In our rapidly advancing technological age, it is more important than ever for engineering students to engage with ethical thinking during their education. Because of this importance, the McKelvey School of Engineering should reinstate an ethics course requirement for its students.

The Engineering Communication Center (ECC) at the McKelvey School of Engineering will be phased out by May 2028, Dean Aaron Bobick wrote in an email to the school’s faculty, staff, and students on Feb. 3.

Classes purposefully designed to demoralize students — think Organic Chemistry or Dynamics — are antithetical to the goals of higher education.

Why, then, am I qualified to talk about weed-out classes? Because I am evidence that they work.

The original op-ed offers me an opportunity to share a bit of what the Engineering Communication Center does and the ways we value and support critical thinking and the writing process in our courses. I hope this also dispels some misconceptions about engineering students and the engineering curriculum.

Amidst the growing debate over AI’s role in the classroom, Student Life’s Managing Multimedia Editor, Sanchali Pothuru, and Multimedia Editor, Mireya Coffman, join three professors, Tarrell Campbell, Konstantina Kiousis, and Guy Genin, to see if they can distinguish between student essays and ChatGPT-generated content.

The main goal of Moon’s research is to harness bacteria to “eat” plastic and waste, synthetically developing microorganisms that can clean pollutants and pathogens. This would reduce carbon emission levels by eliminating the need for incinerators and other carbon-emitting disposals. 

“I saw a race car sitting on the grass on Mudd field and that was it. I was like, I’m doing that, that’s gonna happen,” said Shannon Coupland, the recruitment lead for the Washington University Racing team.

The McKelvey School of Engineering’s Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering (EECE) now offers a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering.

The Washington University School of Engineering & Applied Science has been renamed the McKelvey School of Engineering, Chancellor Mark Wrighton announced Jan. 31.

The name change comes following a donation made by alumnus Jim McKelvey Jr.