2024: A Year of Leadership and Innovation

December 18, 2024 Danielle Herman 4-min. read

NC State basketball fans celebrate the return of the Men's and Women's 2023-2024 final four teams at a celebration at the Belltower. It is night and the belltower is lit in NC State red uplighting. Downtown Raleigh can be faintly seen in the background. — NC State basketball fans celebrate the return of the Men's and Women's 2023-2024 final four teams at a celebration at the Belltower. Photo by Becky Kirkland.

From launching new research initiatives to international recognition, 2024 was a year of progress, innovation and leadership for NC State University’s College of Engineering.

Transforming the future of engineering research and education through Applied AI

Computer generated composite image of a human hand and arm on the left touching index fingers with a white robotic hand on the right. a burst of light is showing between their fingers. the background is darkish blue with white highlights of digital measurements.

The college put its vision into action and officially launched the Applied AI in Engineering and Computer Science Initiative in 2024. In September, researchers and graduate students gathered for a symposium, and in November, the college hosted the inaugural Dean’s Distinguished Seminar Series on Applied AI Futures.

NC State’s first Millennium Technology Prize winner

Professor Emeritus B. Jayant Baliga was awarded the 2024 Millennium Technology Prize — the most prestigious international award focused on recognizing technological innovation — for his work on the invention, development and commercialization of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). He received the prize and €1 million award in October in Finland.

Building on research strengths

The White House and U.S. Department of Defense announced the first year of funding, totaling $19 million, for four projects for the Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors (CLAWS) Microelectronics Commons Hub.
A new Battery and Energy Systems Committee will expand the college’s expertise in battery and energy storage systems engineering, teaching and research.
The largest hot press furnace in the southeast opened for use on Centennial Campus, drawing interest from researchers across universities and industry working on advanced materials.
The college had a record-breaking year for research in fiscal year 2024, submitting 1,084 proposals and receiving 674 awards totaling $186 million in funding. This is a year-over-year increase of 65%. More than 100 faculty and research administration staff members gathered for the Research Celebration in September.

Highest civilian honor awarded to North Carolinian who has traveled farthest from the state

Astronaut Christina Koch received the North Carolina Award for Science in November. A graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and a three-time alumna of NC State, she represents the best of the UNC System and continues to encourage students to pursue STEM. She will orbit the moon as a mission specialist for Artemis II.

New highs on Day of Giving

COE alumni, faculty, staff and supporters gave a record 2,172 gifts this Day of Giving, raising a total of $4,841,507. The COE community’s generosity helped students attend professional conferences and supported faculty members starting their careers at NC State.

Faculty Highlights

Several College of Engineering female faculty members held president or president-elect positions in professional societies in 2024:

Lisa Marshall, inaugural extension assistant professor and director of outreach, retention & engagement in the Department of Nuclear Engineering, is president of the American Nuclear Society.
Katherine Saul, associate department head and director of graduate programs in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, is president-elect of the American Society of Biomechanics.
Julie Swann, head of the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, is president of INFORMS.

Four faculty members received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) in 2024:

Adolfo Escobedo, associate professor in the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Yin Liu, assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and EngineeringJohn-Paul Ore, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science
Chau-Wai Wong, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Amanda Lietz, assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering, received a Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Early Career Research Program award.

Half of NC State’s eight faculty members named Fulbright Scholars are affiliated with an engineering department:

Fernando Garcia Menendez, associate professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
Jason Hou, associate professor in the Department of Nuclear EngineeringPraveen Kolar, professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Adriana San Miguel Delgadillo, associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Student Highlights

The NC State NSBE chapter pose after winning two awards. Jenni Mangala, center left, and Bryan Washington, center right, hold the awards.

NC State’s National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) chapter won two chapter awards this year at the 50th annual NSBE Convention held March 20-24 in Atlanta. Forty-seven NC State students attended, the highest number ever for the chapter.
Students started up an Active Minds chapter at NC State to help students manage their mental health and prioritize wellness.
The Pack Pullers won the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) International Quarter Scale Tractor Competition for the first time.

Alumni Highlights

Two-time industrial engineering alumna Rashida Hodge gave the 2024 fall commencement address. Hodge is also a member of the NC State Engineering Foundation Board of Directors.
The college’s most internet-famous alumni, Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, established the Rhett & Link Engineering Innovation Scholarship Fund, announced on Day of Giving. They also dropped by campus this summer to test out peanut butter axes made by NC State engineering students for a video.
Charlie Townsend, who earned his B.S. in civil engineering in 2015 and MBA in 2021, won the New Professional Engineer of the Year award from the National Society of Professional Engineers.
Genevieve Flatgard received the 2024 Military Engineer of the Year Award, which is given by the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command in Washington, D.C.