SHARE:  
Banner - College

Winter 2024

Dear Drexel Engineering Alumni,


I recently had the pleasure of visiting beloved former Dean Emeritus Richard Woodring and his wife Marie to share the exciting news of an endowed professorship honoring his incredible, multi-decade impact on Drexel Engineering. As I sat with Dean Emeritus Woodring, he vividly recalled advising generations of students, seeing them gain confidence through hands-on learning, and watching them become industry leaders. His profound commitment to empowering students established the foundation for our college's continued leadership in engineering education.


As this newsletter demonstrates, our college continues to build on traditions Dean Woodring instilled. Our students launch cutting-edge experiments while analyzing real-world challenges. Our faculty earn international recognition for breakthrough discoveries that improve lives. And with hands-on education and dedicated support from the Dragon family as a foundation, our alumni become diverse leaders who confidently shape the future. I hope you'll take pride in these stories that show the enduring impact of Dean Woodring's legacy. Please join me in honoring his profound influence on generations of Drexel Engineers.


With gratitude,

Sharon L. Walker, PhD

Dean and Distinguished Professor


Alumni Spotlight

Driven by Developing Impactful Solutions, Alumna Excels

Padma Narayan has spent her career using innovation to help patients and customers. One of her recent projects - a pill to help with postpartum depression - was recognized as one of Time magazine's best inventions of 2023. Read more

Dedication Leads Alum from Drexel to Dallas

A first-generation college student turned nationally-recognized industry leader, Patrick Williams applies the tireless dedications and resilience forged at Drexel to clear new runways for personal and professional success. Read more

Drexel Announces Professorship Honoring Dean Woodring

The College of Engineering is proud to share that an alumnus of the college has made a leadership gift toward establishing the Richard Woodring ’54, HD ’10 Professor, honoring the remarkable legacy of Dean of Engineering Emeritus and Professor Emeritus Dr. Richard "Dick" Woodring.

Faculty News

Barsoum Named National Academy of Inventors Fellow

Election as a Fellow is the highest distinction awarded to academic inventors and celebrates “inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society.”

May Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society

May was elected “[f]or significant contributions to the understanding of structural, electronic, and magnetic properties in complex oxide heterostructures.”

Longsview Fellowships Support Interdisciplinary Research

The Longsview Fellowships foster interdisciplinary collaboration at the intersections of Drexel researchers’ existing expertise.

Carleone Awards Support Ambitious Engineering Research

Ania-Ariadna Baetica and Arvin Ebrahimkhanlou are the recipients of this year’s Carleone Faculty Award, which celebrates faculty who demonstrate a commitment to the pillars identified in the college's strategic plan. The program is supported by three-time alumnus Joseph Carleone, Chairman of Avid Bioservices.

Student Stories

MXene Immune Cell Research Takes Flight

Benj Chacon, a PhD researcher in the AJ Drexel Nanomaterials Institute (DNI), traveled to Bordeaux, France, to become a passenger on a parabolic flight, where he performed small-scale experiments to determine how immune cells react to MXenes.

Seeds of Change Grow Through Community Collaboration

Lydia Cowles is getting first-hand experience making a difference in the community through a research project examining recurrent flooding issues in Philadelphia’s Eastwick neighborhood.

Eclipse Balloon Project Provides Insight on Ozone Chemistry

A team of Drexel University engineering students traveled Texas this fall to launch a high-altitude balloon during the October 14 solar eclipse. Their goal was to study the rapid changes in ozone chemistry that occur when sunlight is temporarily blocked by the moon during an eclipse.

Experience Education

Drexel University's newest TV ad features MXenes, a family of two-dimensional materials with world-changing properties that were discovered here in 2011 and are the focus of the work in the Drexel Nanomaterials Institute. When you #ExperienceDrexel, you discover how education can unlock incredible possibilities.

Watch the Ad
Read More

Become a Lifelong Learner

Did you know? Drexel alumni are eligible for a 30% discount on master’s degree tuition. Also, select full-time programs also now offer a graduate co-op option. Please join us for an information session to learn about our graduate programs. Learn more

In the News

Arvin Ebrahimkhanlou, PhD, assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, was quoted in a Jan. 31 Interesting Engineering story about his research, with doctoral research assistant Ali Alamdari, to develop an AI-guided system for detecting and monitoring cracks in concrete surfaces.


Research on concrete that can release heat to melt ice and snow, led by Amir Farnam, PhD, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, was mentioned in a Jan. 29 Morning AgClips post about the damage caused by road salt.


Abieyuwa Aghayere, PhD, professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, authored a Jan. 16 piece in The Conversation about what can be done to help prevent building collapses.


Caroline Schauer, PhD, Margaret C. Burns chair in Engineering, and Amir Farnam, PhD, associate professor civil, architectural and environmental engineering, were quoted in an Jan. 10 Tech Briefs story about their work with Ahmad Najafi, PhD, PC Chou assistant professor in mechanical engineering and mechanics and Christopher Sales, PhD, associate professor of CAEE, to develop a self-healing concrete system using bacteria.


Mira Olson, PhD, associate professor civil, architectural and environmental engineering, was interviewed on the Jan. 10 episode of KYW-Newsradio’s “In Depth” podcast discussing her research with Patrick Gurian, PhD, professor of CAEE, projecting more shortfalls in the Schuylkill Watershed over the next 20 years due to climate change.


Michel Barsoum PhD, Distinguished Professor, was quoted in a Jan. 1 Specialty Fabrics Review story about his research to develop a nanofilament material that can help to remove toxic dye residues from water.


Sharon L. Walker, PhD, Dean and Distinguished Professor, was featured on the website of the USC Environmental Studies program, now part of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, as part of a roundup of alumni who have become leaders in environmental studies over the program's thirty years.


Support COE Today

Consider making a gift to the College of Engineering to help our ambitious undergraduate and graduate students and support strategic college priorities. Questions? Contact Lauren Anglum at lcg63@drexel.edu.

Make a Gift
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  Linkedin