Princeton Engineering attracts record freshman class Posted Oct. 10, 2006 by Steven Schultz
The freshman class enrolled in Princeton’s School of Engineering and
Science this fall is the largest in the school’s history and comprises
a diverse and highly qualified group of students.
At registration on Sept. 6, the freshman engineering class included 260 students.
Last year the number was 236; the largest previous freshman class was 246 in
1998. The class includes students from 37 states and 27 nations, from Anchorage,
Alaska, to Key Biscayne, Florida, and from Vietnam to Mauritius. Thirty-six
percent are women, a record high.
“Our six departments appeal to a wide range of students,” said
Peter Bogucki, associate dean for undergraduate affairs. “And our overall
approach allows students to pursue many interests within and outside of engineering.
We see engineering as a great place for students to combine scientific aptitude
with a strong desire to make a positive difference in society.”
The school’s Freshman Orientation program began Monday Sept. 11 with
an initial meeting in the Friend Center auditorium where Dean H. Vincent Poor
welcomed the class and representatives of each department gave brief introductions
to the opportunities available for undergraduate engineers. Orientation included
a barbecue dinner for the incoming students, who met in small groups with engineering
faculty advisors, upperclassmen and other freshmen.
Freshman Orientation 2006 Slideshow, Photos by Frank Wojciechowski
“A Princeton engineering education is a combination of liberal education
and professional education,” Poor told the freshmen. “It provides
the breadth of the liberal arts as well as the depth of fundamental engineering
science principles. This combination enables students to understand the scientific,
historical, economic, political, ethical and aesthetic dimensions of situations
they encounter in life, and to use specific knowledge of engineering fundamentals
to pursue fulfilling careers in engineering and other fields.”
Alain Kornhauser, professor of operations research and financial engineering,
gave this year’s faculty lecture, introducing freshman to the work of
Princeton undergraduates who formed a group called Princeton
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering.
Kornhauser and students told stories and showed video
clips about their entry last year in the DARPA Grand Challenge, a competition for
self-driving vehicles. The students are preparing an entry into a new competition
this fall.
Alain Kornhauser, professor of operations research and financial engineering, drew a capacity crowd to the Friend Center auditorium for a talk about the entry by Princeton undergraduates in last year’s DARPA Grand Challenge, a competition for self-driving vehicles. Following the talk, he and some of last year’s participants showed off their truck and signed up participants for the recently formed student group, Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering (PAVE)
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