College of Science, Engineering and Technology

Graduates of the online program at Grand Canyon University always have inspirational stories to tell, and this year they were equally inspired by keynote speaker Gian-Paul Gonzalez’s talk — and by the celebration that is a GCU commencement ceremony.

If the graduates at fall commencement didn’t know about ninth-grade world history teacher and New York Giants chaplain Gian-Paul Gonzalez before they got to GCU Arena, they sure do now. Gonzalez’s keynote addresses at the five ceremonies were a hit every time, and in addition to all the standing ovations he also was descended upon by a sea of thankful listeners when he came out to watch the “tunnel walk” after the Saturday morning ceremony.

Photos by Slaven Gujic, David Kadlubowski and Travis Neely GCU News Bureau The Friday afternoon ceremony of fall commencement at Grand Canyon University included 675 nontraditional graduates of the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions (doctoral and master’s level) and the College of Science, Engineering and Technology.  

You have one minute: Rant on the topic of “Pockets.” Go! It was just one of the activities freshman engineering students tackled in Excellence in Engineering, a series of six workshops covering everything from resume-building to handling stress and public speaking. The workshops, led by engineering students, also are designed to build a sense of community in the department.

They programmed robots, made battery motors, concocted some gooey gak and, more importantly, got in touch with their inner scientist. Fourth- through eighth-grade girls were all about science, technology, engineering and math at the Girl Powered STEM Workshop on Saturday in the Engineering Building. The event, a partnership between the GCU Robotics Club and Strategic Educational Alliances, was inspired by VEX Robotics’ Girl Powered Initiative, which aims to redefine the face of STEM.

Cybersecurity expert Mark Pribish said that retired Gen. Michael Hayden, the former director of the CIA, told an international cyber audience in 2017 that when it comes to cyber threats: “Here’s a fact. You can’t stop it,” at least not 100 percent. With the news of data breaches, identity theft and the like always making headlines, the possibilities of building a career in the cybersecurity industry are strong. He was the first speaker in the Dean’s Speaker Series in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, talking this week to technology students about “Cybersecurity Career Opportunities Outside of IT.”

Increasingly, students at Grand Canyon University are adding minors. These extra concentrated courses give students deeper knowledge in a branch of their major, an increased skill set, a complement to their major, or a completely different academic area to explore.

Grand Canyon University will hit another milestone in 2019, when its first engineering graduates will walk the stage. But before then, those students are busy brushing up their resumes and getting connected with industry, such as at Friday’s Engineering and Technology Job/Internship Fair at GCU Arena. Students spoke with companies such as Paradox, whose flagship product is an artificial intelligence human resources tool named Olivia, as well as Kroger, which was looking for engineers for its project management team, and Benchmark Electronics, which is developing an Engineering Center of Excellence in Tempe.

Rice University synthetic organic chemist Dr. James Tour’s research spans from nanomachines that can drill into cells, such as cancer cells and super bacteria, and kill them, to graphene nanoribbons used in spinal cord repair. But his College of Science, Engineering and Technology One Foundation talk on Friday also focused on his faith and how it has played the biggest role in his life and his scientific success.

The College of Science, Engineering and Technology is taking a unique approach in helping their freshmen engineering students “find their God-given purpose,” as CSET Dean Dr. Mark Wooden calls it. As part of their curriculum, those students take a comprehensive personality and career assessment called the Indigo Assessment. “We were looking for something that would help incoming students determine early on whether their choice of an engineering major was truly in line with their internal motivators and capitalized on their unique strengths,” said Wooden.