribution to the university. It serves both a social and community needs through its various activities.
- HKN(Eta Kappa Nu - Electrical and Computer Engineering Honor Society) is an active student organization in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and in the Austin community. In addition, HKN sponsors student activities throughout the year.
