College of Science, Engineering and Technology

For the first time, GCU has rolled out its first Formula SAE race car. The GCU Formula SAE Team, which has been fabricating the small-scale version of a Formula vehicle since January, worked all weekend to get the car ready for the Lincoln Formula SAE competition, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday in Nebraska. A team of about 20 will be recognized with a send-off event at 1 p.m. today outside the Engineering Building. Once they reach the competition, they will be competing against 79 other university teams — around 1,300 undergraduate and graduate students — from not only the United States but countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Canada.

GCU’s professors stepped away from the whiteboards and threw themselves into the world of Harry Potter, “Game of Thrones,” “Pokemon,” “Star Wars and the like as they infiltrated Phoenix Fan Fusion as guest panelists over Memorial Day weekend. They delved into everything from the science of “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” to the biology in the film “Bird Box” to the ethics behind integrating technology and the brain in the film “Ghost in the Shell.” “The audience engagement – that’s the best part about it – and really communicating science with the public in a more fun and entertaining and engaging way,” said biology professor Dr. Darien Hall.

It seemed like a half-baked idea: Build a bridge using … potatoes. But Sevilla West MESA Team students did just that at the first Engineering Shops Tour and Workshop in GCU’s Engineering Building. It was the first tour of its kind and the neat thing about it — it was student-conceived (by recent electrical engineering graduate Michael Erisman) and student-led.

By the time computer programming majors graduate from GCU, they’ll do so with a multitude of apps in their arsenal. They start building their first web applications the first semester they’re here and don’t stop until their yearlong senior capstone project. Not only that, but they learn not just the standard two computer languages, instead delving into three primary computer programming languages. Few colleges, if any, break computer programming into its own discipline, separate from computer science; GCU does. Said Computer Programming Faculty Lead Mark Reha, “Here we have a nugget right in the palm of our hand because there’s no programs that I’m aware of — bachelor programs — in the entire United States that has this focus.”

Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau The Friday afternoon ceremony of spring commencement at Grand Canyon University featured 912 online graduates from the Colangelo College of Business, the College of Fine Arts and Production, the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, and the College of Theology. To watch a replay of the ceremony, click here.     

Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau A total of 865 students from the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, the College of Science, Engineering and Technology and the College of Theology received their degrees Thursday evening at Grand Canyon University’s spring commencement. To watch a full replay, click here.  

Isaiah Slemons spent much of his childhood in and out of hospitals, so he knew what he wanted to do with his life — help others as others helped him through his medical challenges. He graduated Thursday with his Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering and is one of about 40 biomedical, electrical and mechanical engineering scholars who became GCU’s first engineering graduating class.

When commencement rolls around Thursday, among the students in their caps and gowns will be the University’s first engineering graduates. Thirty-eight engineering hopefuls — many of them already touting job offers from companies such as Honeywell and Western States Fire Protection Co., are expected to receive their degrees in what will be a milestone event for GCU, which in the last several years has made STEM education a priority.

Multiple mini-interviews, aka MMIs, are like speed dating for the interview world. GCU pre-med students jumped into the University’s first mock multiple mini-interview session to help them hone their critical-thinking skills before beginning real MMIs as they apply to medical schools.

It was innovation on parade at the Engineering Building on Thursday, where dozens of computer science, computer programming and mechanical, electrical and biomedical students on about 35 teams presented their yearlong projects as part of the Engineering and Technology Capstone Showcase.