Corporate & Community Partners

Since the College of Engineering was created just ten short years ago, we have achieved incredible success thanks to support from our corporate and industry partners and Idaho’s phenomenal growth in high technology companies. A few of our recent achievements include:

• In 2007, we ranked 14th on U.S. News & World Report’s list of best engineering colleges among public universities without Ph.D. programs, up from 19th place in 2005.
• 1771 students are currently enrolled in engineering majors, up from the 656 students when the College was opened in 1997.
• The college partners with dozens of Idaho and national companies to provide co-op and internship opportunities for engineering students.
• Plans are underway to create faculty and student exchanges with universities in Guadalajara, Mexico and Seoul, South Korea.

Research that directly benefits the welfare and education of Idaho residents and jumpstarts new businesses

• More than $25.5 million in research funding supports a wide variety of initiatives that impact the citizens of Idaho
• The College of Engineering is a partner, along with Stanford, Harvard and other research universities, in two FAA Centers of Excellence. Research on emissions and cabin air quality will benefit both Idaho travelers and people all around the world.
• A million dollar interdisciplinary proposal submitted from the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biology, Chemistry and Physics at Boise State University was recommended for funding by the National Science Foundation, Major Research Instrumentation Program.  The NSF award of $691,910 is matched by a $125,000 grant from The Micron Foundation and by $180,000 from Boise State University, for a total funding level of $996,910.  The analytical transmission electron microscope for interdisciplinary research and education at Boise State will significantly enhance the training of scientists and engineers in Idaho, and particularly in Boise, home to over one-third of the state’s population.  State-of-the-art materials characterization made available through access to a transmission electron microscope is critical for many areas of research and development in a wide range of technology areas including biomedical, microelectronics and nanotechnology. 
• A $9 million federally funded statewide research grant will fund a new Water Quality Laboratory to support hydrologic research at Boise State. Jim McNamara and Molly Gribb, Civil Engineering, are co-principal investigators for Boise State’s share of the grant. In addition, the funds will provide two years of support for a new hydrologic sciences faculty position in civil engineering, the expansion of the Dry Creek Watershed Hydrologic Research Site in the Boise Foothills and the expansion of Boise State’s Soils Properties Laboratory. The funding will support expanded computer analysis tools to address water issues and research on nitrogen and carbon cycles in Idaho landscapes, stream ecology, aquaculture and environmental nano-scale sensors.
• The Center for Environmental Sensing, newly approved by the State Board of Education, will facilitate collaboration and integrate the various research areas in environmental sensing at Boise State. Molly Gribb, civil engineering, will serve as the director of the center.
• The first doctoral program in electrical engineering is under development thanks to a grant from the Micron Technology Foundation. The grant also challenges the university to find additional partners for the full implementation of the doctoral program pending State Board of Education approval.

Student Success

• The pass rate for Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering students who took the Fundamentals of Engineering exam for the first time in Spring 2005 was 100%. Overall engineering students have retained a pass rate above 90 percent on the FE Exam, well above the national norm of 70 percent.
• Civil engineering students swept six of eight categories at the regional concrete canoe competition in Montana, including the overall award, and will compete nationally.
• Mechanical engineering students took 2 nd place at the Micro Baja Regional Contest.
• During their first entry at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers competition in California, the BSU Micro Mouse team won best in the Northwest and took 7 th overall.
• The student chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers was named the top student organization at BSU in 2005. They went on to win first place in their regional academic competition in San Antonio and will be traveling to Orlando, Florida for the national competition in 2006.