From The College of Engineering
At
4.15.24
Brooke Fisher
The Emerging Leaders in Engineering program empowers undergraduates with advanced leadership skills to help shape the future of engineering.
At last October’s National College Fair in Seattle, Engineering Ambassadors talk to prospective students and families about how and why they should apply to UW Engineering.
When civil and environmental engineering senior Jake Eko interviews for jobs, there’s one thing that prospective employers are eager to learn more about: the Emerging Leaders in Engineering (ELE) program. “Employers love to ask questions about it,” Eko says.
Since it was founded six years ago, the ELE program has equipped hundreds of undergraduate engineering students with advanced leadership skills that complement their technical coursework. While some ELE students coordinate recruitment and outreach events to inspire the next generation of engineers, others teach makerspace workshops or mentor first-year engineering students.
“If they’re trained in leadership and trained as an engineer, students can go on to lead tomorrow’s companies,” says Dan Ratner, associate dean of academic affairs in the College of Engineering. “We see students come out of their shells. The ELE students become empowered and feel like they can answer questions, serve as an example and be looked up to.”
From founding to flourishing
The program has more than doubled in size since its launch. This year, 100 engineering students were selected from a record-breaking 318 applicants. Participating students, who receive scholarships and course credit, are spread across three sub-programs: Engineering Ambassadors (EAs), Engineering Design Coaches (EDCs) and Engineering Peer Educators (EPEs).
In addition to student leadership development, the ELE program helps support the Direct-to-College admission process, which admits first-year students directly to the College of Engineering with guaranteed access to an engineering major. Since incoming students — of which there are more than 1,000 — have one year before ranking their preferred engineering majors, the EPEs help guide them through an exploration process. Meanwhile, the EDCs provide hands-on technical instruction and the EAs ensure that prospective students and families understand the admissions process.
“The ELE students are hungry for this kind of experience and leadership opportunity,” says Shanai Lechtenberg, the college’s senior director for student academic services. “Many of the students share that this is the most impactful thing they’ve ever done at UW.”
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ELE student sub-groups
-Engineering Ambassadors: Students connect with elementary, middle and high school students, as well as transfer students, through outreach and recruitment events to inspire interest in engineering. In 2022-23, they engaged with 4,000 students during 18 events.
-Engineering Design Coaches: Students design and lead hands-on workshops in makerspaces for undergraduates. In 2022-23, they taught 23 workshops to 247 students.
-Engineering Peer Educators: Students mentor first-year engineering students by leading a course within students’ E-FIGs. In 2022-23, they supported more than 1,000 incoming students.
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Shaping a skillset
Considering what type of leader they want to be is an important first step for ELE students. A training course culminates with students writing a leadership philosophy. They also receive specialized instruction geared toward their specific sub-program. Together, the cohort learns high-level leadership skills such as facilitation, creating inclusive learning environments and public speaking.
The program utilizes expertise both within the college and across campus. The college’s Office of Inclusive Excellence offers diversity, equity and inclusion training, while speech coaching is provided by the Communication Department’s Center for Speech & Debate. One of the most frequent comments from ELE students is that they have greater confidence when addressing a large audience.
“We would have group presentations in engineering classes, but no one teaches you how to do them,” explains bioengineering senior Aditi Prabhala, who has participated in the program for three years. “I’ve become a better public speaker and can effectively present information. Learning how to communicate in a way that is effective for everyone involved will be beneficial in my career.”
Another key set of skills is curriculum building and lesson planning. As an Engineering Peer Educator, Eko facilitated a GEN ST 199: University Community course as part of an Engineering First-Year Interest Group (E-FIG), with lessons geared toward exploring the 11 engineering majors and interdisciplinary career pathways.
“I learned a teaching skillset where I can go into groups and have a work-together mindset,” explains Eko. “In terms of engineering being a very technical field, this exposes soft skills — I can say I worked with 25 freshmen and taught a course. It’s one of the experiences that will have the most meaningful impact on my future.”
In addition, Prabhala and Eko list a variety of other essential leadership skills that they’ve honed — from accountability to active listening to leading outreach activities.
“As an engineering ambassador, we did a lot of outreach, such as workshops for transfer students and hosting elementary schools on campus for tours,” says Prabhala. “A lot of people depended on us.”
Applying mentorship to management
Employed at Boeing, alumnus Derek Wei (BSME ’20) started as a test engineer and is now an acting manager. The mentoring skills he developed as an EPE have been particularly helpful in advancing his career in a short amount of time, he says.
“I’ve been able to mentor folks on the team and help direct reports with removing roadblocks and overcoming challenges,” says Wei, who was awarded the 2020 Outstanding EPE of the Year award. “Being a peer educator helped me do that, especially having experience connecting with individuals, figuring out how to relate to them, and being a helping hand.”
Supporting roles
The success of the ELE program wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of the following staff members:
Shanai Lechtenberg – Senior Director for Student Academic Services
Lauren Fryhle – Associate Director of Advising & Student Engagement
Eli Williams – Recruitment and Youth Engagement Program Manager
Allie Carpenter – Lead Academic Adviser
Dei Caudle – Instructional Technician
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About The College of Engineering
Mission, Facts, and Stats
Our mission is to develop outstanding engineers and ideas that change the world.
Achievements:
NSF Young Investigator/Early Career Awards
Sloan Foundation Research Awards
MacArthur Foundation Fellows
A national leader in educating engineers, each year the College turns out new discoveries, inventions and top-flight graduates, all contributing to the strength of our economy and the vitality of our community.
Engineering innovation
Engineers drive the innovation economy and are vital to solving society’s most challenging problems. The College of Engineering is a key part of a world-class research university in a thriving hub of aerospace, biotechnology, global health and information technology innovation. Over 50% of The University of Washington startups come from the College of Engineering.
Commitment to diversity and access
The College of Engineering is committed to developing and supporting a diverse student body and faculty that reflect and elevate the populations we serve. We are a national leader in women in engineering. We offer a robust set of diversity programs for students and faculty.
Research and commercialization
The University of Washington is an engine of economic growth, today ranked third in the nation for the number of startups launched each year, with 65 companies having been started in the last five years alone by UW students and faculty, or with technology developed here. The College of Engineering is a key contributor to these innovations, and engineering faculty, students or technology are behind half of all UW startups. UW receives over $1.6 billion in total research awards from federal and nonfederal sources.
The University of Washington is one of the world’s preeminent public universities. Our impact on individuals, on our region, and on the world is profound — whether we are launching young people into a boundless future or confronting the grand challenges of our time through undaunted research and scholarship. Ranked very highly in the world in Shanghai Jiao Tong University rankings and educating more than 54,000 students annually, our students and faculty work together to turn ideas into impact and in the process transform lives and our world. For more about our impact on the world, every day.
So, what defines us —the students, faculty and community members at the University of Washington? Above all, it’s our belief in possibility and our unshakable optimism. It’s a connection to others, both near and far. It’s a hunger that pushes us to tackle challenges and pursue progress. It’s the conviction that together we can create a world of good. Join us on the journey.
The University of Washington is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in downtown Seattle approximately a decade after the city’s founding to aid its economic development. Today, the university’s 703-acre main Seattle campus is in the University District above the Montlake Cut, within the urban Puget Sound region of the Pacific Northwest. The university has additional campuses in Tacoma and Bothell. Overall, University of Washington encompasses over 500 buildings and over 20 million gross square footage of space, including one of the largest library systems in the world with more than 26 university libraries, as well as the UW Tower, lecture halls, art centers, museums, laboratories, stadiums, and conference centers. The university offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees through 140 departments in various colleges and schools, sees a total student enrollment of over 46,000 annually, and functions on a quarter system.
University of Washington is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity”. According to the National Science Foundation, UW spends billions on research and development, ranking it very highly in the nation. As the flagship institution of the six public universities in Washington state, it is known for its medical, engineering and scientific research as well as its highly competitive computer science and engineering programs. Additionally, University of Washington continues to benefit from its deep historic ties and major collaborations with numerous technology giants in the region, such as Amazon, Boeing, Nintendo, and particularly Microsoft. Paul G. Allen, Bill Gates and others spent significant time at Washington computer labs for a startup venture before founding Microsoft and other ventures. The University of Washington’s 22 varsity sports teams are also highly competitive, competing as the Huskies in the Pac-12 Conference of the NCAA Division I, representing the United States at the Olympic Games, and other major competitions.
The university has been affiliated with many notable alumni and faculty, including Nobel Prize laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, Fulbright Scholars, Rhodes Scholars and Marshall Scholars.
In 1854, territorial governor Isaac Stevens recommended the establishment of a university in the Washington Territory. Prominent Seattle-area residents, including Methodist preacher Daniel Bagley, saw this as a chance to add to the city’s potential and prestige. Bagley learned of a law that allowed United States territories to sell land to raise money in support of public schools. At the time, Arthur A. Denny, one of the founders of Seattle and a member of the territorial legislature, aimed to increase the city’s importance by moving the territory’s capital from Olympia to Seattle. However, Bagley eventually convinced Denny that the establishment of a university would assist more in the development of Seattle’s economy. Two universities were initially chartered, but later the decision was repealed in favor of a single university in Lewis County provided that locally donated land was available. When no site emerged, Denny successfully petitioned the legislature to reconsider Seattle as a location in 1858.
In 1861, scouting began for an appropriate 10 acres (4 ha) site in Seattle to serve as a new university campus. Arthur and Mary Denny donated eight acres, while fellow pioneers Edward Lander, and Charlie and Mary Terry, donated two acres on Denny’s Knoll in downtown Seattle. More specifically, this tract was bounded by 4th Avenue to the west, 6th Avenue to the east, Union Street to the north, and Seneca Streets to the south.
John Pike, for whom Pike Street is named, was the university’s architect and builder. It was opened on November 4, 1861, as the Territorial University of Washington. The legislature passed articles incorporating the University, and establishing its Board of Regents in 1862. The school initially struggled, closing three times: in 1863 for low enrollment, and again in 1867 and 1876 due to funds shortage. University of Washington awarded its first graduate Clara Antoinette McCarty Wilt in 1876, with a bachelor’s degree in science.
19th century relocation
By the time Washington state entered the Union in 1889, both Seattle and the University had grown substantially. University of Washington’s total undergraduate enrollment increased from 30 to nearly 300 students, and the campus’s relative isolation in downtown Seattle faced encroaching development. A special legislative committee, headed by University of Washington graduate Edmond Meany, was created to find a new campus to better serve the growing student population and faculty. The committee eventually selected a site on the northeast of downtown Seattle called Union Bay, which was the land of the Duwamish, and the legislature appropriated funds for its purchase and construction. In 1895, the University relocated to the new campus by moving into the newly built Denny Hall. The University Regents tried and failed to sell the old campus, eventually settling with leasing the area. This would later become one of the University’s most valuable pieces of real estate in modern-day Seattle, generating millions in annual revenue with what is now called the Metropolitan Tract. The original Territorial University building was torn down in 1908, and its former site now houses the Fairmont Olympic Hotel.
The sole-surviving remnants of Washington’s first building are four 24-foot (7.3 m), white, hand-fluted cedar, Ionic columns. They were salvaged by Edmond S. Meany, one of the University’s first graduates and former head of its history department. Meany and his colleague, Dean Herbert T. Condon, dubbed the columns as “Loyalty,” “Industry,” “Faith”, and “Efficiency”, or “LIFE.” The columns now stand in the Sylvan Grove Theater.
20th century expansion
Organizers of the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition eyed the still largely undeveloped campus as a prime setting for their world’s fair. They came to an agreement with Washington’s Board of Regents that allowed them to use the campus grounds for the exposition, surrounding today’s Drumheller Fountain facing towards Mount Rainier. In exchange, organizers agreed Washington would take over the campus and its development after the fair’s conclusion. This arrangement led to a detailed site plan and several new buildings, prepared in part by John Charles Olmsted. The plan was later incorporated into the overall University of Washington campus master plan, permanently affecting the campus layout.
Both World Wars brought the military to campus, with certain facilities temporarily lent to the federal government. In spite of this, subsequent post-war periods were times of dramatic growth for the University. The period between the wars saw a significant expansion of the upper campus. Construction of the Liberal Arts Quadrangle, known to students as “The Quad,” began in 1916 and continued to 1939. The University’s architectural centerpiece, Suzzallo Library, was built in 1926 and expanded in 1935.
After World War II, further growth came with the G.I. Bill. Among the most important developments of this period was the opening of the School of Medicine in 1946, which is now consistently ranked as the top medical school in the United States. It would eventually lead to the University of Washington Medical Center, ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top ten hospitals in the nation.
In 1942, all persons of Japanese ancestry in the Seattle area were forced into inland internment camps as part of Executive Order 9066 following the attack on Pearl Harbor. During this difficult time, university president Lee Paul Sieg took an active and sympathetic leadership role in advocating for and facilitating the transfer of Japanese American students to universities and colleges away from the Pacific Coast to help them avoid the mass incarceration. Nevertheless, many Japanese American students and “soon-to-be” graduates were unable to transfer successfully in the short time window or receive diplomas before being incarcerated. It was only many years later that they would be recognized for their accomplishments during the University of Washington’s Long Journey Home ceremonial event that was held in May 2008.
From 1958 to 1973, the University of Washington saw a tremendous growth in student enrollment, its faculties and operating budget, and also its prestige under the leadership of Charles Odegaard. University of Washington student enrollment had more than doubled to 34,000 as the baby boom generation came of age. However, this era was also marked by high levels of student activism, as was the case at many American universities. Much of the unrest focused around civil rights and opposition to the Vietnam War. In response to anti-Vietnam War protests by the late 1960s, the University Safety and Security Division became the University of Washington Police Department.
Odegaard instituted a vision of building a “community of scholars”, convincing the Washington State legislatures to increase investment in the University. Washington senators, such as Henry M. Jackson and Warren G. Magnuson, also used their political clout to gather research funds for the University of Washington. The results included an increase in the operating budget from $37 million in 1958 to over $400 million in 1973, solidifying University of Washington as a top recipient of federal research funds in the United States. The establishment of technology giants such as Microsoft, Boeing and Amazon in the local area also proved to be highly influential in the University of Washington’s fortunes, not only improving graduate prospects but also helping to attract millions of dollars in university and research funding through its distinguished faculty and extensive alumni network.
21st century
In 1990, the University of Washington opened its additional campuses in Bothell and Tacoma. Although originally intended for students who have already completed two years of higher education, both schools have since become four-year universities with the authority to grant degrees. The first freshman classes at these campuses started in fall 2006. Today both Bothell and Tacoma also offer a selection of master’s degree programs.
In 2012, the University began exploring plans and governmental approval to expand the main Seattle campus, including significant increases in student housing, teaching facilities for the growing student body and faculty, as well as expanded public transit options. The University of Washington light rail station was completed in March 2015, connecting Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood to the University of Washington Husky Stadium within five minutes of rail travel time. It offers a previously unavailable option of transportation into and out of the campus, designed specifically to reduce dependence on private vehicles, bicycles and local King County buses.
University of Washington has been listed as a “Public Ivy” in Greene’s Guides since 2001, and is an elected member of the American Association of Universities. Among the faculty there have been many members of American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, winners of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, members of the National Academy of Engineering, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators, MacArthur Fellows, the Gairdner Foundation International Award, the National Medal of Science, Nobel Prize laureates, the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research, members of the American Philosophical Society, winners of the National Book Award, winners of the National Medal of Arts, Pulitzer Prize winners, the Fields Medal, and the National Academy of Public Administration. There have been Fulbright Scholars, Rhodes Scholars, Marshall Scholars and Gates Cambridge Scholars. UW is recognized as a top producer of Fulbright Scholars.
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) has consistently ranked University of Washington as one of the top 20 universities worldwide every year since its first release. The University of Washington is constantly ranked highly by the ARWU, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and in the Times World Reputation Rankings. Meanwhile, QS World University Rankings ranked it highly worldwide.
U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Washington very highly out of nearly 1,500 universities worldwide, with University of Washington’s undergraduate program very highly among 389 national universities in the U.S.
The SCImago Institutions Rankings, and the Leiden Ranking, which focuses on science and the impact of scientific publications among the world’s 500 major universities, ranked University of Washington very highly globally and in the U.S.
Kiplinger Magazine’s review of “top college values” named University of Washington very highly for in-state students and very highly for out-of-state students among U.S. public colleges, and very highly overall out of 500 schools. In the Washington Monthly National University Rankings University of Washington was ranked very highly domestically, based on its contribution to the public good as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service.
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