The Cullen College of Engineering faculty members have made their final decisions on this year’s overall Outstanding Junior and Senior Award recipients, and the winners are Connor Fernandez, chemical engineering junior, and Ryan Hannemann, mechanical engineering senior.

MEET TEAM PRIMER…A group of mechanical engineering undergrads at the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering who will be competing in the upcoming Shell Eco-marathon in Houston from April 25th to 27th. The 12-member team is currently building an ultra-energy efficient, battery-powered vehicle from the ground up. Team Primer will enter their vehicle, named “EcoPrimer,” under the marathon’s “prototype” class, focusing on maximizing the car’s efficiency rather than the driver’s comfort. The team members’ tireless work on “EcoPrimer” will double as their senior Capstone Design projects, the penultimate project for all graduating seniors at the Cullen College.

You may see quite a few college students at the next Science and Engineering Fair of Houston (SEFH) on February 19th and 20th, but they won’t be competing against the middle and high school students participating in the fair. Instead, they’ll be learning from them.

The Program for Master in Engineering Studies (PROMES) says on its website that they aim for students to “encourage each other to be leaders here at UH and in their careers beyond UH,” and PROMES alumna Nwamaka Nzeocha is a shining example. Nzeocha, who graduated from the Cullen College of Engineering in May 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, is now offering two engineering scholarships ($1000 and $500) for PROMES innovators in her “Dare to be Different” scholarship contest.

December 9-15, 2013 is National Computer Science Education Week, and the non-profit organization Code.org is using the week to promote their One Hour of Code initiative. According to Code.org, the flagship week-long celebration is meant to coincide with the 107th birthday of Admiral Grace Hopper, an early American computing pioneer.

The Engineering BOS (Beginning of Semester) Party was held last night in front of the engineering buildings. Hundreds of students attended the event and enjoyed free food, drinks, music and games.

To view photos from this year's BOS Party, visit the Cullen College's Flickr page.

An article published in the Nov. 3rd issue of the Houston Chronicle taps into the expertise of Engineering Career Center senior director Vita Como for advice on how engineering grads can increase their chances of employment after college.

Let’s face it: Houston is an entrepreneurial town, and the University of Houston is no different. In fact, over 3,500 UH alumni own or run a business, and 63 percent of all UH alumni live and work in the city of Houston.

The 9th annual Undergraduate Research Day took place on Thursday, October 10th. It showcased the achievements of 130 undergraduate researchers from the University of Houston through poster presentations. Student presenters included undergraduates from a total of 11 colleges at the University.