Dean’s note: Engineering heroes
There’s no question that 2020 is an unprecedented year of challenges. The public health and economic crises resulting from COVID-19 continue to persist, compounding the issues of racial injustice and inequity in our society. At the same time, we’re experiencing a changing climate that has brought extreme weather events and one of the most destructive wildfire seasons for the western United States.
In times like these, the importance of our mission has never been more clear. Our future tomorrow is being shaped by Berkeley engineers today.
In times like these, the importance of our mission has never been more clear.
As you’ll read in this issue of the magazine, many of our faculty and their research teams quickly pivoted their work to help combat the pandemic. Unsung heroes among us include instructors and staff who have worked tirelessly to maintain the high quality of our education programs while enhancing their accessibility. Our students also have demonstrated grit and compassion in finding new ways to stay connected and to support each other while sheltering in place.
In the midst of these challenges, there is hope for a healthier and more sustainable world. Our faculty are advancing the frontiers of science and technology, many as part of new research centers funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. These include centers that will accelerate technologies for the preservation of biological systems, speed the development of quantum computers, probe mathematical and scientific foundations of deep learning and use artificial intelligence to improve food production processes.
We’re also moving toward a more equitable society, which requires a diversity of perspectives and ideas. This year, we welcomed our most ethnically diverse cohort of new students in decades, and we also saw the diversity of our faculty increase to historically high levels, due to concerted efforts to eliminate bias in admissions and hiring processes. To fully unlock our individual and collective potential for positive impact, we are actively fostering a more inclusive culture that values and leverages diversity.
I hope that you will be inspired, as I am, by all of the heroic people within the College of Engineering who are working together to ensure a brighter future for all. Fiat Lux — and Go BEARS!
Tsu-Jae King Liu
Dean and Roy W. Carlson Professor of Engineering