Fellow Owls,
Welcome to the 50th anniversary magazine of the College of Engineering at Temple University. This is a major moment for the college, and in these pages, you’ll get a glimpse of where we’ve been, where we are now, and where we plan to go.
I think back to my own time at Temple: a commuter school in the early days of the College of Engineering, surrounded by classmates who brought determination and grit to the campus. In the years since, it is amazing how Temple University and the College of Engineering have established a global presence while maintaining its legacy as Philadelphia’s public university.
As you will read, Temple Engineering students remain among the top performers at the university, regularly winning competitions, earning prestigious fellowships and scholarships and competing for top positions after graduation. Faculty research impact continues to grow, with millions of dollars in new research funding being awarded annually.
Our 50th year however has presented historic challenges with a pandemic, recession and unrest. While this has pushed us to rethink our longest-held notions, I offer to you that there has never been a better time to be an engineer. Indeed, when the world seems most uncertain, we rise to the occasion, innovating solutions that improve our various ways of life. In the world of engineering, uncertainty gives rise to positive change. And for the College of Engineering, rising to that occasion has made us who we are today.
Both students and faculty have also shown the dynamism of engineering through spearheading the Temple University COVID Assistance Team. This interdisciplinary group activated near the beginning of the pandemic, and helped to produce more than 16,000 face shields for Temple University Health System, as well as for researchers and the surrounding community.
You know more than anyone that engineering at Temple fills you with the promise and potential to solve the most intractable challenges across our city and our world. We learn not just how to design and build solutions, but why they are necessary, and those solutions have positively impacted communities worldwide. Today, we celebrate 50 years and yet this is just the beginning. The first 50 years gave us a strong foundation and we now have the momentum to know the best days for the College of Engineering are yet to come. I hope you will stay involved, stay connected and join me in celebrating this 50-year milestone.
Warmest regards,
Gregory A Kelly, P.E., NAC (ENG, 79)
Chair, Temple College of Engineering Board of Visitors
In Tribute
Like many Temple students he served, Dr. Ted Vassallo was the first in his family to receive a college degree. He served in the United States Army, where he was awarded the Bronze Service Star in 1945. Dr. Vassallo then taught for the Philadelphia School District before teaching math, chemistry and physics at the Temple College & Technical Institute, the precursor to today’s College of Engineering.
Dr. Vassallo was the key author of the proposal to create the college and served as the inaugural Associate Dean and Director of Student Services. Dr. Vassallo retired from full-time service to Temple University in 1986, continuing as special assistant to the Dean until 2015.
Dr. Vassallo passed away in March, 2020. He leaves behind a legacy of supporting students, as evidenced by the reams of handwritten letters of thanks shared by students, faculty and administrators he kept.
To see the full list of those we remember, visit engineering.temple.edu/tribute.
Adapting for the Future
Celebrating 50 years of the College of Engineering is a special opportunity. It’s an opportunity for us to rethink what our disciplines really mean. To me, engineering is all about investigating, designing, building, improving—and adapting. Even the best laid plans are not infallible. I can now say that from experience.
Last fall, I was fortunate enough to participate in a co-op at NASA Ames Research Center in California. I learned and worked with brilliant minds, and fell in love with the spirit of ingenuity and perseverance at Ames.
Though my plan was to be back in California this summer, continuing my work on the Advanced Mars Helicopter and Mars Science Helicopter (Ingenuity’s not-yet-named successors), I am back at home in New Hampshire. My work days are relegated to staring at my laptop, with only my dog for company. Of course, I recognize that I am lucky to still have an internship, but engineering is best pursued as a collaborative, human exercise. Conducting meetings virtually, not being able to bounce ideas off my mentor, and lacking access to the labs and 3D printers were changes I had to quickly get used to.
In the meantime, like many students, I have also turned my attention to looking for work after graduation. One strategy has been to lean on my former peers, and speak with Owls who have recently entered the workforce. Their experiences have been reassuring, and if we can all approach our next chapter with an open mind, self-accountability, and willingness to learn, kicking off a successful career is still very much within our grasp.
That’s the beautiful thing about humans—we’re adaptable. We observe. We analyze. We problem-solve. And we continue paving the path for societal advancements. That’s how the next 50 years should be at Temple.
Happy anniversary, Owls. Here’s to engineering a better future.
Athena Chan (ENG, '21)
Supporting the College of Engineering
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