College Newsletter

Fall 2023

FROM THE DEAN

Boise State students are audaciously purposeful in utilizing their passions and education to solve our world’s complex challenges in microelectronics and beyond. Our college provides a space for scholars, dreamers, and thinkers to thrive and explore in the pursuit of innovation. As such, our students and faculty continue to excel inside and outside the classroom, as well as in their research, which is highlighted in this year’s Spotlight.

As I conclude my last year as Dean, I am proud of all the accomplishments of these colleagues, as well as the dedicated staff, to ensure that we have an “unshakeable focus on learning,” taking our ideas to impact in every area of COEN. I remain confident that the Boise State College of Engineering will continue to be a sought-after destination for workplace learning, engineering, computer science, and construction management education impacting the generations of Idahoans and scholars to come.

Go Broncos!

JoAnn S. Lighty, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Engineering
Professor, Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering

Meet First-Gen Researcher Mone't Sawyer

Biomedical Engineering doctoral student Mone’t Sawyer didn’t always see herself as a scientist or engineer. At one time, she thought scientists weren’t allowed to be creative, and subsequently, her creative spirit wouldn’t be able to shine pursuing a career in STEM fields. Learn more about how Boise State provided the space for Sawyer to bridge her creative passions with her background in materials science and engineering through her research in biomedical engineering, leading to groundbreaking work at the cellular level.

COEN'S FIRST TRUMAN SCHOLAR

Civil engineer. A sustainability leader. Researcher. Scholarship Founder. Student Advocate. All of these and more have been used to describe the civil engineering major Cheyon Sheen. To many, she’s just Chey. That’s how she prefers it actually, but now she’s accumulated another title to add to her long list – Truman Scholar.

We sat down to talk with Chey about who Chey really is behind all the titles. Read Chey’s full Truman Scholar announcement by clicking the button below.

McMurren's legacy building success for College of Engineering future

With multiple gifts to the Boise State College of Engineering, Catherine and Bob Palmer have carried on the legacy of Catherine’s father by becoming one of the most loyal COEN donors. Their generous support continues to enhance the college’s mission of creating an accessible environment with an unshakeable focus on learning where all are empowered to think critically and solve our world’s complex challenges. Read our latest donor story to learn more about what motivates the Palmers to build an unbridled future for the College of Engineering and Boise State.

Supporting Relentless Innovation

Stats

1

First-ever endowed chair position in the College of Engineering

$2.25M

The fifth largest single donor gift in college history

39

The number of years the McMurren legacy has been impacting student success

To Idaho And Beyond

Boise's Backyard Astronauts

If you were going to create technology to be used by astronauts on the moon, where would you go to test it for the otherwordly experience? Your test site would need to be extremely dry and have volcanic materials, stark lighting conditions and a unique geology.

Learn how engineering students on Boise State’s NASA SUITS and Micro-g NExT teams brought space to the Treasure Valley.

Explore More with Boise’s Backyard Astronauts

Sky-High Scholars

Engineering Broncos receive NASA Fellowships

It’s incredible how much space exploration research begins at Boise State. In keeping with a long tradition, two Broncos brought home prestigious NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium fellowships in 2022.

Learn more about how Cyrus Koroni and Ally Almaraz are developing new technologies and advancing scientific knowledge related to NASA’s missions.

Discover More about Sky-High Scholars

CORe program degrees at top online cybersecurity degree lists for 2023-24

The Cyber Operations and Resilience Program (CORe) has been recognized as a top online cybersecurity degree of 2023 by Forbes and Cybersecurity Guide.

Discover how Boise State’s newest collaborative degree program offers students the ability to anticipate cyber threats and mitigate their harm with cyber-depth electives that allow for customizable degrees designed to meet industry needs.

Learn More about CORe Degree