WMU College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

09/04/2026

Don’t forget to check out the NEW engineering lounge in Floyd Hall, room E-121. This room is for students to gather, hang out and relax while they’re on the Parkview Campus! 
 
Thank you to Katherine McKaylor, manager of recruitment and outreach, and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ student ambassadors for making this space what it is today!

09/02/2026

It's officially that time of year ... happy first day of fall semester, Broncos! Time to hit the books and make some memories.

08/31/2026

Welcome to Floyd Hall! We asked first year and transfer students what they’re most looking forward to during their next few years at WMU. Check out their responses. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish! Let us know what you’re most looking forward to in the comments.

08/25/2026

Bronco alum Talal Arshad, B.S.E.'19, M.S.'21, fell in love with WMU, its community, and the opportunities it offers. After completing his bachelor's degree and an accelerated master's in aerospace engineering, he went on to work for Pfizer, Zoetis and HP Hood. He's now a senior engineer at Kaiser Aluminum focused on bringing in millions of dollars of savings by increasing equipment reliability.

“WMU was one of the very few schools that offered the program I was looking for,” says Arshad. “Seeing the beautiful campus, having heard about the diversity of Kalamazoo and then getting to know the community made it clear for me that this is the place where I can spend the rest of my school life.”

A big part of Arshad's career also involves opening his own business. He opened Shibam Coffee Company on West Michigan Avenue near WMU's main campus in 2025 with a goal of bringing people together. Arshad wanted to create a space that reflected the community he had come to call home.

"WMU offers a wide range of opportunities to anyone who is willing to utilize them,” he says. “For someone who started off as an international student myself, it's definitely a place where you just have to find your passion and pursue it. Go Broncos!"

To read more about Arshad, visit https://wmich.edu/international/news/2026/08/aerospace-alumni-arshad

08/19/2026

The 2025-26 Inspire Magazine celebrates WMU faculty welcomed to the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences in recent years. One of those featured is Dr. Jinghao Li!

Advancing a circular economy—where resources are shared, reused, repaired, refurbished and recycled—is at the forefront of Li’s research, which seeks to establish the relationship between renewable resources and the development of sustainable materials for diverse applications.

With federal, state and industry support, Li is turning byproducts from the pulp and paper industry, mushroom farms, and agricultural and forest residues into additives for use in sustainable pavement.

“I have developed innovative technologies that leverage low-cost resources to create new types of functional materials," says Li. "I hope to collaborate with relevant industries to apply these technologies in protecting people and property from wildfires and to deliver their benefits to society.”

To learn more about Li and other new faculty, visit the 2025-26 Inspire Magazine at https://wmich.edu/engineer/news/2026/01/new-faculty.

08/17/2026

Dr. Priyanka Sharma, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Paper Engineering, had the exciting opportunity to give a talk at the 2026 Blavatnik Science Symposium in mid-July.

Hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences, this symposium provides professional opportunities to connect across disciplines and geographies, exchange ideas and foster new collaborations.

Dr. Sharma's talk discussed sustainable methods for producing plant-based nanocellulose. Sharma demonstrated how renewable materials can remove toxic metals and nutrient pollutants from water, while being recyclable and reusable for environmental remediation.

Photo credit: Nick Fetty/The New York Academy of Sciences ()

08/12/2026

In 2025, the Department of Electrical and Computer engineering welcomed its new chair, Dr. Radu Babiceanu!

With extensive administrative and research experience spanning more than 20 years, Babiceanu came to Western with a focus on workforce education and research accomplishments as society delegates more activities and decisions to machines.

“As chair, my research philosophy involves building collaborations within the department, college and across the university; identifying opportunities that align with our research; and forming productive teams that can compete for federal, state and industry funding," says Babiceanu.

Babiceanu also remains current in his own research area, which has evolved toward design, analysis and operations of resilient systems from both the safety-critical design as well as cybersecurity protection characteristics.

To learn more about Babiceanu and other new faculty members, check out the 2025-26 Inspire Magazine at https://wmich.edu/engineer/inspire2026

08/04/2026

Faculty spotlight 💫 Meet Dr. Ilgin Acar, assistant professor of industrial and entrepreneurial engineering and engineering management!

Acar's research centers around developing on-campus patrolling using drones, with the goal of improving safety in campus-like settings by expanding surveillance coverage, with an emphasis on events such as graduation, homecoming and other large gatherings.

Acar's favorite part of her job? Her students, of course!

"I love helping students develop their industrial engineering skills, and in return, I learn from them too," says Acar. "Especially here in the U.S., interacting with students helps me stay connected with new perspectives and the younger generation."

Something many people might not know about Acar is her love of sweets and sports. She loves watching volleyball, soccer and basketball, and is always up for talking about a big game or match.

"Outside of work, I love cooking and baking," says Acar. "I’m especially good at Turkish cuisine and desserts; some of my friends even call me the 'Dessert Queen.'"

08/01/2026

Congratulations, Sunseeker Solar Car Project! ☀️🙌

Sunseeker Solar Car | WMU has arrived to the finish in Amarillo, TX! ☀️

Congratulations on completing the Electrek American Solar Challenge 2026!

07/30/2026

It's the middle of summer, and Floyd Hall is feeling empty without the sounds of its students. Engineering and applied sciences students, we can't wait to have you back! 😋