Welcome to the Faculty of Engineering and to the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation (CEI). The CEI, while relatively new, resides on the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, comprised of the Ojibwa, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi and it is with deep respect that we acknowledge their stewardship of this land that many of us now call home.
As engineers, educators, researchers, leaders, and global citizens we are shaping the future of our society. Our decisions today will impact our tomorrow. As a society, we need to do better in order for us to become more than just sustainable and to move into the realm of restorative and regenerative ways of living.
The upcoming academic year promises to be one of energy and enthusiasm when we can align our purposes with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs.) Within the Faculty of Engineering, our research, teaching and service cover all 17 SDGs and offer many opportunities for our students and community to become involved. Winter 2024 will be the first time that UWindsor Engineering students can take, for credit, a multi-university course on How to Change the World (http://www.htctw.org/) where they can work alongside other Canadian university students in diverse teams to try to address issues related to the UN SDGs.
One thing that I am extremely proud of is our Elevate Scholars who worked alongside faculty researchers over this past summer. These students, who came from various underrepresented groups in the Engineering profession, received their first taste of what a carer in research might look like. I am keenly looking forward to our second cohort of Elevate Scholars who are currently in their first year of studies, to begin their placement with faculty members in the Summer semester 2024.
As the Dean of Engineering, I am humbled and deeply proud of our students, staff and faculty members and the positive impact they are having in making our society more sustainable.
Bill Van Heyst, Ph.D., P.Eng. (he/him)
Dean | Faculty of Engineering
Professor | Civil and Environmental Engineering