The Cullen College of Engineering, one of twelve academic colleges at the
University of Houston
The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...
, was established in 1941 and is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of
ABET
ABET (pronounced A-bet), formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., is a non-governmental accreditation organization for post-secondary programs in engineering, engineering technology, computing, and applied ...
. More than 5,000 students are enrolled in engineering courses—3,759 undergraduates, 1,312 master's and doctoral students. The Cullen College offers degree programs in biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, industrial, mechanical, subsea and petroleum engineering, with specialty programs in materials, and computer and systems engineering. The college's master's program in subsea engineering is the first of its kind in the United States. Its chemical and mechanical engineering programs have ranked among the top programs nationally.
Fourteen faculty members belong to the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...
.
Academics
The UH Cullen College of Engineering offers undergraduate and graduate programs through seven academic departments and two major programs:
*Department of Biomedical Engineering
*William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
*Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
*Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
*Department of Industrial Engineering
*Department of Mechanical Engineering
*Department of Petroleum Engineering
*Materials Engineering Program
*
Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture
The Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA) is a nonprofit academic research and planning organization at the University of Houston. It was founded in 1987 after an endowment gift provided by Japanese industrialist Ryōichi ...
*Subsea Engineering Program
The Cullen College also offers the Honors Engineering Program in association with The Honors College at the University of Houston.
In 2018, an engineering building at the Cullen College was renamed the Durga D. and Sushila Agrawal Engineering Research Building.
Research
The Cullen College posted research expenditures of $30+ million in the fiscal year 2019.
Research thrust areas
Biomedical-related research at the college had expenditures totaling $4.2 million in the 2011 fiscal year. Projects include research into
biosensing
A biosensor is an analytical device, used for the detection of a chemical substance, that combines a biological component with a physicochemical detector.
The ''sensitive biological element'', e.g. tissue, microorganisms, organelles, cell recep ...
/bioimaging,
molecular recognition
Supramolecular chemistry refers to the branch of chemistry concerning Chemical species, chemical systems composed of a integer, discrete number of molecules. The strength of the forces responsible for spatial organization of the system range from w ...
,
neuroengineering
Neural engineering (also known as neuroengineering) is a discipline within biomedical engineering that uses engineering techniques to understand, repair, replace, or enhance neural systems. Neural engineers are uniquely qualified to solve design ...
and drug development/delivery. The college's research expenditures in the energy arena totaled approximately $4.8 million during 2011 fiscal year. Projects include investigations into
superconductivity
Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in superconductors: materials where Electrical resistance and conductance, electrical resistance vanishes and Magnetic field, magnetic fields are expelled from the material. Unlike an ord ...
,
lean burn
Lean-burn refers to the burning of fuel with an excess of air in an internal combustion engine. In lean-burn engines the air–fuel ratio may be as lean as 65:1 (by mass). The air:fuel ratio needed to stoichiometry, stoichiometrically combust gas ...
engines,
biofuels
Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels such as oil. Biofuel can be produced from plants or from agricultural, domestic ...
,
offshore wind power
Offshore wind power or offshore wind energy is the generation of electricity through wind farms in bodies of water, usually at sea. There are higher wind speeds offshore than on land, so offshore farms generate more electricity per amount of ca ...
, and
tight gas
Tight gas is commonly used to refer to natural gas produced from reservoir rocks with such low permeability that massive hydraulic fracturing is necessary to produce the well at economic rates. The gas is sealed in very impermeable and hard rocks ...
deposits. The college's sustainability research thrust covers investigations into infrastructure and the environment. These include investigations into diesel vehicle emissions and retrofit testing, urban ground watershed modeling, severe storm management, airborne laser mapping, and concrete structures.
Research centers
The Cullen College has four research centers: the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping, the Texas Center for Clean Engines, Emissions & Fuels, the Energy Devices Fabrication Laboratory, and the University of Houston Nanofabrication Facility.
Nanofabrication Facility
Managed by the Cullen College of Engineering, the University of Houston Nanofabrication facility was developed in cooperation with the Alliance for NanoHealth. The facility features a 3,300 square feet of cleanroom space equipped with devices for prototyping and characterization.
National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping
The National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping acquires airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) imagery for clients on a fee for service basis. The Center is operated in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley. NCALM is supported by the National Science Foundation and is associated with the multi-disciplinary Geosensing Systems Engineering and Science graduate program at the University of Houston.
Notable alumni
*
Bill Callegari
William Anthony Callegari Sr. (born September 23, 1941), is a businessman and civil engineer from Katy, a suburb of Houston, Texas, who was a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the ...
, member of the Texas House of Representatives
*
Rod Canion
Joseph Rodney "Rod" Canion (born January 19, 1945) is an American computer scientist and businessman who co-founded Compaq Computer Corporation in 1982 and served as its first President and CEO.
Biography
A native of Houston, Canion graduated fr ...
, co-founder and former president and chief executive officer of Compaq Computers
*
Maurizio Cheli
Maurizio Cheli (born 4 May 1959, in Zocca) is an Italian air force officer, a European Space Agency astronaut and a veteran of one NASA Space Shuttle mission.
A native of Modena, Cheli attended the Italian Air Force Academy and trained as a tes ...
, European Space Agency astronaut
*
Nancy Currie
Nancy Jane Currie-Gregg (née Decker; former married names Sherlock and Currie; born December 29, 1958) is an American engineer, United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut. Currie-Gregg has served in the United States Army for over 22 year ...
, NASA Astronaut
*
Bonnie Dunbar, NASA astronaut, former president of the Museum of Flight
*
J.D. Kimmel, former professional football player for the Washington Redskins and Green Bay Packers.
*
John D. Olivas, NASA astronaut
*
Hubert Vo
Hubert Vo (, born May 30, 1956) is an American politician who is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives for House District 149. He is the first and (to date) only Vietnamese American to be elected to the Texas legislature.
Pe ...
, member of the Texas House of Representatives
*
Rex Walheim, NASA astronaut
References
External links
*
{{University of Houston
Engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
Engineering schools and colleges in the United States
Engineering universities and colleges in Texas
Universities and colleges established in 1941
1941 establishments in Texas