Dean’s Message
Dean Mario Eden
As we close another academic year, I am proud of the momentum across the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and grateful for the students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners who continue to move this college forward.
This year’s Dean’s Report reflects a college growing not only in size and reputation, but also in purpose. Across our classrooms, laboratories, research centers and partnerships, Auburn Engineering continues to advance its mission to provide the best student-centered engineering experience in America while delivering research that strengthens communities, supports industry and improves quality of life.
One of the clearest examples of that mission is the historic $30 million commitment from Samuel Ginn and the Ginn Family Foundation to establish the Ginn Scholars Program. This gift — the largest single commitment to scholarships in Auburn University history — will expand access for talented students from Alabama and provide the financial, academic and personal support needed to help them succeed. Nearly 25 years after Dr. Ginn’s transformational gift named our college, this new investment again affirms his belief in Auburn Engineering and in the students who will shape our future.
We are also investing in the spaces where students learn, create and collaborate. The Analytical, Innovation and Manufacturing Laboratory will strengthen Auburn’s leadership in advanced manufacturing while expanding the Design and Innovation Center, already known as the nation’s largest student-run makerspace. This project will give students access to high-end analytical, electronics manufacturing and prototyping tools while connecting student creativity with faculty research and industry needs.
Our future is also deeply connected to Huntsville, where Auburn continues to expand its applied research presence in one of the nation’s most important centers for aerospace, defense, national security and advanced technology. Through the Auburn University Applied Research Institute, the hiring of new leaders and continued partnerships across north Alabama, Auburn Engineering is helping connect university expertise with the state’s growing research and innovation economy.
That same commitment to research with real-world impact is evident along Alabama’s coast. This year, Auburn Engineering broke ground on the Auburn University Gulf Coast Engineering Research Station in Orange Beach, creating a permanent hub for work focused on water quality, marine health, coastal resilience and the natural systems that are vital to Alabama and the broader Gulf region.
I hope you enjoy this look at the people, programs and partnerships that made this year so meaningful. Thank you for your continued support of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and for the many ways you help us prepare the next generation of engineers.
War Eagle!
Mario R. Eden