Points of Distinction

School of Engineering

  • KU rises in U.S. News rankings

    The University of Kansas rose slightly in rankings in the 2012 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges.” KU rose to 46th among public universities, up one place from last year. Overall, KU ranks 101st this year, up three places.

    The schools of Engineering and Business also saw gains in the undergraduate rankings, with Engineering rising two places to 44th among public universities and Business rising two places to 33rd.

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  • Alumnus earns second place in national chemical engineering design contest

    A highly decorated recent University of Kansas School of Engineering graduate has received another prestigious national award.

    Brandon DeKosky, a spring 2010 graduate in chemical engineering from Overland Park, recently earned second place in the 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers senior design competition.

    DeKosky was recognized for his design of a manufacturing facility to produce anti-cancer antibodies.

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  • Engineering students earn second place in sustainable design competition

    An innovative, energy-efficient design for a hospital expansion earned high honors in an international competition for a team of students from the School of Engineering.

    The team of four architectural engineering students earned second place in the integrated sustainable design category of the 2010 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers student project competition.

    Teams were challenged to design a 15-story addition to an Orlando, Fla., hospital that approaches net-zero energy use — meaning the facility creates onsite as much energy as it consumes. The KU team’s solution incorporated a number of unique features that saved, reused or generated energy.

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  • Aerospace engineering graduates win top awards at international competition

    For the second consecutive year, the University of Kansas aerospace engineering program has dominated the oldest and most prestigious international aircraft design competition. KU students claimed the top three prizes this year after winning first and second in 2009.

    Lauren Fitzpatrick, of Stilwell, landed first place in the 2010 individual aircraft design competition held by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Sarah Kulhanek, of Deerfield, Ill., and Chris Vaughn, of Andale, earned second and third places, respectively. All three earned bachelor’s degrees from KU in spring 2010.

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  • Engineering professor earns grant to study renewable energy storage

    Trung Van Nguyen, professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, has received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study improvements to storing energy from renewable power sources.

    The project centers on designing a bigger, better battery to store the power generated from solar and wind energy for use when the source is not readily available or needed. Nguyen said it would also allow for more efficient use when green power is generated.

    KU is one of four universities collaborating on the four-year NSF-funded project.

  • Engineering student wins prestigious Google Anita Borg scholarship

    Angela Ndhuya Oguna, a junior studying electrical engineering from Nairobi, Kenya, is the first University of Kansas student to win a prestigious Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship. The $10,000 scholarships were awarded to 32 exceptional female undergraduate and graduate students in computer science and related technical fields.

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  • Graduate student researcher honored for green chemistry breakthrough

    A University of Kansas doctoral student in chemical and petroleum engineering is one of only two scientists in the nation to receive the American Chemical Society's prestigious Kenneth G. Hancock Memorial Award, presented by the society's Green Chemistry Institute.

    Mahdav Ghanta was recognized for his research at the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, where he and team members  developed a nature-friendly way to make the industrial chemical ethylene oxide that at could significantly reduce the carbon footprint of antifreeze, plastic bottles, sports gear, detergents, and paints.

    Ghanta received the honor June 21 at the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C.

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  • Professor earns National Science Foundation's prestigious CAREER award

    Prasad Kulkarni, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Kansas, has received one of the most prestigious National Science Foundation honors given to junior faculty members. The multiyear Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award will support Kulkarni’s ongoing efforts to build more secure and better-performing software systems.

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  • Aerospace engineering students win design awards in international contests

    Aerospace engineering students won first and second place team awards and individual honors in an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics competition. 

    Students and teams from the KU aerospace engineering department have taken first, second, or third place more than 50 times since the beginning of the contest in 1968.

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  • Petroleum engineering alumna on Top 100 Most Powerful Women in World list

    Linda Cook, former executive director of Natural Gas and Power for Royal Dutch Shell plc., who earned a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering from KU in 1980, was a member of Shell's Executive Committee and its Board of Directors. As a leader in the male-dominated field of oil and gas production, she appeared on Forbes Magazine's list of 100 Most Powerful Women in the World several times. Cook, a Shawnee native, retired from Shell in 2009 and has served on the Boeing Company Board of Directors since 2003. She is a trustee for KU Endowment and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the China Development Forum. Cook received the Distinguished Engineering Service Award from the KU School of Engineering in 2007.

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