‘The Sky is the Limit’: School of Engineering developing a diverse pool of engineers

By Joan Izzo
VCU School of Engineering

VCU’s strategic plan, Quest for Distinction, continues to gain momentum in the School of Engineering, highlighted by the appointment earlier this year of Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., as dean. Boyan serves as a prime example of VCU's commitment to position the School of Engineering as one of the nation's premier public research engineering programs with a major focus on diversity and the development of women engineers.

Read more: School of Engineering Charts Path Forward

The VCU School of Engineering has established itself as a prolific producer of female engineers – a field traditionally underrepresented by women. In 2011, the American Society of Engineering Education ranked VCU first among all United States engineering schools and colleges in the percentage of engineering master’s degrees awarded to women, nearly double the national average.

“To have more women in engineering is smart business for everybody,” Boyan said. “VCU is about breaking barriers and leading the field in diversity. If you were a young woman in my office I would say to you ‘the sky is the limit, get moving, come to VCU, become an engineer.’ ”

Boyan’s impressive background in science, engineering and business brings excellence to the school. She is an author of approximately 400 papers, reviews and book chapters, a holder of 14 U.S. patents, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow in both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering. Boyan is the recipient of numerous awards including the Distinguished Scientist Biomineralization Award, the Birnberg Research Award from Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery, the Albert-Hoffa Research Prize of the North German Orthopaedic Society and the R. Earl Robinson Periodontal Regeneration Award. Her research includes cell and tissue engineering and mechanisms of action of hormones and growth factors in cartilage and bone.

Boyan is also founder of Osteobiologics Inc., an orthopedic device company, and SpherIngenics Inc., a stem cell delivery company.  She received her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in biology from Rice University.

“The chance to be a part of VCU’s strategy to overcome the challenges that engineering education will face over the next decade is irresistible to my entrepreneurial spirit,” said Boyan. “There is a great momentum here at VCU and I am excited about the enthusiasm in our students and the collaborative atmosphere that permeates the campus.”

 

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