63213 06FallWVUCEMR, page 1-40 @ Normalize - WVU College of ...

Message
FROM THE DEAN
From The Dean
Dear Friends:
The mission of the WVU College
of Engineering and Mineral
Resources is to prepare students
to practice their profession and to
contribute to the well-being of
society through academic study,
research, extension, and service.
The reliable and affordable energy
resources we used to enjoy in our
nation are a thing of the past.
Shrinking reserves of easily accessible resources,
environmental pressures, global political
unrest, and other forces have combined to
threaten the security of our economy and way
of life.
Two things are clear: The demand for energy is
going to continue to grow, and our future
prosperity depends on developing
independent, environmentally friendly, and
secure sources of energy. We must develop
advanced technologies and clean, efficient
sources of fuel and other energy sources for
power generation, transportation, industry, and
the residential sector. Our location in mineralrich
West Virginia strengthens our resolve and
commitment to helping find solutions to these
challenges.
Our College Industrial and Advisory
Committee and Executive Committee have
been discussing how engineering education
needs to evolve in order to ensure that our
graduates are well prepared for the world in
which they will live and work. We agree with
the conclusions of Educating the Engineer of
2020, recently published by the National
Academy of Engineering: The impact of global
energy challenges on engineering education
will be substantial, and we need to prepare.
This issue of EngineeringWV highlights a guest
column by Peter B. Lilly, chief operating officer
of CONSOL Energy. Mr. Lilly’s article reminds
us of the importance of higher education in
finding innovative solutions to our nation’s
energy problems. CONSOL is an important
corporate partner, and we look forward to
continuing to strengthen our relationship.
Also in this issue you will find stories about
some of the faculty and students who are
actively involved with research and education
in the energy arena. Working with university,
government, and industry partners, we are well
positioned to assume a key role in innovative
research, education, and training in the best use
of West Virginia’s energy resources.
In College news, after 28 years as chair of the
Mining Engineering Department, Syd Peng
stepped down this fall. Fortunately for us, his
goal is not retirement, but rather time to wrap
up a lifetime of research and writing. Our new
Holland Professor and Chair of Mining
Engineering is Christopher Bise. Chris has a
great depth of expertise and knowledge about
mining engineering, and joins us after an
illustrious career at Penn State. We are
confident that he will uphold our tradition of
strength in this important discipline and in
serving the needs of the West Virginia coal
mining industry.
Eugene V. Cilento
Glen H. Hiner Dean and Professor
3
Fall 2006