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It’s been an eventful and challenging year. Since March, like everyone else, we’ve had to make major changes to how we operate during the pandemic. This has involved radical changes to how we teach and learn. It has also had a significant impact on research in our laboratories.

Yet, we are thankful for how our students, faculty, staff and alumni have responded. Successful education during a pandemic requires increased flexibility and the ability to experiment to find solutions to difficult problems—exactly where CU engineers excel. I’m proud of the way everyone in our department has responded to the recent challenges.

Our faculty have performed admirably in providing both remote and in-person modes of instruction. Our platform has proven invaluable, with a whole host of educational resources for our chemical and biological engineering students—and to students at other universities around the world—24 hours a day.

Even amidst the challenge of the pandemic, we’ve welcomed some new faces. In January, Laurel Hind and Wyatt Shields joined the faculty. Kayla Sprenger, Ryan Hayward and Mike Toney started this summer, and Ankur Gupta will join us in January. This has injected new energy and creativity in the department.

Our largest incoming class of PhD students joined us this fall: 51 students from top institutions across the country and around the world. This influx of new faculty and students will enhance our already-thriving research programs, particularly in the areas of biological engineering, soft materials and renewable energy.

Over the summer, our advisory board discussed ways to help our students and recent graduates during a trying time. The board launched a successful series of ChemE Buff Chats that provide direct advice to students and alumni on building their careers. Members of the board also reached out to our incoming first-year students to provide encouragement and address their concerns.

We also held our second fall career fair—virtually, of course—with twelve companies and research organizations recruiting our Buffs. Our Virtual Career Week was held between September 28 through October 2. We had record student engagement, with over 300 sign ups for resume reviews, company presentations, a virtual roundtable dinner, mock interviews and more. We’re looking to build on the success of this event with a career fair in the spring.

As always, thank you for your support. We very much appreciate your help and friendship during a challenging time for higher education. We thank our many alumni who give back by serving as alumni mentors, industry liaisons for our design course, company representatives interviewing our students or who donate through the 1904 Society.

Thank you for all you do for CU Chemical and Biological Engineering.

Happy Holidays,

Prof. J. Will Medlin
Chair