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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 25, 1983)
P«Q« 14 Section II Portend Observer, May 26, 1963 Outlook bright Engineering marks 75 Dean Fred J. Burgess is "b ullish ” on (he future o f the Oregon State U n i versity School o f Engineering, which is marking it* 75th anniversary this year. The outlook is bright but coming changes will be big ones, says the engi neering dean. " I see the Oregon State University School o f Engineering remaining in Corvallis and staying in the ranks o f the top engineering centers in the country though that will be a challenge with the current money problems. The legacy o f the past century gives us a base on which to build for the future. I'm convinced we will be contributing even more to the state and nation in the 21st Century than we have in the 2 0 th ," Burgess said. However, we do not have an exclusive license or lock on engineering in Oregon, it must be remembered. In the future, there’ ll be more competitive ness but also more cooperation between institutions and between universi ties and industry, he emphasized. Some innovative programs must be devel oped to better serve the people o f the state and nation. The University o f Portland, a private institution, has granted engineering degrees since 1947. And Portland State has offered engineering since 1972, he noted. Burgess believes ‘ talent’ will be the limiting factor in the future o f en gineering. "F in d in g and developing the really outstanding and talented persons around whom programs can be built will be the key,” says Burgess. " I f Oregon is going to diversify its economic base and be attractive to new businesses and industries as well as its traditional industries o f agricul ture and forestry, we're going to have to make some moves in different di rections. "O n e o f the real challenges that I see is how do you pul away rivalries o f the past between our universities and develop real coordinated, cooperative programs that serve new industries and the people o f Oregon by using and pooling the talents that exist in the various institutions and in industry. " W e ’ll all be playing a different kind o f ballgame in the future. O SU has to continue to maintain its leadership and place on the national scene, but we’ re going to have to be much more involved in cooperative programs with the talented persons at other universities and in industry. University people have to accept the fact (hat we’re not the fountain o f all knowledge. There are people in industry (hat are every bit as talented and accomplished.” Burgess is excited, for example, over O SU preliminary plans for an o ff- campus P h .D . degree program at Tektronix, Beaverton. It breaks graduate school tradition but it makes sense in terms o f future needs and opportuni ties, he emphasized. Burgess thinks Oregon can compete in the national "high tech” market " i f we can get our act together." Oregon is too small a place for two or three universities or areas to start squabbling over resources that indeed are going to be scarce for the rest o f this century. T o share talent and cut costs at the same time, Burgess envisions having the various engineering schools in the state — or area — linked by two-way telecommunications systems. "T h a t way, for example, our D r. John Owens (an expert on semiconducting compounds and devices used in the electronics industry) could lecture to classes on other campuses as well as ours and to interested people in industry as well. Listeners could ask questions and be called upon by name just like they are in a classroom even though they were 60 or 90 miles away from the actual lecture room. " T h e development o f areas o f excellence in engineering will be vital, to o ," says Burgess. " I t simply isn't possible to have outstanding programs in every field .” O S U , for instance, is embarked on becoming a national center for re search in three-five compounds for growing new types o f crystals for use in electronics industry, including computers. Three-five compound crystals have many advantages over common silicon chips that are used today. For one thing, electrons move 5 to 30 times faster in these materials, says Burgess. "Excellence breeds excellence," he continued, pointing to O SU 's recent hiring o f a world authority on "molecular beam epitaxy” — the new tech nique for growing the advanced electronics crystals-chips. D r. John A rthur was hired away from Perkin-Elm er, a large electronics instrument company where he served as Director o f Research. This year, he has been chosen for two prestigious national awards for his pioneering discoveries in electronic materials. Arthur's appointment was made possible by the establishment o f a special chair (professorship) in electrical and computer engineering by Tektronix, the Beaverton high tech-based company that is Oregon’s largest employer. "T h is is the wave o f the fu ture," says Burgess — the cooperation o f universities and industries to the beneHt o f both. And world renowned teachers and researchers are needed for an institution to make its mark on the national and international scene. "Electronics (high tech) industries are very anxious to establish ties with top engineering schools and research centers," Burgess noted. " T h e tradi tional industries are not that excited about it at the moment but I believe they will soon become aware of the potential returns from supporting uni versity research projects and entering into cooperative education agree ments with universities. Under cooperative education programs, students spend a term or two o f their college years as on-the-job interns in industry, receiving both academic credit and often pay as well. The scarcity o f resources will make it necessary for O SU to continue enrollment controls in engineering, according to Burgess. " In the high demand areas, we have about 40 percent more students wanting to get into our programs than we can teach in a quality way. N o , I do not foresee re ductions in admission limitations or enrollment controls. "Jobs for graduates are not in short supply thankfully, but students must search harder and farther than in the past, according to Burgess. Highest demand areas are electrical and computer engineering, chemical, civil and mechanical engineering. About 40 percent o f O S U ’ s engineering graduates work in Oregon and 45 percent work in nearby states in industries that are intertwined with O re gon's economy. W ith an enrollment o f 3,300 students (12 percent o f them women), the School o f Engineering ranks in the top 15 percent o f the nation's engineer ing schools, Burgess reported. “ Recent budgetary problems have forced the school to limit enrollment in order to protect the quality o f its programs, however," he added, "and this numerical standing could soon su ffer." In numbers o f undergraduate students, O SU ranks 26th among the 290 U.S. engineering schools. In graduate student numbers (300), it is in the top 40 percent nationally and the size o f its research program puts it in the top 40 percent also. Although the Engineering Experiment Station does not receive funding from the stale budget, research activities in 1982 involved more than 80 projects supported by grant and contract funds o f about $3,800,000 from outside agencies and industries. Several o f the research activities involved use o f the school's O .H . Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory. This unique 110-meter long wave basin is the largest and best equipped wave facility in the U.S. and serves as a center for wave research involving coastal and offshore structures. The facility was built entirely with privately-donated funds. T o help with the economic development, the School has offered part- time. off-campus graduate study and continuing education courses for Portland-area engineers since I960 The programs have helped stimulate the development o f high-technology industries. About 800 engineers have participated in these programs and 37 degrees have been awarded. M ore than 200 engineers from the electronics industry are currently enrolled in the Cooperative Program offered at Tektronix, Burgess noted. CONGRATULATIONS, AVERAGE SALARY FOR GRADUATES ABOUT 8M.OOO Average starting salaries for June 1983 O SU engineering graduate* will be up just slightly (to about $24,000) from last year ($23,568), says Fred J. Burgess, dean o f engi neering. "T h e range o f starting salaries is likely to be somewhat greater than last year's $18,500 to $2 8,00 0," Burgess added. " I t appears that there will be more offers below the bottom end o f 1982 and more above the upper end as well. "T his year, jo b numbers and engineering graduates will match pretty closely but in some areas o f engineering, graduates are going to have to search diligently to find what they w ant," Burgess continued. "H ow ever, the outlook is still better for engineering graduates than those coming from other academic areas." Highest demand areas are electrical and computer engineering, chemical, civil and mechanical engi neering. The signs continue to be positive for O SU engineering graduates, Burgess emphasized. "T h e y are sought on a steady basis by industry and in somewhat greater numbers this year by governmental ageocies, which see serious shortages o f engi neers down the road. One o f the factors is the on-going retirement of the W orld W ar I I veterans who swelled engineering numbers so dramatically in the late 1940's and 19S0's." Burgess, 57, was one o f (hem and now is looking at retire ment himself in 5 to 8 years. The United State* and the world are not going to retreat from a tech nological base, Burgess is con vinced. "Engineers and scientists will continue to be needed in great numbers to serve society and solve its living, transportation, manufac turing and environmental problems in the century ahead." GRADUATES L» a chance to test your ideas and theories. Once proven, they will be used towards a better to morrow for all. Our best goes with you. Devlin's Cafe Fine food and drink Reprinted from the Oregon Slater 1332 N. Skidmore PROVIDENCE MEDICAL CENTER, ♦805 N E CLISAN STREET PORTLAND OREGON 97213 PHONE (5O3( 230 1111 H IG H TE C H . These days it's all around us in business, industry and science — and the health care field is no exception. Like other leading health care centers, Providence Medical Center uses the bust and latest tech nology available to improve the quality of patients' lives. There's a lot of pride and challenge involved in operating an electron microscope, running space-age radiation equipment, performing laboratory tests, or working at dozens of other technical jobs in a modern medical center. Nearly all specialized health care jobs today require ad vanced training and education beyond high school. Start ing early is the real key. If you are interested in a health care career, it's never too early — even in junior high — to seek counseling. W e're always looking for good people who are serious about working hard for a good job. For additional inform ation call: Providence Medical Center Personnel Department, 230-6078.
