What a privilege it is to serve as Dean of the Cal State LA College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology!
We have such an amazing community. Everyone is committed to helping one another – students helping and mentoring their peers, faculty creating opportunities for growth inside and outside of the classroom, staff providing the necessary support for our students to thrive, industry and community partners sharing their knowledge and expertise, and our wonderful alumni giving back in so many ways!
Ever since joining Cal State LA as a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering more than 30 years ago, I’ve known that Cal State LA is a special place. Recently, the rest of the world is also learning what an amazing place this is. Just this Fall, Cal State LA was recognized by Washington Monthly as the “Best Bang for the Buck in the West” and received the INSIGHT into Diversity magazine’s 2023 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award.
Photo: Dean Warter-Perez with students in the new ECST CoLab
Within the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology (ECST), we value the diverse lived experiences of our students, faculty, and staff. Collectively, we work together to provide students with educational experiences that build upon their wealth of knowledge and help transform their lives. What we do and who we are is captured well by our college motto – “Commit to Excellence. Engage in Community.” We hope this issue of ECST InSights gives you a sense of how we are living our motto.
As you’ll learn in this issue, our faculty are committed to excellence in teaching and research, as evidenced by:
- Dr. David Blekhman (Professor of Engineering Technology and Director of the Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility) was awarded the prestigious Wang Family Award by the CSU Trustees.
- Dr. J. Chris Bachman (Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the ECST Makerspace) was awarded the Cal State LA Outstanding Professor Award.
- Dr. Negin Forouzesh (Assistant Professor of Computer Science) was awarded a prestigious National Institutes of Health Support for Research Excellence grant.
Photo: Students building community and working together in the ECST CoLab
Community is the hallmark of ECST, and over the past year, we have been strengthening and growing support for our communities – both on campus and in our neighboring cities. To help our students build community, and knowing that engineers and computer scientists gain a deeper understanding of complex problems and develop better solutions when they work collaboratively, we opened a new space for our students this fall – the Creative Collaborations Laboratory (CoLab). One of my favorite things to do at the end of the day is to stop by the CoLab and see our students working together and supporting one another!
Our students are not only supporting each other, they are also giving back to their communities and building their professional identities in our newest college initiative, IMPACT LA – Increasing Momentum through Partnerships and Community Transformation in Los Angeles.
We hope you enjoy learning about the IMPACT LA initiative and other happenings within the college in this issue of ECST InSights. We would also love to hear from you and connect!
Nancy Warter-Perez, Dean
College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology
California State University, Los Angeles