UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Mark Kennedy

Shiley School Joins National Grand Challenge Scholars

The Shiley School of Engineering has been accepted to the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP), according to engineering dean Sharon Jones. Jones credits associate engineering dean Mark Kennedy for much of the work needed to make the Shiley School’s membership a reality.

Shiley School engineering students will focus on five components of the GCSP’s mission:

  • Hands-on Project OR Research Experience: Related to a Grand Challenge
  • Interdisciplinary Curriculum: A curriculum that complements engineering fundamentals with courses in other fields, preparing engineering students to work at the overlap with public policy, business, law, ethics, human behavior, risk, and the arts, as well as medicine and the sciences
  • Entrepreneurship: Preparing students to translate invention to innovation; to develop market ventures that scale to global solutions in the public interest
  • Global Dimension: Developing the students’ global perspective necessary to address challenges that are inherently global as well as to lead innovation in a global economy
  • Service Learning: Developing and deepening students’ social consciousness and their motivation to bring their technical expertise to bear on societal problems through mentored experiential learning with real clients.

The GCSP program is a combined curricular and extra-curricular program with five components that are designed to prepare students to be the generation that solves the grand challenges facing society in this century. The National Academy of Engineering (NAE), at the request of the National Science Foundation, convened a committee of leading technical thinkers to create a list of the grand challenges and opportunities for engineering facing those born at the dawn of this new century. The committee’s final conclusions were released on February 15, 2008, and were presented at a public event at the NAE in October 2008.

 For more information, contact the Shiley School at x7292 or engineering@up.edu.

Mark Kennedy Named Oregon Engineer of the Year

Staff and faculty portraits
Staff and faculty portraits

Engineering professor and associate dean Mark Kennedy has received the 2014-2015 Oregon Engineer of the Year Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Kennedy was nominated and approved by unanimous vote from the ASCE board. According to ASCE Oregon president Jason Magalen, those awarded best exemplified dedication to profession, public service and continuing education.

During his 19-year tenure at the University, Kennedy has created many opportunities for Shiley School of Engineering students to work and study abroad. He has worked with students on major research projects both in the Shiley Hall labs and in the field, traveling internationally with students to help provide people access to clean water.

For more information contact engineering at 7292.

UP Graduates in the Global Community

hThe Collaborative for International Studies and Global Outreach (CISGO) Executive Committee invites faculty and staff to attend listening sessions to give their thoughts and input into potential global learning outcomes which have been drafted by a CISGO subcommittee. The sessions will take place on Tuesday, March 17, from 4 to 5 p.m., in Franz Hall room 111, and Wednesday, March 18, from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., in Franz 111. A listening session for students will take place on Thursday, March 19, from 7 to 8 p.m., with free pizza served.

An invitation and draft of the potential learning outcomes for global learning are available at this link: http://tinyurl.com/p7zwr45.

For more information contact the CISGO Executive Committee (Laurie McLary, chair; Mark Kennedy, Norah Martin, and Lisa Reed).

Tapman Scholarship For UP Engineering Student

jarrettUniversity of Portland engineering student Jarrett Okita has received the 2014 Samuel Fletcher Tapman American Society of Civil Engineering Student Chapter Scholarship, according to Mark Kennedy, engineering. Kennedy serves as the ASCE Student Chapter faaculty advisor. The $3,000 scholarship is highly competitive, according to Kennedy, and is limited to 12 undergraduate civil engineering students annually. The scholarship was established through the bequest of Samuel Fletcher Tapman, M.ASCE, in 1961, with the first awards in 1962-1963.

For more information contact Kennedy at 8070 or kennedy@up.edu.