Five years in the works, Chapman University’s new engineering school is ready for its close-up.
It’s in 3D.
The school burnishes Chapman’s push into high-paying STEM fields, connects it more deeply with area companies, and plans a global, tech-based focus.
“Computing and technology are so hot and so important to the economic development of this area,” said founding Dean Andrew Lyon.
Lyon, 49, was a longtime Georgia Tech professor before being recruited by Chapman in 2014.
“It’s a pretty cool opportunity.”
He likes Chapman because it gives students firsthand experience and class sizes are far smaller than Georgia Tech, which could have upward of 400 people in one room.
Chapman’s engineering school has 315 students and can accommodate 800.
Chapman has about 9,000 students overall.
Glass Size
The founding of Chapman’s engineering school involved plenty of right-sized elements.
W.M. Keck Foundation, named for the founder of Superior Oil, gave $20 million to help build the Keck Center for Science and Engineering, the newest building on campus. It opened last year.
About two-thirds of the 140,000-square-foot layout is for Chapman’s Schmid College of Science and Technology, named for a family of engineers and entrepreneurs who’ve supported the university since 1965.
The engineering school will use the remaining third—its interior is scheduled to open in 2021—and was named for Dale and Sarah Ann Fowler, whose name also adorns Chapman law school.
Engineers Club
The school is the latest effort by traditionally liberal arts Chapman to focus on science, technology, engineering and math. California State University-Fullerton and University of California-Irvine also have engineering schools.
STEM professions are often higher paying than liberal arts; graduates may be more able to afford to stay in Orange County, stemming the area’s “brain drain,” Lyon said.
Chapman’s annual tuition is $55,000.
Lyon said the university has balanced liberal arts and STEM programs and, “students that come out of our high-powered science and engineering programs have a global perspective of why they’re doing what they’re doing.”
Engineering studies include computer science, data analytics, and similar fields. Chapman plans to add a bachelor’s in computer engineering next year, electrical engineering in 2021, and a computer science master’s in 2022.
The engineering schools’ planned new building will include robotics labs and research spaces, a gallery dedicated to women in science, and outdoor patios. Electron microscopes measure circuits at the nano level; a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.
The research environment “gives undergraduates experience with physical tools that at other universities you cannot touch unless you’re a graduate student,” Lyon said.
Masimo, Experian
Faculty will have work stations rather than individual offices, Lyon said during a tour, to cultivate collaboration.
The engineering school has 12 full-time faculty, including four new hires this year; it plans to add six this coming year and reach about 50 overall in addition to part-timers with industry knowledge.
Practical experience for students includes an engineering class where they assemble 3D printers on day one.
“It’s their ‘textbook,’” Lyon said. “They know everything about that printer by the time they are done [doing] work in a meaningful fashion rather than just sitting” in lectures.
He and faculty work with companies including Masimo Corp., HireRight LLC and Experian to design courses. Students have had internships with a hundred different firms from Boeing to Princess Cruise Lines.
“Programs are designed to meet their needs so the students do very well in the job market,” Lyon said.
