Barbara J. Wilson is the 22nd president of the University of Iowa. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s and PhD degrees in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She came to Iowa having served as the executive vice president/vice president for academic affairs of the University of Illinois System. Prior to that, she served in several administrative positions, including interim chancellor, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she was a member of the communication faculty for 21 years.

Dean Nembhard asked President Wilson for her perspective on the impact of the College of Engineering at the University of Iowa.


 

How do you see engineering research at the University of Iowa impacting human health and medical breakthroughs?

With a renowned academic medical center and a highly ranked biomedical engineering program on our campus, we are able to conduct crossdisciplinary research that can make a huge impact on medical breakthroughs and human health. The College of Engineering’s strength in imaging, modeling, and simulation has been particularly important to new understandings in cardiovascular and pulmonary health, biomechanics, and more. As well, the college’s strengths in computer engineering and in the areas of genomics and bioinformatics have been instrumental in helping our medical professionals solve genomic problems. Chemical and biochemical engineering researchers have helped us learn how to mass-produce antibiotics and create recombinant human insulin products. The synergy between medicine and engineering here at Iowa is truly extraordinary.

How is the engineering student experience enhanced by the broad range of curricular and co-curricular offerings across campus?

In my first nine months here, I have learned a great deal about Iowa’s distinctive assets, which center on comprehensive excellence and creativity, as well as community. Very few large research universities are as balanced in strengths across disciplines as we are, and many others are so big that students find it difficult to pursue their varied interests with ease. 

Here at Iowa, we have both features … a large array of options for students to pursue multiple interests and a strong sense of community to help foster connections. We are especially strong in writing and the arts, and I have been really impressed by the way the College of Engineering recognizes how that type of creativity makes for better engineering students and gives them so many opportunities to engage in arts-oriented thinking and activity. We also have special strengths across the campus in communication, global awareness, leadership, and entrepreneurship, and I know that the college encourages its students to learn skills in those areas as well. 

Beyond leaving Iowa as skilled engineers, what other are some of the other ways in which our graduates are positioned for success beyond the university?

When engineering students take advantage of the opportunities I’ve already noted (and more), our graduates truly experience the classic “well-rounded” education that we have always aspired to provide. We know that engineering students will pursue many different paths during their careers. They may ultimately work in business and industry, technology, medicine and health care, education, research, even the arts … really almost any arena. With the comprehensive education students get here at Iowa and in the college specifically, our engineering students can take their skills to a vast array of professions and higher education pursuits. Iowa engineering students are also positioned for success by having developed strong collaborative abilities, robust critical thinking skills, and experience working with people from other backgrounds and cultures.

What innovations being produced by the College of Engineering excite you the most? 

The ongoing success of the Iowa Flood Center is an exciting highlight of the College of Engineering’s work for me. Just as one example, the IFC’s $97 million funding from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development led to the Iowa Watershed Approach, which in only five years has resulted in 800 flood-reduction structures being created all across the state. The result has reduced flooding by as much as 20 percent in some areas and created cleaner water. Also, many Iowans have become educated about how floods happen and their effects on watersheds and communities. Work such as this will only become more critical as we deal with the effects of climate change. 

The college, of course, has many other areas of exciting research. In addition to what I’ve already talked about, you are doing significant work in the future of driverless vehicles, robotics, safer roads, sustainability, and green energy, all in order to make our world a better place. When I’ve visited labs and programs across the campus in my first months as president, I’ve been so impressed by the innovation and forward thinking coming from the College of Engineering.