The History of Columbia Engineering
From its beginning as King’s College in 1754, Columbia valued the academic disciplines of science, engineering, and mathematics. Indeed, some of Columbia’s early alumni were pioneering entrepreneurs and engineers. John Stevens (Class of 1768) developed steam engines that powered both the first steamships to navigate the open ocean and the first steam locomotive.
Follow the development of Columbia Engineering from the founding of the university to its present form as a global center of high-impact research training leaders for tomorrow’s breakthroughs.
In each section, find a brief narrative overview and then explore the details of the story by reading about the key persons and events of each decade.
Happy Anniversary to Columbia Engineering!
A School Is Born: 1754-1870s
From its founding in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia University has always had an engineer’s practical orientation and desire to address real-world problems. Early graduates helped pioneer steam-powered transport and provided direction for the Erie Canal, one of the most ambitious engineering projects of its time.
In 1864, the School of Mines was opened, providing a more focused center for the development of the applied sciences. Though originally intended to help ensure the supply of the materials demanded by a wartime economy and rapidly industrializing country, it was the beginning of an entity that would soon expand its reach into many other areas.
There were also signs from the beginning of a desire not just to acquire knowledge but to engage with the pressing human needs in the world beyond campus. The first dean of the School, Charles F. Chandler, emerged as a major public health advocate, working with New York City’s Metropolitan Board of Health from 1866 to 1883 to improve living conditions in the city, particularly for the poor.
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1760s
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John Stevens Graduates King’s College
John Stevens, who goes on to play an important role developing steamships and railroads, as well as U.S. patent law, graduates from King’s College, the forerunner of Columbia.
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1780s
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DeWitt Clinton and the Erie Canal
Graduating with Columbia College’s first class, DeWitt Clinton becomes the driving force in building the Erie Canal (1817-25), the largest American engineering project of the early 19th century.
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1820s
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Horatio Allen Graduates from Columbia
Horatio Allen graduates from Columbia, going on to assemble America’s first steam locomotive, consult on the Brooklyn Bridge, and lead the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
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1860s
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Thomas Egleston, Jr. Proposes a New School
Thomas Egleston, Jr., a Yale graduate trained in Paris, proposes a school of metallurgy and mining in New York City, and Columbia College trustee George Templeton Strong champions his idea among other leaders.
ImageSchool of Mines Opens on Madison Avenue
On Nov. 15, the Columbia College School of Mines opens in a building on Madison Avenue, with a faculty of three: mining expert Thomas Egleston, Jr., Civil War veteran Francis L. Vinton, and chemist Charles F. Chandler.
ImageChandler Consults with Board of Health
Charles F. Chandler consults with New York City’s Metropolitan Board of Health to monitor food and drugs, provide free vaccinations, ensure the safety of milk supplies, bring clean water into the city, and enact building codes requiring indoor plumbing.
ImageCivil Engineering Program Created
Columbia’s School of Mines institutes an influential degree program in Civil Engineering.
ImageFirst Graduates Receive Degrees
The first graduates of the school receive Engineer of Mines (EM) degrees denoting their scientific training in mining.
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1870s
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First PhD Awarded
The School of Mines awards the first-ever Columbia PhD, and fourth American PhD in chemistry, to Elwyn Waller (EM 1870), who stays on at Columbia and becomes a professor of analytic chemistry.
ImageFirst Black Student Graduates
Liberian-born James R. Priest, the first black student to attend Columbia, graduates from the School of Mines. He returns to Liberia to pursue civil engineering, becoming a professor of mathematics, but dies tragically young. Luiz de Souza Barros from Sao Paulo, Brazil is also a member of the class, shown on the left under the '77.
ImageEarly Global Influence
Three Japanese students, Yothinosuke Hasegawa PhD 1880, Kiugo Nambu, and Nawokichi Matsui (PhD 1880) are members of this graduating class, each going on to have an affiliation with the University of Tokio (Tokyo), Japan. Graduating that same year is Vicente Felix Pazos, whose work was in Lima, Peru.
American Chemical Society
Chandler presides over the foundation of the American Chemical Society to, he writes, “awaken and develop much talent now wasting in isolation … and ensure a better appreciation of our science.”
Chandler Founds American Chemist
Chandler, along with his brother William, also at Columbia, founded the pioneering journal American Chemist, which eventually becomes the prestigious Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Expanding Areas and Impact: 1880s-1930s
The School of Mines quickly expanded from its initial focus. Professors and alumni made contributions to a wide variety of fields, including New York’s first subway line, a key innovation in automatic tabulation, an improved X-ray process, and the invention of FM radio. Early work in nuclear physics and computing positions Columbia at the forefront of emerging technologies that would shape the decades to come.
During this era, programs in chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, and mechanical engineering were added as the school’s name was changed to the School of Engineering to reflect its wider reach.
Expanding Areas and Impact: 1880s-1930s
The School of Mines quickly expanded from its initial focus. Professors and alumni made contributions to a wide variety of fields, including New York’s first subway line, a key innovation in automatic tabulation, an improved X-ray process, and the invention of FM radio. Early work in nuclear physics and computing positions Columbia at the forefront of emerging technologies that would shape the decades to come.
During this era, programs in chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, and mechanical engineering were added as the school’s name was changed to the School of Engineering to reflect its wider reach.
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1880s
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School of Electrical Engineering Established
Columbia establishes the School of Electrical Engineering (EE) with a two-year graduate program as part of the School of Mines. Francis Bacon Crocker 1882 and Michael I. Pupin 1883 teach the first class of 14 students, and begin instructing undergraduates two years later.
ImageFirst Woman Receives PhD in Mathematics
Graduating from Columbia with highest honors, Winifred Edgerton becomes the first woman to receive a PhD in mathematics from an American institution.
ImageHutton Teaches Mechanical Engineering
Frederick R. Hutton (MS 1876, PhD 1881) teaches the school's first courses in mechanical engineering. He goes on to found the Department of Mechanical Engineering, which in 1897 welcomed four students into a four-year program.
ImageParsons Graduates
William Barclay Parsons graduates, goes on to become chief engineer and designer of New York's first subway line, member of the Panama Canal Commission, chief engineer of the Cape Cod Canal, chief surveyor of China's 1000-km railway from Hanchow to Canton, and a University Trustee. His engineering firm, now Parsons Brinckerhoff, is today one of the world's largest global companies developing the built environment.
ImageEdison Writes In
Shortly after establishing his company's first central electric station in Manhattan, Thomas Edison writes to Columbia president Barnard suggesting that the University add a course in electrical engineering, and offering to donate some equipment.
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1890s
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Henry Krumb Earns Degree
After receiving financial aid to complete his senior year, Henry S. Krumb earns a degree in mining and goes on to devote his career to improving extracting techniques for gold, silver, and copper, becoming a leader in the field and a benefactor of the School.
ImagePupin’s X-ray Process
Michael Pupin (CC 1883) develops a process for x-rays that reduces exposure from hours to seconds, and maps buckshot in the hand of an injured patient. Three years later, he significantly advances long distance telephony with his patented loading coils, also known as "Pupin coils."
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Burr Becomes Civil Engineering ChairBridges and canals expert William H. Burr becomes founding chair of the Department of Civil Engineering, and begins consulting extensively on public works in New York City and beyond.
ImageColumbia Miners Leading the Way
The Columbia School of Mines now accounts for more than 46 percent of all graduates from U.S. mining schools. From 1867 to 1892, 871 mining engineers graduate from 16 U.S. mining schools; 402 are Columbia School of Mines alumni.
ImageTabulating Machine Speeds Up Census
The tabulating machine invented by Herman Hollerith (EM 1879, PhD 1890) reduces the time to process 1890 census data from several years to a few months. Hollerith goes on to found the Tabulating Machine Company in 1896, which merged with three other companies to form what became International Business Machines (IBM) in 1924. Today Hollerith is recognized as the father of modern automatic computation.
ImageThe Mining Engineer’s Handbook
Veteran mine engineer and consultant Robert Peele (EM 1883) signs on as Adjunct Professor of Mining. He later authors The Mining Engineer’s Handbook and earns induction into the Mining Hall of Fame.
ImageDepartment of Mining
As the diversifying engineering school transitions to the School of Mines, Engineering, and Chemistry, prominent geologist Henry S. Munroe (EM 1869, PhD 1877) signs on to lead the reorganized Department of Mining.
Chandler Proposes ChemE Program
Chandler proposes a new four-year program called Chemical Engineering and encounters skepticism and outright opposition from many who believe his vision too radical.
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1900s
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Building Opens in Morningside
A new building designated “School of Mines,” financed by mining investor Adolph Lewisohn, opens on the University’s new Morningside campus and remains the home of the Department for half a century.
ImageCrocker Champions Electrical Standards
Francis Bacon Crocker (EM 1882, PhD 1895), a pioneer in commercial motors and, according to Thomas Edison "one of the outstanding pioneers of the electrical industry," champions international standardization of electrical equipment at the International Electrotechnical Commission in London.
ImageNew Chemical Engineering Curriculum
Columbia University Trustees approve a new curriculum in Chemical Engineering, the first integrated curriculum of its kind and soon the basis of similar offerings at other schools.
ImageFirst Underground Subway Launched
New York’s first underground subway line is launched; chief engineer for the Interborough Rapid Transit Co. is William Barclay Parsons (EM 1882).
ImageIrving Langmuir Graduates
Irving H. Langmuir graduates with a degree in metallurgy and goes on to make important advances in filaments, vacuum tubes, and surface chemistry, for which he wins the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
ImageLucke Joins Mechanical Engineering
Charles Edward Lucke (PhD'02), an authority in internal combustion engines, joins the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 48 years at Columbia he files 120 patents and publishes extensively in power generation and engineering thermodynamics.
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1910s
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Taggart Comes to Columbia
Mineral engineering authority Arthur F. Taggart begins a legendary three decades at Columbia, authoring the ubiquitous Handbook of Mineral Dressing among works on topics including flotation and gravity concentration.
ImageDepartment of Industrial Engineering
Walter Rautenstrach (CC ‘27), a longtime member of the Mechanical Engineering faculty, creates and chairs a new department of Industrial Engineering, one of the first of its kind in the country.
ImageBaekeland Comes to Columbia
Plastics pioneer Leo Baekeland, inventor of Bakelite, receives a special appointment to teach at Columbia and begins a rich tradition in polymeric materials.
ImageCivil Engineering Testing Laboratory
The school establishes the Civil Engineering Testing laboratory, with concrete construction expert Prof. A. H. Beyer appointed the first director.
ImageWorld War I
As the U.S. enters World War I, engineering faculty help the war effort by teaching at the Navy Submarine School in New London, while Michael Pupin develops sonar at the request of President Woodrow Wilson.
ImageCrocker Invents Helicopter
Professor Francis Bacon Crocker invents (with Peter Cooper Hewitt) and tests one of the nation's first helicopters.
ImageLe Marteleur
Constantin Meunier's Le Marteleur, a gift of alumni, is dedicated and stands before the School of Mines, facing Auguste Rodin's Le Penseur in front of Philosophy Hall. It is now a symbol of engineering that followed the School to the Seeley W. Mudd Building.
ImageArmstrong Joins Faculty
Edwin Howard Armstrong, Class of 1913, joins the faculty and pursues a patent for his regenerative circuit, allowing better reception of weak radio signals. Later, serving in World War I, he develops the superheterodyne radio receiver, the basis of many modern communications devices.
ImagePanama Canal Opens
The Panama Canal opens. William H. Burr of the Department of Civil Engineering, and William Barclay Parsons (EM 1882) serve on the commission that oversees the canal's construction.
ImageChemical Engineering Department Created
Columbia Trustees approve the creation of the new Department of Chemical Engineering, distinct from the existing Department of Chemistry. Daniel Dana Jackson serves as founding chair.
ImageHenry Hudson Bridge
While still a student, David Steinman (PhD'11) designs what becomes New York City's Henry Hudson Bridge. (This photo was taken during the bridge's construction in 1936.) Later founding the firm Steinman Engineers, he designs many landmark bridges throughout the U.S.
ImageFinch Joins the Faculty
James Kip Finch (BS'06, MS'11), an accomplished engineer and prolific author, joins the Civil Engineering faculty, later becoming Department chair and serving as dean of Columbia Engineering. He also serves as director of the ASCE.
ImagePost-Grad Program for Naval Officers
On the eve of World War I, the school launches a post-graduate program for naval officers led by Charles Edward Lucke. Franklin Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, later sends congratulations for helping win the war.
ImageLoening Engineers “Flying Boat”
Aircraft expert Grover Loening (BA'08, MS'10) engineers the first "short-hulled flying boat," going on to create several novel designs for airplanes, including monoplanes.
Hixson Joins the FacultyArthur Hixson joins the Chemical Engineering faculty and pioneers studies based on unit operations and process design.
Cracking PetroleumDoctoral student Walter Rittman discovers a revolutionary process for cracking petroleum and is invited to present his findings to a special committee of Congressional leaders and Cabinet members.
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1920s
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Burmister Comes to Columbia
Donald M. Burmister, a renowned expert in geotechnical engineering, begins a legendary career in the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, researching soil and pavement design and consulting on projects, including the first New York World's Fair.
ImageFather of the Nuclear Navy
Hyman Rickover, who becomes a four-star admiral credited as "father of the nuclear navy," studies electrical engineering and receives an MS degree in 1929. More than 50 years later, he recalls Columbia as "the first institution that encouraged me to think rather than memorize."
ImageIBM Comes to Campus
IBM installs punch card tabulators and sorters in Hamilton Hall, enabling sophisticated computation across disciplines.
ImagePupin Wins Pulitzer Prize
Professor Michael Pupin (Class of 1883) wins the Pulitzer Prize for his autobiography, From Immigrant to Inventor.
ImageColin Fink’s Chromium Plating
Colin Fink (CC '03) joins the faculty and soon develops the chromium plating process that becomes standard, beginning a tradition in Columbia electrochemistry.
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1930s
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Managed Nuclear Fission Achieved
Neutron expert Dean John R. Dunning is on the first team to achieve managed nuclear fission in the United States and makes important advances in gaseous diffusion to separate uranium isotopes for the Manhattan Project.
ImageBiot Joins Civil Engineering
Poroelasticity pioneer Maurice A. Biot joins the Civil Engineering faculty, going on to file many patents. He is later elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.
ImageArmstrong Invents FM Radio
Professor Edwin Howard Armstrong, Class of 1913, invents wideband frequency modulation (FM) radio, an advance that paves the way for television.
ImageMindlin Joins the Faculty
Raymond D. Mindlin, considered the most outstanding elastician of his generation, joins the Civil Engineering faculty. In 1946, President Harry Truman awards him the Medal for Merit for his work developing the radio proximity fuse, a detonator used extensively in World War II, and in 1979 he receives the National Medal of Science from President Jimmy Carter. (Image courtesy of NavSource)
ImageCommittee on Technocracy
With Howard Scott, Walter Rautenstrauch co-founds the short-lived Committee on Technocracy, advocating a more productive and rational society administered by technical experts and engineers.
ImageHassialis Joins the Faculty
Menelaos D. Hassialis (BS'31) begins 47 years on the faculty, consulting on the Manhattan Project, patenting many innovations, and building a global community of mining engineers.
ImageLangmuir Wins Nobel Prize
Irving Langmuir, Class of 1903, the first to apply the term "plasma" to ionized gases, receives the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his advances in surface chemistry.
Transcending Disciplines and Creating New Ones: 1940s-1980s
As the School of Engineering continued to train leaders across the core disciplines, two important trends became visible during this time. On the one hand, researchers increasingly crossed traditional disciplinary boundaries and applied engineering concepts to areas like medicine, leading to pathbreaking work in artificial organs and the mass production of antibiotics.
Faculty at Columbia also played leading roles in establishing new fields, including industrial robotics, computer science, kinematics, bioengineering, financial engineering, and nuclear propulsion.
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1940s
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First Woman Awarded Engineering BS
After Columbia Engineering opens to women in 1942, Anna Longobardo (BS'49, MS'52) is the first woman to receive a BS in mechanical engineering from Columbia. She goes on to become the first woman to win the Egleston Medal.
ImageMass Production of Antibiotics
Elmer Gaden (BS'44, MS'47, PhD'49), the father of biochemical engineering, authors his groundbreaking dissertation on providing the optimal amount of oxygen to allow greater fermentation energy for penicillin mold to grow and multiply more rapidly. This research formed the basis for mass production of a wide range of antibiotics, beginning with penicillin.
ImageFather of Structural Reliability
Alfred M. Freudenthal, a pioneer in materials' inelastic behavior, joins Civil Engineering. Considered the "father of structural reliability," he writes extensively and consults on various public works projects.
ImageUnimate Robot
Joseph Engelberger (BS'46, MS'49), known as the "father of industrial robotics," partners with George Devol to pioneer the Unimate robot for use on assembly lines and other industrial applications, as well as many other robotics.
ImageLittauer Joins Industrial Engineering
Sebastian B. Littauer (MA'28) joins the Industrial Engineering faculty. First as a teacher and then as department chair, he establishes and promotes operations research at Columbia.
ImageZadeh Receives His PhD
Lotfi A. Zadeh receives his PhD in electrical engineering and serves on the faculty for 10 years, going on to publish his landmark paper on "fuzzy sets" in 1965, and, in 1973, proposes the theory of fuzzy logic.
ImageDifferential Operational Amplifier
John R. Ragazzini (MA'39, PhD'41), who had worked on the Manhattan Project, collaborates with Loebe Julie to develop and build the world's first modern differential operational amplifier at Columbia.
ImageFuller Comes to Columbia
Dudley Dean Fuller (BS'45) begins a distinguished career at Columbia studying surfaces and fluid lubrication. He later receives the Egleston Medal for developing the hydrostatic bearing.
ImageBleich’s Structural Mechanics
Hans H. Bleich, an authority in structural mechanics, comes to Civil Engineering for a lengthy tenure studying various structures and designing skyscrapers, bridges, and observatories.
ImageKellogg Teaches Mineral Engineering
Herbert H. Kellogg (BS'41, MS'43) signs on to teach mineral engineering and, in 44 years at Columbia, becomes a prominent researcher and passionate advocate for developing the mining industry's environmental awareness.
ImageGarrelts Chairs Civil Engineering
At the dawn of a postwar boom for public works, Jewell M. Garrelts, designer of numerous bridges, becomes chair of Civil Engineering and works to enhance its global renown.
ImageFirst Woman Undergraduate Admitted
Gloria Reinish nee Brooks, a sophomore transfer, becomes the first woman undergraduate admitted to Columbia Engineering when she receives a scholarship to join the Class of 1945 as an Electrical Engineering major. She goes on to teach and returns to Columbia to earn a doctorate in bioengineering.
ImageLoening Receives Egleston Medal
The first person ever to receive a degree in aeronautics in America, Grover Loening (MS'11), is awarded the Egleston Medal for his many achievements in aircraft design, including designing the first "short-hulled flying boat" and serving on advisory boards for Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson.
ImageSalvadori Joins the Faculty
Civil Engineering welcomes Mario G. Salvadori to the faculty. In a long career at Columbia, he authors numerous works on architecture, structural engineering, and applied mathematics.
Watson Scientific Computing Lab
IBM establishes the Watson Scientific Computing Lab at Columbia, under the direction of Wallace Eckert. The following year, lab staff start teaching the first computer science courses in the world that are fully integrated into a university curriculum and continue year to year.
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is founded in a meeting at Columbia, where it was originally named the Eastern Association for Computing Machinery.
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1950s
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Probability and Statistical Inference for Engineers
Morton Klein (MS’52, EngScD’57), among the first to apply quantitative methods to industrial engineering and a giant in operations research, co-authors the seminal text Probability and Statistical Inference for Engineers.
ImageLeonard Researches Artificial Organs
Edward F. Leonard pursues pathbreaking research in the engineering and design of artificial organs. Later research will focus on developing wearable ultrafiltration and dialysis devices.
ImageHenry Krumb School of Mines
Upon the death of benefactor Henry S. Krumb, Class of 1898, the Trustees recognize his vision and generosity by naming the Department of Mining, Metallurgy and Mineral Engineering the Henry Krumb School of Mines.
ImageBaumeister Receives Egleston Medal
Professor Theodore Baumeister (EngScD'22) becomes editor of Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers. He goes on to win the Egleston Medal in 1975 for his work in metals and machinery.
ImageGoldstein’s Classical Mechanics
Nuclear engineering expert Herbert Goldstein joins the Mechanical Engineering faculty. He authors the textbook Classical Mechanics, since translated into nine languages, and works to increase the public's scientific literacy.
ImageKálmán Receives Doctorate
Rudolf E. Kalman receives his doctorate in electrical engineering, and goes on to co-invent the Kalman filter, an algorithm with applications ranging from aircraft guidance and weather predictions to econometrics.
ImageFirst Nuclear Submarine
The world's first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus, is launched, spearheaded by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, (MS'29 EE), the father of the nuclear navy.
ImageFirst Supercomputer
The IBM Naval Ordnance Research Calculator (NORC), the first supercomputer and the most powerful computer on Earth until about 1963, is installed at the Watson Scientific Computing Lab on the fifth floor of 612 West 115th Street, where it was built. NORC executes 15,000 instructions per second and has 3,600 words of random access memory.
ImageDerman Teaches Operations Research
Statistician Cyrus Derman (PhD'54) begins teaching operations research. In four decades at Columbia, he makes historic contributions to performance analysis and optimization of stochastic systems.
ImageFather of Modern Kinematics
Ferdinand Freudenstein (PhD'54), considered the "father of modern kinematics," joins the Mechanical Engineering faculty and goes on to mentor over 500 PhD students in his legendary career.
ImageHavens Named Professor
William W. Havens Masters (MS’41 PhD‘46), who had worked with James Rainwater on the Manhattan Project, becomes a full professor, specializing in precise spectrometers.
ImageMelman Joins Industrial Engineering
Economist Seymour Melman (PhD’49) begins more than 50 years on the Industrial Engineering faculty, chairing the department and becoming a prominent critic of nuclear weapons and the military-industrial complex.
ImageAnalysis of Sampled-Data Systems
Professors John R. Ragazzini and Lofti A. Zadeh publish The Analysis of Sampled-Data Systems, establishing the z-transform method converting time domain signals into complex frequency domain representations. The method becomes standard in digital signal processing and other discrete-time systems.
ImageBoley Joins Civil Engineering
Bruno A. Boley, a leading expert in structural mechanics, elastic stability, and thermal stresses, joins the Civil Engineering faculty.
ImageFirst EngScD Degree
Eliahu I. Jury receives the first EngScD degree awarded at Columbia in 1953, and goes on to develop the advanced, or modified, z-transform method to incorporate ideal delays that are not multiples of the sampling time.
ImageArbiter Begins 25-Year Tenure
Nathaniel Arbiter '32 begins a 25-year tenure at Columbia Engineering, winning election to the National Academy of Engineering in 1977 for his work on low-grade ores and new hydrometallurgical processes.
ImageKendall Wins Nobel Prize
Edward C. Kendall, '08, PhD'10, known for his notable contributions to biochemistry and medicine, receives the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his investigations of the adrenal cortex and isolation of cortisone.
Frank DiMaggio Joins Civil
Frank L. DiMaggio (BS'50, MS'51, PhD'54) joins Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics for a renowned career studying fluid structure interaction, dynamic responses of submerged structures, and constitutive modeling of soils.
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1960s
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Mechanics of Blood Flow
Pioneering Biomedical Engineering Professors Richard Skalak and Shu Chien produce groundbreaking work in the mechanics of blood flow, bone growth, white blood cell responses to infections and biological implications and responses to implants.
ImageComputational Fluid Dynamics
C.K. Chu develops finite difference approximations of the equations of fluid dynamics and coins the now-standard phrase, "Computational Fluid Dynamics."
ImageMoog Demonstrates Synthesizer
Robert Moog (BS'57) demonstrates his groundbreaking music synthesizer, the first voltage-controlled subtractive synthesizer played via keyboard, to an audience of audio engineers.
ImageStrength of Materials Laboratory
The Strength of Materials Laboratory is established by a generous endowment from Robert A.W. Carleton ('04), an Egleston Scholar and builder of numerous subway and rail tunnels in New York City.
ImagePhysiological Control Systems
Guy Longobardo (BS'49, MS'50, EngScD'62) teaches a course on physiological control systems, Columbia's first in bioengineering. He later wins the Egleston Medal for his pioneering work on unstable respiratory disorders.
ImageInternational Conference on Strata Control
Celebrating its centennial and continuing vitality, the School of Mines hosts a groundbreaking international conference on strata control in New York City.
ImageKayan Receives Campbell Award
Carl F. Kayan ('24), a pioneer in the fields of heat transfer and refrigeration cycle technology, receives the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers' (ASHRAE) prestigious E. K. Campbell Award.
ImagePlasma Physics Lab Established
Robert Gross and C.K. Chu lead efforts to establish the Plasma Physics Laboratory to research high-temperature and fusion plasmas. The lab receives a major expansion in 1975.
ImageCastelli Joins Mechanical Engineering Faculty
Vittorio Castelli, later honored with the Egleston Medal as an "engineering wizard, guru, advisor, and sage," joins Mechanical Engineering and begins research that advances technologies including computer memory and color printers.
ImageMudd Building Opens
The Seeley W. Mudd building opens as the new home of Columbia Engineering, bringing together faculty who had been scattered across the Morningside campus.
ImageLidofsky’s Nuclear Science
Leon Lidofsky (MS'47, PhD'52) signs on to teach nuclear science and engineering at Columbia, researching nuclear physics, radiative transport, and medical applications of radiation.
Shinozuka Joins Civil Engineering
Probabilistic mechanics expert Masanobu Shinozuka (PhD'60) joins the Civil Engineering faculty and serves as a leading authority in field theory, risk-assessment methodology, and structures resistant to disasters.
Industrial and Management Engineering
Recognizing advances in the field and its own scholarship, Industrial Engineering becomes the Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, and establishes one of the country's first degree programs in operations research.
Operations Research Expands
Morton Klein and Morton Friedman of the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics collaborate to expand the operations research program, renaming it "Mathematical Methods in Engineering and Operations Research."
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1970s
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Computer Science Department Established
Columbia Engineering establishes the Department of Computer Science with leading researcher Joseph F. Traub (PhD'59) as founding chair.
ImageFreudenstein Elected to NAE
Higgins Professor Ferdinand Freudenstein is elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
ImageMindlin Receives National Medal of Science
Professor Raymond D. Mindlin receives the National Medal of Science from President Carter. He was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering in 1966 for his work in mechanics of solids and the National Academy of Sciences in 1973 for advancements in applied physical science.
ImageOperations Research Renamed
As Operations Research becomes ever-more indispensable to managing complex enterprises, the department is renamed the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR).
ImageAvery Fisher Hall Acoustics
Electrical Engineering's Cyril M. Harris, according to the New York Times "the pre-eminent acoustical engineer in the United States," redesigns the acoustics of Avery Fisher Hall at New York City's Lincoln Center. During his career he fine-tunes the sound at over 100 of America's highest-profile musical venues.
ImageBonilla Receives Kern Award
Charles Bonilla, founder and director of the Nuclear Heat Transfer Research Facility, is the inaugural recipient of the Kern Award from AIChE for his outstanding contributions to the field of heat transfer.
ImageFuller Receives Hersey Award
Professor Dudley D. Fuller (MS'46), world-renowned tribologist and inventor of the hydrostatic bearing, receives the ASME Mayo D Hersey Award for research contributions in fluid lubrication and, in 1978, is awarded the Tribology Gold Medal from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers "in recognition of his research in the field of fluid lubrication."
Joint MS in Operations Research and MBA
The Department of Industrial and Management Engineering partners with Columbia Business School to offer a joint MS in Operations Research and MBA.
Applied Physics and Nuclear Engineering
Dean Peter Likins' proposal combines the Plasma Physics Committee, an interdepartmental doctoral program, with the existing Division of Nuclear Science and Engineering to form the Applied Physics and Nuclear Engineering (APNE) Department.
Somasundaran Appointed
Ponisseril Somasundaran, an expert in colloids and surfaces, is appointed associate professor of mineral engineering. In over forty years at Columbia, he makes major advances in mineral flotation, fine particles processing, and enhanced oil recovery.
Bioengineering Institute Established
A University-wide Bioengineering Institute was established under Dr. William Nastuk, professor of physiology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, to improve access by engineering students to bioengineering research groups within Columbia.
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1980s
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Doping Process Patented
Gertrude Neumark patents the process of non-equilibrium doping that greatly advances light-emitting and laser diodes and enables technology like sharper laser printers, increased-capacity DVDs, and better screens.
ImageSkalak Elected to NAE
Professor Richard Skalak joins a long list of Civil Engineering faculty elected to the National Academy of Engineering, including Professors Mindlin, Boley, Bleich, Salvadori, and Shinozuka.
ImageMow Comes to Columbia
Van C. Mow, a pioneer in the field of biomechanics, comes to Columbia to become the first joint faculty appointment between Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Engineering School.
ImageWilliamsburg Bridge Cables
Bridge and structural dynamics expert and longtime Civil Engineering faculty member Maciej P. Bienek leads an investigation of the cable system on the Williamsburg Bridge, achieving a critical extension of its service life.
ImageGoldfarb Begins Tenure
Donald R. Goldfarb, co-inventor of the BFGS algorithm for solving nonlinear optimization problems and an expert in network flows, begins a lengthy tenure as chair of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. He later wins the Khachiyan Prize for lifetime contributions to the field of optimization.
Father of Digital Seismic Data Processing
Enders A. Robinson, considered the father of digital seismic data processing, is appointed professor of applied geophysics, the same year he is elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Mining & Mineral Resources Research
The School of Mines establishes the New York Mining and Mineral Resources Research Institute, led by Tuncel M. Yegulalp (EngScD'68), an authority in mineral economics and low-emission power plants.
Lai Joins Mechanical Engineering
W. Michael Lai joins Mechanical Engineering as a joint appointment with the medical school to study orthopaedic bioengineering. He goes on to formulate triphasic theory for modeling charged hydrated biological tissues and receives the Lissner Medal from ASME.
Artificial Intelligence in Process Engineering
A pioneering workshop on Artificial Intelligence in Process Engineering is held at Columbia, the first such conference in the emerging field.
Center for Telecommunications Research
Columbia Engineering receives a major grant from the NSF to establish the Center for Telecommunications Research to develop integrated networks capable of carrying data, graphics, voice and video. It is led by Professors Mischa Schwartz and Thomas Stern.
IEEE’s Top Faculty of All Time
IEEE selects top 10 Electrical Engineering educators of all time; three Columbia faculty members make the list: Professors Michael Pupin, Jacob Millman, and Mischa Schwartz.
Free Electron Lasers
Professor Thomas Marshall, a pioneer in developing free electron lasers, publishes the first book on this subject.
Viele Professor of Electrochemistry
In recognition of Chemical Engineering's excellence in electrochemistry, Duracell endows the Samuel Ruben-Peter G. Viele Professor of Electrochemistry, with electrochemist Huk Cheh first to hold the chair.
Computer Science Building Opens
The new Computer Science Building, adjoining the Seeley W. Mudd Building on Columbia's Morningside campus, opens its doors.
Center for Advanced Technology in Computers
Columbia Engineering wins a statewide competition to launch the New York State Center for Advanced Technology in Computers and Information Systems.
Comverse Technology Founded
Comverse Technology is cofounded by Professor Yechiam Yemini. It goes public in 1987 and joins the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 indices in the mid-90s.
Themelis Appointed
Copper expert Nickolas J. Themelis is appointed professor of extractive metallurgy. In 25 years on faculty, he founds both the Earth Engineering Center (EEC) and the Waste to Energy Research and Technology Council (WTERT).
Poised for the future: 1990s to the Present
After receiving a transformative gift, the School was renamed The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. The infusion of resources initiated a new season of expansion, with major investments in computer science, biomedical engineering, applied mathematics, and electrical engineering.
Over the following years several new research centers were opened, including the Institute for Data Science and Engineering and the Zuckerman Institute, which engages in cross-disciplinary neuroscience research. Increasingly, the School of Engineering is at the center of University-wide interdisciplinary research initiatives.
In 2017, the School unveils a new strategic vision, Engineering for Humanity [link to: 5.4 Engineering for Humanity], and sees robust growth in the numbers of faculty and students.
Looking ahead, the continued development of Columbia’s new Manhattanville campus, focused on collaborative research, along with the School’s growing entrepreneurial and outreach activities, promise to keep Columbia Engineering true to its beginnings: an institution leading the way in advancing knowledge in engineering to serve the needs of the surrounding community and the world beyond.
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1990s
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VoIP Research
Professor Henning Schulzrinne co-authors Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), the key control protocol for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), now used by nearly all 4G cell phones and IP Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems.
ImageFinancial Engineering
Steven S.G. Kou (MA'92, PhD'95), an authority on mathematical and computational finance, becomes the first faculty member in Financial Engineering. He goes on to win the Erlang Prize in applied probability from the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.
ImageApplied Physics Gets a New Name
The Applied Physics Department changes its name to the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics (APAM) to reflect the faculty’s commitment to disciplines on a scale made possible by The Fu Foundation’s generous endowment to the School.
ImageStormer Wins Nobel Prize
Professor Horst Stormer wins the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of a new form of quantum fluid with fractionally charged excitations--the fractional quantum Hall effect.
ImageSchool Renamed
The School celebrates a transforming gift from The Fu Foundation, headed by Z.Y. Fu, by becoming The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. The gift supports interdisciplinary research and scholarship, especially in computer science, biomedical engineering, applied mathematics, and electrical engineering.
ImageMerton Wins Nobel Prize
Robert C. Merton '66, known for his pioneering contributions to continuous-time finance and for translating finance science into practice, wins the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work in options pricing.
ImageAdvanced Laser-Crystallization Patent
Professor James Im patents a method to produce advanced laser-crystallization of Si films, essential to LCDs and OLEDs, which make possible high-resolution screens in products from Samsung, Apple, and others.
ImageCurriculum Innovations
Moving to address the environmental impact of mining, the School of Mines overhauls its curriculum to include an innovative MS program in Earth Resources Engineering and a new undergraduate program in Earth and Environmental Engineering.
ImageMicroblogging Cricket
As a student, Vishal Misra, now an associate professor of computer science, anticipates Twitter by inventing and implementing in one night live microblogging with ball-by-ball cricket scoring on the Cricinfo site, which was bought by ESPN and remains a popular online destination.
ImageAugmented Reality
Professor Steven Feiner and his lab develop the first outdoor mobile augmented reality system using a see-through, head-worn display, the forerunner of augmented reality apps now ubiquitous on smartphones.
ImageIntegrated and Nanophotonic Simulation
A spinoff from Higgins Professor Richard Osgood’s lab, RSoft, becomes the gold standard in integrated and nanophotonic simulation tools, and is later purchased by the major electronic design software house Synopsis.
ImageCenter for Applied Probability
Professors David D.W. Yao and Karl Sigman launch the interdisciplinary Center for Applied Probability along with Columbia business, math, and statistics faculty.
ImageHigh Beta Tokamak-Extended Pulse
Professors Gerald Navratil and Michael Mauel complete the High Beta Tokamak-Extended Pulse, the largest of several tokamaks at Columbia, and help demonstrate the first fusion energy production using a deuterium-tritium plasma.
ImageMPEG-2 Patent Research
The research of Dimitris Anastassiou and Fermi Wang (PhD '91) becomes part of a key MPEG-2 patent that is instrumental in implementing international video standards broadly used in digital video, DVD, and Blu-Ray.
ImageFirst Tokamak Joint Experiments
Professors Michael Mauel and Gerald Navratil conduct the first joint experiments with the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and achieve the highest poloidal beta operation of a tokamak.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research
A Whitaker Foundation Development Award supports Columbia Engineering's partnership with the medical school's Department of Radiology on the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research Center.
Jingyue Ju Joins the Faculty
Jingyue Ju joins the Chemical Engineering faculty, developing a four-color DNA sequencing by synthesis platform using cleavable fluorescent nucleotide reversible terminators. His revolutionary technologies hold the promise of reducing the cost of DNA sequencing, so that decoding an individual's genome can become a routine part of medical research and health care. In 2011, he is appointed Samuel Ruben-Peter G. Viele Professor of Engineering.
Data Mining Intrusion Detection
Professor Salvatore Stolfo invents data mining-based intrusion detection systems that form the basis for all modern antivirus technologies.
Materials Research Center Established
The National Science Foundation establishes the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center on nanostructured materials, directed by nanoscience expert Irving P. Herman, professor of applied physics.
Tsividis Develops Curriculum
Batchelor Professor Yannis Tsividis, an authority on analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits and a much-honored teacher, develops a first-year Introduction to Electrical Engineering curriculum that is widely adopted.
John Kender’s Algorithm
Professor John Kender co-develops one of the most commonly used algorithms for segmenting videos into shots.
Friedman Becomes Vice Dean
Professor Morton B. Friedman, an outstanding mathematician who pioneered the Boundary Element Method, becomes vice dean of Columbia Engineering after having been the Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics department chair for more than a decade.
Program in Biomedical Engineering
Van C. Mow, W. Michael Lai, Gerard A. Ateshian, and Edward F. Leonard join forces to develop a new program in biomedical engineering.
Elrod Receives Hersey Award
Professor Harold G. Elrod, a respected member of the Department since 1955, receives ASME's Hersey Award for his contributions to hydrodynamic lubrication and the development of compressible fluid bearings.
Computer Engineering Program Created
The Electrical Engineering Department partners with the Department of Computer Science to create an undergraduate program in Computer Engineering to instill expertise in both hardware and software. A master's program is added several years later.
Shinozuka’s Von Karman Medal
Professor Masanobu Shinozuka receives the Von Karman Medal from ASCE for "distinguished achievements in engineering mechanics," following Mindlin, Boley, Freudenthal, Bleich, and Skalak.
Concentration in Financial Engineering
IEOR institutes a popular concentration in financial engineering within the Operations Research master's program, later branching into a master's program that quickly becomes one of the top ranked quantitative finance programs in the world.
National Young Investigator Award
Not long after joining the Chemical Engineering Department, Alan C. West, an expert in electrochemical engineering, receives the NSF's prestigious National Young Investigator award.
Lai Forumulates Triphasic Theory
Professor W. Michael Lai, world renowned researcher in constitutive modeling of articular cartilage, formulates "triphasic theory" for modeling charged hydrated biological tissues, for which he is recognized in 2001 with the ASME Lissner Medal.
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2000s
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EnHANTs Project
Research advances by Electrical Engineering faculty in energy harvesting and ultra-low power and ultra-wideband communications results in the Energy Harvesting Active Networked Tags (EnHANTs) project, which enables the Internet of Things by providing the infrastructure for novel tracking applications, such as locating misplaced items, continuous monitoring of objects, or determining locations of disaster survivors.
ImageBigShot Camera
Professor Shree Nayar, a digital imaging expert who invented the first omnidirectional camera with a single effective center of projection, debuts a set of prototypes of the BigShot camera kit to affordably share science with children in the developing world.
ImageInterface Tissue Engineering
In a ceremony at the White House, Associate Professor Helen Lu receives the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for her work on interface tissue engineering applied to orthopedic and dental health problems.
ImageColumbia Water Center Founded
The Columbia Water Center is founded, an interdisciplinary initiative aimed at managing the global crisis of freshwater scarcity.
ImageBeanie Ceremony Revived
Once a mandatory accessory and tradition at Columbia, the beanie is now a souvenir for incoming first-year engineering students.
ImageColumbia Stem Cell Initiative
Professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic begins as co-director of the new Columbia Stem Cell Initiative (CSCI), launched with grants from New York state, the Helmsley Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.
ImageGraphene Is Strongest Material
Professors James C. Hone and Jeffrey W. Kysar prove that graphene, an atomically thin carbon layer, is the strongest material ever measured. They continue their groundbreaking work on graphene and, in 2013, create the world's smallest FM radio transmitter.
ImagePhysics of Electron Transport
Associate Professor Latha Venkataraman measures how electronic conduction and single bond breaking forces in single molecule devices relate to the molecular structure as well as to the metal contacts and linking bonds, providing a deeper understanding of the fundamental physics of electron transport and laying the groundwork for technological advances at the nanometer scale.
ImageCompilers: Principles, Techniques & Tools
Computer Science Professor Al Aho co-authors the second edition of Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools, the most cited text on transforming program source codes to a lower level representation in which it can be efficiently run.
ImageTwo-Player Nash Equilibria
Computer Science Assistant Professor Xi Chen and collaborators settle the long-standing open problem of the complexity of two-player Nash equilibria, the central solution concept in game theory.
ImageC3Vision Developed
Cortically coupled computer vision technology (C3Vision), developed by Professor Paul Sajda, synergistically couples computer vision with human vision, allowing on-line real-time decoding of EEG responses while the user views images as a rapid serial visual presentation, enabling recognition within a few hundredths of a millisecond.
ImageMow Medal Established
In honor of his groundbreaking research in bioengineering, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) establishes the Van C Mow Medal for Excellence in Engineering, awarded annually.
ImageCable Corrosion Monitoring System
Research begins to develop a corrosion monitoring system for main cables in several suspension bridges in New York City.
ImageChemical Engineering Celebrates Centenary
The Department of Chemical Engineering celebrates its Centenary over a 3-day gala program of technical and social events.
ImageHuman Patella Tissue Construct
Professor Gerard Ateshian (BS'86, MS'87, PhD'91), head of the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Laboratory, collaborates with Clark Hung to engineer the first human patella tissue construct.
ImageCenter for Financial Engineering
Emanuel Derman--co-inventor of the Black-Derman-Toy interest rate model and a principal at Goldman Sachs--joins Columbia. He goes on to help lead the Financial Engineering Program and the Center for Financial Engineering.
ImageBarclay Morrison Appointed
Brain injury expert Barclay Morrison joins the Biomedical Engineering faculty and becomes principal investigator at the Neurotrauma and Repair Laboratory.
ImageActive Feedback Stabilization
Professor Gerald Navratil brings active feedback stabilization to the General Atomics DIII-D tokamak outside San Diego, a historic leap in fusion energy production that wins the Dawson Prize.
ImageHoberman Arch at the Olympics
Inventor, designer and visionary toymaker Chuck Hoberman (MS'85) builds the Hoberman Arch, the striking centerpiece of Salt Lake City's Olympic Medals Plaza in the 2002 Winter Olympics.
ImageIEOR Programs Expanded
Guillermo G. Gallego, an expert in revenue management and dynamic pricing, becomes chair of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and oversees an extensive expansion of professional master's programs.
ImageIntroduction to Algorithms
Cliff S. Stein becomes the first joint appointment at Columbia between IEOR and Computer Science. The classic textbook he co-authors, Introduction to Algorithms, is translated into at least 15 languages and goes on to sell over one million copies.
ImageNewsblaster Developed
Computational linguistics expert Kathy McKeown's Natural Language Processing Group develops Newsblaster, a system that automatically identifies, sorts and summarizes the day's top news stories.
ImageBergman Joins Electrical Engineering
Keren Bergman, an expert on various optical interconnection networks for advanced computing, joins the Electrical Engineering faculty, becoming director of the Lightwave Research Lab in 2002, and, in 2011, Batchelor Professor and Department chair.
ImageKoberstein Joins Chemical Engineering
Jeffrey Koberstein, an internationally recognized expert on interfacial and surface properties of polymers and biological materials, joins the Chemical Engineering faculty. He later wins the Charles M.A. Stine Award for his work in polymeric materials.
New Approaches to Biosensing, Drug Delivery
Associate Professor Henry Hess joins the Biomedical Engineering Department to head up the Sackler Laboratory at the Interfaces of Biophysical and Medical Sciences, innovating nanoscale motors that enable new approaches to biosensing and drug delivery.
Zoli Receives “Genius” Grant
Professor Theodore Zoli receives the prestigious MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship for his innovative designs and advances to protect transportation infrastructure from natural and man-made disasters.
AIMBE Elects Clark Hung
Clark Hung assumes editorship of the Journal of Orthopaedic Research & Reviews and is elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and a year later, of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Journal
Van C. Mow and X. Edward Guo launch the journal Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering for the Biomedical Engineering Society.
Optical Techniques for Biological Systems
Professor Ken Shepard heads the Center for Optical Techniques for Actuation, Sensing and Imaging of Biological Systems, a new NSF-funded multidisciplinary IGERT program that includes 19 faculty members from nine departments in six Columbia University schools, researching optics, photonics, and sensor electronics; biomolecular detection and cellular-level analysis; and applications to medicine and public health.
Christopher Jacobs Joins the Faculty
Christopher Jacobs, an authority in molecular mechanics of cellular mechanosensitivity in bone, joins the faculty and becomes director of the Cell and Molecular Biomechanics Lab. In 2014, he is awarded the Van C. Mow Medal of the ASME.
Database Operations
Computer Science Professor Ken Ross, an authority in data analysis, proposes novel methods minimizing contention between threads executing database operations on multicore machines.
McNeill Joins the Faculty
V. Faye McNeill, an expert in atmospheric chemistry, joins the Department of Chemical Engineering to found a leading group in the study of atmospheric aerosols on climate.
Graphene Research Program Launched
Columbia Engineering launches a major program in graphene research including Electrical Engineering's Rickey Professor of Optical Communications Tony Heinz, Professor John Kymissis, Higgins Professor Richard Osgood, and Professor Ken Shepard. Since 1984, Electrical Engineering faculty have been an integral part of the growing interdisciplinary research efforts in fundamental electronic materials.
Gaden Lectureship Created
The Elmer L. Gaden Lectureship is created for the "annual examination of the changing interface between chemical engineering, cognate sciences, and society."
Thermo-Fluid Transport Phenomena
Professor Arvind Narayanaswamy and his research group demonstrate nano- and microscale effects in thermo-fluid transport phenomena, with profound implications for energy conversion and electronics cooling.
Stolfo Invents Symbiote
Professor Salvatore Stolfo and student Ang Cui (PhD'15) invent Symbiote, the world's first host antivirus security invented to protect embedded systems from exploitation, including routers, printers, IP Phones, medical devices, SCADA and POS terminals.
Yannakakis’ Fixed Point Computation
Professor Mihalis Yannakakis, recipient of the Knuth Prize for outstanding contributions to the foundations of computer science, introduces a complexity class for fixed point computation problems and multiplayer Nash equilibria. He is later elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his work in algorithms and complexity.
Lenfest Center Established
The Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy is created with Maurice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel Professor Klaus Lackner as founding director.
Longman Receives Humboldt Award
Professor Richard W. Longman receives Germany's Humboldt Award for Lifetime Research Achievements in recognition of his extensive contributions to time-optimal and high-precision robot control.
BS in Financial Engineering
Responding to a groundswell of global interest and demand, IEOR launches the nation's first BS program in Financial Engineering.
Sanat Kumar Joins Faculty
Sanat Kumar, an expert in nanomaterials and advanced capacitators, comes to Columbia and goes on to serve as chair of Chemical Engineering.
Earth and Environmental Engineering
Recognizing changes in the industry and the global challenge of sustainable resource management in the 21st century, the Henry Krumb School of Mines becomes the Earth and Environmental Engineering Department.
Nanomedicine Center
Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Lance C. Kam helps lead Columbia's efforts to establish the Nanomedicine Center for Mechanobiology, a National Institutes of Health-funded collaboration among schools to advance regenerative medicine and cutting-edge immunotherapy.
Yao Receives ASME Award
Professor Y. Lawrence Yao, an authority in laser materials processing who directs the Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory, receives ASME's Blackall Machine Tool and Gage Award.
Centrifuge Facility Established
The 200-g geotechnical centrifuge facility is established by a donation from Kajima Corporation, Japan, and is currently used in a wide array of geotechnical and earth science research projects.
Improving Rural Infrastructure
Professor Vijay Modi leads the U.N. Millennium Project's Energy Services Task Force to improve rural infrastructure and promote global development.
Tony Jebara and Machine Learning
Professor Tony Jebara helps develop a framework combining generative probabilistic models with discriminative Support Vector Machines, reconciling a key tension in machine learning.
Vapnik Joins Computer Science
Vladimir N. Vapnik, who helped develop Support Vector Machines, a key machine learning classification technique, joins Computer Science and becomes senior research scientist at the Center for Computational Learning Systems.
Robust Portfolio Selection
Professors Garud N. Iyengar and Donald R. Goldfarb collaborate to develop robust portfolio selection that systematically adjusts the sensitivity of the optimal portfolio to statistical and modeling errors in estimates of relevant market parameters.
Ward Whitt Joins IEOR
Ward Whitt, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and an authority in stochastic modeling, leaves Bell Labs to join the IEOR faculty. The same year, he is elected a Fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, and later becomes the Wai. T. Chang Professor of IEOR.
Pisano Elected to NAE
Albert Pisano (BS'76, MS'77, PhD'81) is elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his pioneering work in micro-electro-mechanical systems. He receives Egleston Medal in 2009 and goes on to become dean of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering in 2013.
9/11 Forum
Shortly after 9/11, the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics hosts a forum with World Trade Center engineers, members of the Ground Zero structural assessment team, and leaders of the emergency response and recovery teams.
Computational Optimization Research Center
IEOR launches the Computational Optimization Research Center (CORC), a joint venture between Columbia University, Cornell University and IBM for advanced studies in large-scale optimization problems.
Mathematical Earth Science
APAM expands its role in mathematical earth science by creating two jointly budgeted faculty members with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
Biomedical Engineering Founded
The Department of Biomedical Engineering is founded, with Van C. Mow serving as its chair for the first 12 years.
Columbia Engineering Receives IGERT
Columbia Engineering receives its first Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) from the NSF, for work spearheaded by the engineering school with City College.
Cache-Conscious Tree Indexing
Professor Ken Ross and Jun Rao (PhD'00) propose innovative cache-conscious tree-indexing methods for efficient data location in in-memory databases.
Next-Gen 911 Calling System
Professor Henning Schulzrinne co-authors key components of the next-generation 911 emergency calling system updating aging legacy infrastructure to handle the rise of mobile telephony.
Temperature Gradient Approximation
Professor Adam Sobel develops the weak temperature gradient approximation method for modeling tropical precipitation, revolutionizing scientists' understanding of tropical weather patterns and opening a new avenue for computer modeling and simulation.
Materials Science and Engineering
Dean Zvi Galil places the Materials Science and Engineering Program of the Henry Krumb School of Mines within the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, thereby creating a collaborative, multidisciplinary department with research interests in applied physics, applied mathematics, and materials science and engineering.
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2010s
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Columbia Engineering Kicks Off 150th Celebration
Dean Mary C. Boyce officially kicks off the School's sesquicentennial on Feb. 16 with a light display illuminating Low Library.
ImageCutting-Edge Robotics
Professor Sunil K. Agrawal designs cutting-edge intelligent machines, such as robotic exoskeletons, to help people with neural impairment.
ImageLaine Leads IEEE’s Biomedical Engineers
Professor Andrew F. Laine, a pioneer in sophisticated wavelet analysis of medical images and Chair of Biomedical Engineering, is elected President of the IEEE's Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, the world's largest organization of biomedical engineers.
ImageRecord Number of Women Admitted
Columbia Engineering admits a record number of women in its first-year class, 44%, one of the highest ratios in the United States.
ImageMary C. Boyce Becomes Dean
A year after her election to the National Academy of Engineering, and after more than 25 years at MIT, molecular and nanomechanics expert Mary C. Boyce becomes Dean of Columbia Engineering.
ImageStructural Safety and Reliability
The Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics hosts the largest-ever International Conference for Structural Safety and Reliability.
ImageHarlem Biospace
Sam Sia develops the Harlem Biospace project to support entrepreneurial ventures in bioengineering, sponsored by the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
ImageUS Electric Grid Research Grant
Professors Dan Bienstock and Gil Zussman receive a million-dollar grant from the Pentagon to prevent cascading failures of the U.S. electric grid in the event of a nuclear incident.
ImageChief Technologists
Internet security expert and Professor of Computer Science Steve Bellovin is appointed Chief Technologist of the Federal Trade Commission while Henning Schulzrinne is appointed Chief Technology Officer of the Federal Communications Commission.
ImageZheng “30 under 30”
Assistant Professor Changxi Zheng is named one of Forbes magazine's "30 under 30" in science and healthcare for his algorithms that automatically generate virtual sounds synchronized with animated dynamics.
ImageNew Data Sciences Institute Established
To help manage the ever-snowballing avalanche of data around the world, Columbia Engineering partners with other schools at the university to establish the Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering. Centered around six key sectors--smart cities, new media, health analytics, financial analytics, cybersecurity, and foundations of data science--the Institute focuses on conducting data science research across disciplines and developing programs to train tomorrow's data scientists.
ImageManagement of Systemic Risk
Professor Venkat Venkatasubramanian, head of the Complex Resilient Intelligent Systems Lab, co-founds Columbia's multidisciplinary Center for the Management of Systemic Risk, which includes over 30 researchers.
ImagePenetrating the Blood-Brain Barrier
Associate Professor Elisa Konofagou, head of the Ultrasound Elasticity Imaging Laboratory, uses focused ultrasound (FUS) to non-invasively penetrate the blood-brain barrier, once a vexing challenge for drug delivery.
ImageInsertable Robotic Effector Platform
Professor Peter K. Allen and colleagues license their Insertable Robotic Effector Platform surgery system, which includes miniature stereo cameras that enter the body to automatically track procedures.
ImageExtreme Weather Modeling
Professor Adam Sobel, one of the School's leading researchers on the physical mechanisms of climate, is interviewed extensively on Hurricane Sandy and potential future "extreme" weather. An expert in modeling monsoons and predicting storms, he studies changes in the seasonal cycle as a result of climate change, with a focus on atmospheric science, geophysical fluid dynamics, tropical meteorology, and climate dynamics.
ImageChudnovsky Wins “Genius” Award
Maria Chudnovsky, professor of industrial engineering and operations research, wins a 2012 MacArthur "Genius" Award for her fundamental work in graph theory.
ImageRoth Wins Nobel Prize
Professor Alvin E. Roth (BS'71), known for his pioneering work in the practical design of market institutions, receives the Prize in Economics for the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design.
ImageTop Young Innovator
Assistant Professor Christine P. Hendon is named one of MIT Technology Review's 35 top young innovators and also one of Forbes' "30 Under 30" for developing optical imaging and spectroscopy instruments for applications in cardiac electrophysiology and interventional cardiology.
ImageNYC Energy Map
Professor Vijay Modi develops a building energy mapping project for New York City that will serve as a global sustainable energy model for places where current infrastructure will not be able to support future demand, power costs are high, and energy is inefficient.
ImageLeafsnap Software
Professor Peter Belhumeur leads the team that creates the award-winning Leafsnap software, the first e-field guide with visual recognition, downloaded over a million times to explore flora of NYC and Washington, D.C.
ImageHillman Wins Lomb Medal
Elizabeth Hillman receives the Adolph Lomb Medal for Young Investigators from the Optical Society of America for her research into in-vivo optical imaging and microscopy techniques.
ImageTranslational Research Partnership Grant
The Department of Biomedical Engineering receives a prestigious Translational Research Partnership grant from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, which supports novel approaches that significantly impact health care, like Andreas Hielscher's vascular optical tomographic imaging system for diabetic patients.
ImageFighting Malarial Parasites
While a professor at Columbia, Paul Diament (BS'60, MS'61, PhD'63), a renowned researcher in all phases of electromagnetic and wave propagation, patents his novel use of a simple magnetic-resonance method to non-invasively destroy malarial parasites.
ImagemChip HIV Diagnostic
Associate Professor Sam Sia and a team of researchers travel to Rwanda to test the mChip, a tiny "lab on a chip" that can quickly and inexpensively diagnose HIV and other diseases based on microfluidics.
ImageGrowing New Bones
Professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic develops a bioreactor system that uses stem cells to grow new bones in the anatomical shape of the original. Her major advance helps broaden tissue engineers' outlook to include more variables, thus paving the way for new collaborations in systems biology.
Earth and Environmental Engineering’s Growing Department
More and more undergraduate and graduate students are drawn to the study of environmental sustainability for air, water, materials, and energy, leading to department plans to grow the faculty by 25 percent.
Breast Cancer Prognosis Challenge
Batchelor Professor Dimitris Anastassiou leads a Columbia team that wins the Sage Bionetworks/DREAM Breast Cancer Prognosis Challenge, creating a powerful model that uses a variety of novel molecular signatures to anticipate breast cancer survival rates.
SIGMETRICS Rising Star Researcher
Professor Augustin Chaintreau wins the SIGMETRICS Rising Star Researcher Award for his significant contributions to analyzing emerging distributed networking systems.
Synchrotron Catalysis Consortium
Professor Jingguang Chen co-founds the Synchrotron Catalysis Consortium at Brookhaven National Laboratories and serves as team leader.
Arrow-Debreu Equilibria
Professors Xi Chen and Mihalis Yannakakis, along with student Dimitris Paparas (PhD'16), settle a long-standing open problem regarding computation of Arrow-Debreu equilibria in markets with constant elasticity of substitution utilities.
Yao Professorship
David D. W. Yao becomes the inaugural Piyasombatkul Family Professor of IEOR.
Vunjak-Novakovic Elected to NAE
For her work on bioreactors, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic becomes the first woman at Columbia to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Paul Sajda Elected Editor
Paul Sajda is elected Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE journal Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.
Glucose Monitoring Innovations
Professor Qiao Lin receives the Gold Prize at the 11th Annual Diabetes Technology Meeting for his pioneering work applying micro-electromechanical systems to glucose monitoring.
Ozone Depletion & Climate Change
Lorenzo Polvani shows the first link between ozone depletion and climate change in the Southern Hemisphere, which follows his 2008 study suggesting that winds in the Southern Hemisphere will be greatly impacted by the projected recovery of the ozone hole in the latter 21st century.
Interdisciplinary MS Program
The department collaborates with Columbia Business School to offer an interdisciplinary MS program in Management Systems and Engineering.
Chang Wins Technical Achievement Award
Shih-Fu Chang, Richard Dicker Professor of Telecommunications, is honored by IEEE with its Technical Achievement Award for his pioneering contributions to the field of multimedia analysis and for developing foundational systems of image search.
Chemical Engineering Expands MS
An expanded MS program is initiated, particularly targeting undergraduate science majors.
Computational Linguistics Fellows
Professors Michael Collins, Julia Hirschberg, and Kathy McKeown are elected to the founding group of Fellows of the Association for Computational Linguistics.
Infinio Startup Launched
Professors Vishal Misra and Dan Rubenstein launch Infinio, a start-up dedicated to substantially increasing storage performance in virtual environments. It quickly becomes the fastest-growing and most-funded enterprise start-up in the Northeast.
Cytokinesis Research
Professor Ben O'Shaughnessy, an expert in polymerization processes and cellular function, receives support from the National Institutes of Health to continue his promising research in cytokinesis.
Burns Appointed Xerox Chair
Xerox CEO Ursula M. Burns (MS'81) is appointed Chairman, becoming the first African-American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company and, according to Forbes, one of the most powerful women in business.
Plasma Physics of Magnetospheres
By magnetically levitating a million ampere superconducting current ring for several hours, Professor Michael Mauel and colleagues demonstrate that plasma physics of planetary magnetospheres can be reproduced in laboratories.