The Impact of Giving

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headshot of Peter Anderson ABET Undergraduate coordinator at Ohio State MSE Department
This issue of Watts News highlights five distinct ways that gifts shape who we are and what we do and invites you to partner with us to shape the future of the MSE and WE programs. Each reference below contains links that will take you to a specific page where you can make a gift. I ask you to reflect on your connections to Ohio State and our Materials Science and Engineering and Welding Engineering family and give. Speaking of reflection, the leading image shows four welding engineering students in front of Cloud Gate – 110 tons of welded stainless steel plates – taken during their trip to the November 2017 FABTECH conference in Chicago.

This year has been particularly exciting as our undergraduate programs were reviewed for ABET Accreditation, our undergraduate ranking increased to #14 among programs in materials engineering (USNWR), and our undergraduate enrollment increased to new levels. The Emerging Priorities Funds support creative ways to accommodate the increase in enrollment. The Outreach in Diversity Fund supports professional development for our students by offering travel grants for workshops and conferences and funding for new student groups that broaden who we are and what we do. This past year, the fund sponsored an Allies for Women Engineers course that helps male students to create a supportive, collaborative environment for their female counterparts. The Lab Renovation Funds were instrumental in providing new, versatile tabletop mechanical test frames that can probe the properties of polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering as well as metals and ceramics. The fund also equipped two larger units to do full-scale testing of metal welds. The Scholarship Funds provide emergency support for students who experience a hardship during the year. Scholarship support is one of the greatest needs. It opens the door to students who might not otherwise be able to study MSE or WE, reduces the stress of those who are working jobs to pay tuition and living expenses, and increases our ability to attract a talented and diverse student body. Finally, the BMEC Fund will support the planned renovation and construction of a new facility that will be shared by MSE, WE, and Biomedical Engineering students. The facility includes state-of-the-art learning spaces for MSE and WE students and creates new opportunities for cross-disciplinary learning and research with biomedical engineering.

I close with the concept of a long-term partnership. Many alumni, faculty, and friends have decided to make a lasting impact by establishing an endowed fund that continues to enrich the academic programs year after year. Recently established funds include the Baeslack Scholarship Fund (640247), Hannon Endowed Scholarship Fund (642906), Hench Scholarship Fund (643115), Lincoln Electric Endowed Professorship (644209), Rapp Visiting Scholar Fund (645977), and Treharne Scholarship Fund (647218).

THANK YOU to the many alumni and friends who have supported the WE and MSE programs, and to those who reflect and decide to renew or make a first-time gift. Associate Director of Development Kevin Readey (Readey.5@osu.edu) and I (Anderson.1@osu.edu) would be pleased to hear from you.

Category: Alumni