James K. Nelson, Jr., Ph.D., P.E. Dean College of Engineering and Computer Science Brazzel Professor of Engineering

Dean's Message

This is an exciting time to be involved in the engineering and computer science professions. The students, faculty, and staff in the College of Engineering and Computer Science continue to make great strides in their education, research, and scholarship and in their extra-curricular, service, and professional leadership activities. We congratulate all our alumni, students, faculty, and staff on their awards, honors, and accomplishments and express our appreciation for their dedication and enthusiasm leading to the many successes.

Building on a successful year, we are embarking on the next step in the development of the college as we continue to enhance the programs at The University of Texas at Tyler. There are several new research efforts including: The Center for Organic Semiconductor Modeling and Simulation (COSMOS) involving computer science and engineering faculty and students at The University of Texas at Dallas; the Texas Allergy, Indoor Environment, and Energy Institute (TxAIRE) collaborative among engineering, computer science, and medical researchers at UT Tyler, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, The University of Texas at Austin, and The University of Texas at Dallas; and the East Texas STEM Education Center involving regional education service centers and school districts, Texas A&M University at Texarkana, and corporate partners.

Our students are also involved in service projects, in varsity and intramural athletics, in campus politics and leadership positions, and in cooperative education (co-op) and summer intern positions with several companies and government organizations, as well as some purely for fun activities such as the pie-your-professor event during National Engineers Week.

During the next year our activities will focus on the theme "serving the global community through inquiry, collaboration, and invention". In this regard, our academic and research efforts will emphasize development of the academic process and improving society through innovative systems. Identifying the needs and finding solutions to far-reaching problems will involve the entire college in collaboration with other colleges in the University and our corporate design partners. Only through active collaboration and open discussion can significant solutions to problems facing the global community in the 21st century be developed. I envision the college being a recognized national leader in several areas including computer network security, indoor environmental quality, and academic reform. Much activity in these areas has already begun.

In the weeks and years to come, I look forward to serving this college and having dialogue with each of you as together we serve the global community through inquiry, collaboration, and invention.