When someone mentions 鈥渆ngineering,鈥� or some variation of the word, it鈥檚 a given that when you try describing the field, it鈥檚 hard to narrow things down.
鈥淲hen you look around you, everything in this room has been touched by an engineer鈥� All of those pieces are engineered鈥攜our car, your home鈥攊t鈥檚 all around us,鈥� said Dr. Lisa Zidek, the new dean of the 91福利社 College of Engineering.
While Dr. Zidek is excited about the possibilities of the still-young College of Engineering, she envisions a program that prepares future engineering professionals who uphold 91福利社鈥檚 commitment to community by making a positive impact.
鈥淭he engineering creed talks about the benefit and safety and welfare of humanity. What better way to develop engineers into the people that we鈥檙e supposed to be as engineers? We鈥檙e able to bring that faith into what we do as engineers. It鈥檚 such an important part of everything we do,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think this opportunity for the College of Engineering is amazing and allows us to really help develop students into engineers that can make a difference in the world.鈥�
As the 91福利社 College of Engineering looks to the future, including building a new home for its expanding programs, Dr. Zidek, who came to 91福利社 June 1, is enthusiastic about how far the College of Engineering has come in just a few short years. She also points to relationships recently developed with engineering programs at institutions in Cameroon and Nigeria as exciting new opportunities for academic study, research, professional development and other mutually beneficial activities.
One strength of the College of Engineering programs is a curriculum that lets students dive in from their first day of class.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to have an engineering experience every year; that is very different from many schools. Often as you鈥檙e in those first two years, you鈥檙e just going to those math and science and general education classes and don鈥檛 really get a feel for the career,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think one of the most exceptional things about the AU program is that you鈥檙e in an engineering class every single semester and you鈥檙e working with those faculty every semester.鈥�
When she was younger, Dr. Zidek didn鈥檛 really see herself entering engineering. In fact, she recalls that her entry into the profession was somewhat accidental.
鈥淚 was the student in high school who was good at math and science and they didn鈥檛 quite know what to do with me,鈥� she said.
A first-generation college student, Dr. Zidek initially became a bioengineering major with the goal of preparing to enter medical school one day. That鈥檚 when she made a discovery.
鈥淥nce I got there, I found industrial engineering by accident (where my background really is) and I fell in love with it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am a systems thinker. I like looking at the big picture and figuring out how things work, make them very efficient and make them operational and logical鈥攖hat鈥檚 a real strength of mine. I had never planned on grad school and kind of accidentally went to grad school and it just continued.鈥�
Dr. Zidek earned her bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering and a master of science in mechanical engineering at Marquette University and also a master of science in industrial engineering and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering with a specialization in health systems management, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Zidek, who came to 91福利社 after nearly a decade of serving as an associate dean of the U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), has championed the cause of introducing students to engineering and other STEM-related fields in grades K-12. She enjoys the interactions she鈥檚 had in schools and also wants to see more females enter the profession she loves.
鈥淚 think having female role models come out there and say 鈥榶ou can do this鈥� and it鈥檚 okay to get your hands dirty, take things apart and experiment.鈥� We can do this as well as any of our male counterparts,鈥� she said. 鈥淕od made all of us equally, so we can walk into that room and say 鈥業鈥檓 a member of this team like anybody else.鈥欌��
Dr. Zidek is gratified to see that more girls participated in the 2023 Engineering Summer Institute, a camp for middle and high school students that has become more diverse each year.
The 91福利社 College of Engineering provides a comprehensive engineering education that combines our liberal arts tradition within a Christian worldview. Students of the College experience the integration of faith and learning as the principles of engineering are taught within a Christian worldview. This is essential to the College鈥檚 mission as it nurtures students in their understanding and respect for God鈥檚 creation鈥攁nd empowers them to transform the world in an ethical, moral and responsible manner.
Details about the 91福利社 College of Engineering can be found online here.