Message from the Dean
We are in a transformative time when advances in AI and quantum science are unlocking new possibilities. Many promising breakthroughs are on the horizon, in energy, healthcare, transportation, and more. What will bring advances from the lab to real-world impact is partnership and collaboration. In this issue of Columbia Engineering magazine, we take a look at recent partnerships between our School and industry that are solving problems and advancing progress in key sectors. Our School has more than 20 industry-affiliated centers working to help bring solutions to the hardest challenges facing some of the world’s most innovative companies. From our new Columbia Fusion Research Center and the Center of Advanced Electrification to the recently launched sustainable materials hub Gotham Foundry, you’ll see how relationships lead to powerful collaboration.
This year, we are also celebrating 100 years of quantum mechanics at Columbia. You can learn more about the notable history of quantum here and the current research being done that will shape the next century. Last year, in an effort to share our faculty expertise to a wide audience, we launched The Lever. In this collection of limited-series newsletters, Columbia Engineering researchers zero in on some of the biggest topics of our time. We are sharing the latest issue with you on AI agents. I invite you to see how our faculty, many of whom are part of the Columbia DAPLab, are helping our partners develop and deploy effective agentic platforms.
Over the past few years, we’ve been inviting more leaders in research and industry to campus to share insights with our community. This fall, we once again hosted Climate Week at Columbia, a full week of events, lectures, panels, and presentations on the biggest issues related to sustainability. Our signature lecture series on AI and our Tech CEOs series have drawn diverse crowds eager to learn more about the intersection of AI, technology, business, and society.
We also take a look at innovation happening inside the classroom and how we’re preparing engineers for 21st-century challenges. Many of our students are interested in aerospace, and student clubs like the Columbia Space Initiative and Airplane Club continue to be very popular with our students. Last spring, we announced a new aerospace minor and Guggenheim Initiative for Aerospace Structures, two opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in this growing industry. Another new and timely class taught by applied mathematics professor Chris Wiggins and political science professor Eunji Kim brings together data and political science. “Persuasion at Scale” dives into the issue of political communication and how data can be influenced by context and meaning.
Columbia engineers are at the forefront of research and education, poised to change our world for the better. Our alumni around the globe and their contributions — some of which are captured here in this issue — advance this mission every day. Thank you for continuing to be a part of these efforts and of this community.
Shih-Fu Chang
Dean, Columbia Engineering
Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor