Top stories of 2021

Take a look back at The Ohio State University College of Engineering's 10 most popular Buckeye Engineering stories from 2021, as determined by webpage views.

1. 

   Dean Ayanna Howard to pave collaborative, inclusive path to excellence
   Accomplished roboticist, entrepreneur and educator Ayanna Howard, PhD, began her tenure as dean of the College of Engineering on March 1. She is the first woman to lead the College of Engineering and the second Black dean. Throughout her career, Howard has been active in helping to diversify the engineering profession for women, underrepresented minorities, and individuals with disabilities. “Community and inclusive excellence around students, research, and innovation are my passions,” said Howard. “I’m of the belief that it takes a village to drive excellence, and my goal is to fully support us in that effort.”
2. Ohio State Engineering continues climb in undergraduate program ranking
   In U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges issue, Ohio State’s undergraduate engineering program again ranks first in Ohio and 16th among public universities nationwide. Among both public and private institutions, Ohio State’s College of Engineering ranks 27th, up one spot from last year.
3. New degree program responding to needs of Ohio manufacturers
   A new bachelor’s degree program that launched on Ohio State’s regional campuses in autumn 2020 is preparing students to excel as business-oriented engineering leaders in the highly automated manufacturing industry. In partnership with the College of Engineering, the bachelor of science in engineering technology (BSET) with a concentration in manufacturing is offered on the Lima, Mansfield and Marion campuses. It will expand to the Newark campus beginning autumn 2023. Forty-nine students enrolled in the new program during its first year, with enrollment expected to grow 55% next year.
4. Seven engineering grad students awarded Presidential Fellowships
   Several Buckeye engineers have earned the highest honor given by The Ohio State University Graduate School—a Presidential Fellowship. This award recognizes the outstanding scholarly accomplishments and potential of graduate students entering the final phase of their dissertation research or terminal degree project. Awarded competitively, Presidential Fellowships provide one year of full-time financial support so students can complete their dissertations or terminal degree projects unimpeded by other duties.

5. 

   Six grads of distinction
   This spring the College of Engineering welcomed more than 1,600 new alumni into its ranks. Meet six members of the Class of 2021 who combined their passions with Ohio State’s offerings to engineer an extraordinary education, and learn what advice they have for new and prospective Buckeyes.
6. Father-son alumni duo embrace entrepreneurship
   One of Curtis Moody’s mottos is, “Do what you can, when you can, with what you got, while you've got it.” It’s a philosophy that has benefitted the Ohio State alumnus, renowned architect and founder of Moody Nolan—the AIA 2021 Architecture Firm of the Year. It’s also a belief embraced by his son, David, a fellow alumnus and entrepreneur who launched civil engineering firm Moody Engineering in 2014. David credits his father’s example with being a major influence on his decision to become an entrepreneur and said it’s a path he hopes more Buckeyes will take.
7. First cohort of Honda Dreams Scholars announced
   A recent $100,000 gift to The Ohio State University from Honda will fund as many as 20 new scholarships over three years to help students achieve their dreams of becoming Buckeye engineers. Supporting diversity in both the college and field of engineering, the $5,000 Honda Dreams Scholarships are awarded to students majoring in electrical and computer engineering, industrial and systems engineering, or mechanical engineering who are active in the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers or organizations with similar missions.

   

8. New postdoc program will support underrepresented engineering scholars
   A new postdoctoral scholars program at the College of Engineering will help prepare the next generation of diverse engineering leaders in academia. Founded by Dean Ayanna Howard, the LEGACY Postdoctoral Scholars Program aims to increase the number of underrepresented minority postdocs who transition to faculty positions within the college. LEGACY, which stands for Leading Engineering as Agents of Change and Equity, will also focus on establishing quality mentoring relationships, enhancing research opportunities, and building strong scholarly communities.
9. NSF funds 2 Ohio State-based institutes to expand artificial intelligence research
   Ohio State is the home of two new $20 million National Science Foundation institutes dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence research. Engineering faculty will lead both the AI Institute for Intelligent Cyberinfrastructure with Computational Learning in the Environment, and the AI Institute for Future Edge Networks and Distributed Intelligence.
10. College of Engineering enrollment, diversity and success metrics on the rise
    Autumn semester brought growth in College of Engineering enrollment, diversity, retention and graduation metrics. In 2021, the college’s undergraduate enrollment on the Columbus campus increased to 8,355. Undergraduate enrollment on the Lima, Mansfield, Marion and Newark campuses rose significantly from 171 to a record 453, a 165% increase. Student success metrics also reached record highs.