Changing the Face of Engineering

Linda Ellen Jones, Ph.D.
Rosemary Bradford Hewlett '40 Professor and
Director of the Picker Engineering Program

In 1999, responding to a national need for women engineers and a commitment to providing significant new opportunities for its graduates, the Smith College Board of Trustees voted to establish the nation's first engineering program at a women's college. From its inception, the Picker Engineering Program was designed to implement and refine newer methods of teaching engineering that address the needs of the 21st century.

All of us in the Picker Engineering Program have a common goal: educating engineers who address human needs through invention, resources and technology. We offer the degree in engineering science because, in the best Smith tradition, we believe that women engineers should think deeply and broadly about the effect their professional knowledge will have on the well-being of those whose trust they hold. Smith engineers hold the following core values:

In addition to learning essential principles, Smith engineering students understand the social, political, economic and environmental impact of their work. An integrated curriculum of liberal arts, sciences and engineering courses provides the breadth and depth needed to think critically, act reflectively and make informed choices.

In a world of finite natural resources, Smith engineers understand sustainability and employ its principles in the practice of their profession.

Our economic strength requires the full inclusion of women engineers at all levels of the profession. For more than 130 years, Smith alumnae have made outstanding contributions to their professions and communities, and Smith is recognized as one of the top institutions whose graduates earn their doctorates in the sciences.

Our faculty are at the forefront of innovative learner-centered engineering education. Students are actively engaged in small classes, which promote intense discussions. Beyond the classroom, at informal dinners for pre-majors, casual lunches with study teams, and conversations in the halls or by e-mail, Smith engineering students enjoy unusual access to faculty. They can, as undergraduates, participate in meaningful research, take a variety of internships and spend their junior year abroad.

As responsible citizens in today's society, all students must be technologically literate. The Picker Program offers courses that include engineering majors and non-majors; we all benefit from the inclusion of committed students with diverse skills and interests.

Join us. We're changing the face of engineering.