UPEI breaking new ground
University introduces Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering
The University of Prince Edward Island has approved the creation of the school’s seventh faculty.
The School of Sustainable Design Engineering (SSDE) is renamed, effective immediately, the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering (FSDE) after getting the green-light from the UPEI senate and board of governors.
The new status recognizes the school’s achievements in research, teaching, and service in a few short years. The new faculty is independent from UPEI’s Faculty of Science and will have at its helm Dr. Nicholas Krouglicof, whose title changes from associate dean to dean.
“The evolution from a school to a faculty in under four years is a testament to the hard work of the engineering faculty and staff whose efforts have helped create an engineering program that is second to none,” said Dr. Krouglicof.
It has been an exciting few years for engineering at UPEI. The School of Sustainable Design Engineering was announced in 2014 by Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor. Construction on a home for the school began that summer, with the School of Sustainable Design Engineering Building opening in August of 2016. The first graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design Engineering walked across the state at UPEI Convocation 2017.
“This is another exciting step for the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering,” said President Abd-El-Aziz. “I am continually impressed and proud of the accomplishments of the faculty, staff, and students of the FSDE. Every day, they show us the very best in Canada in learning, teaching, and service to the community.” The FSDE has enjoyed many successes its short history. Its students have taken their studies to the sea as UPEI partnered with the Royal Canadian Navy this spring for an adventure of a lifetime. Its researchers are innovative and engaged and have been recognized with funding and support.
The FSDE is a different type of engineering school. Students learn through doing. From the first week of the first-year, students get their hands dirty with the business of learning, designing and building. They work closely with industry and community partners to help solve the latter’s unique design challenges. And the final results of their work make a real difference in the world.