Happy holidays from McKelvey Engineering

1. Momentum
Momentum, the magazine of McKelvey School of Engineering, has been published for nearly two decades. Every issue features stories about McKelvey’s groundbreaking research and about the students, faculty and alumni who make McKelvey great. For more news about McKelvey, you can read past issues of Momentum, browse our news stories and subscribe to our newsletters.

2. Self-driving car
How can you test a self-driving car safely? At McKelvey, researchers collaborated with an architect from Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts and students to build a 1:8 scale model city for scale model cars to navigate. Mini-City allows researchers to stress-test autonomous vehicles in different lighting, weather and road conditions without endangering real property, people or pets. Learn more about this and other research we’re pursuing at McKelvey.

3. Towel
McKelvey grads go all out for Commencement, including twirling orange graduation towels. At Commencement, friends and family flock to our social media, including LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and X. We’d love for you to follow us too, all year long!

4. Beaker and test tubes
How clean is the water coming out of the taps in your home? In collaboration with faculty members at the School of Public Health and at Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, McKelvey researchers are developing a method to let people test water at home. It’s called Trusted Tap, and it’s part of a larger project on water systems of the future funded by the National Science Foundation. Learn more about interdisciplinary research happening at McKelvey. 

5. Satellite
McKelvey students pursue their passions in and out of the classroom. One student group is building a satellite in collaboration with students in other schools across the university. Learn more about the many student groups at McKelvey. 

6. Robot dog
Another student group builds robots, including an awwwsome robot dog. (We welcome our new robot dog overlords.) 

7. Bust of Stanley Lopata
Philanthropists Stanley and Lucy Lopata were major benefactors to McKelvey School of Engineering. Lopata Hall is named in their honor, as well as other spaces at the university and a named professorship. A bust of Stanley is stationed in the suite where undergraduate advisers meet with students. Staff there style the bust for every season and holiday, including International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Take a virtual tour of Lopata Hall and other buildings. You can also learn about ways to contribute to our mission.  

8. Jim McKelvey bobblehead
In 2019, WashU renamed the school from the School of Engineering & Applied Science to the James McKelvey School of Engineering in honor of James McKelvey Sr., a chemical engineer and beloved dean for 27 years and for his son, Jim McKelvey Jr. The younger McKelvey is a trailblazing entrepreneur, a major benefactor to the school, a distinguished alumnus — and a good sport. Learn more about other accomplished and innovative alumni who got their starts at McKelvey Engineering. 

9. Spartan Light Metal Makerspace keychain
Jubel Hall is the home to the Spartan Light Metal Makerspace, which is chock full of laser engravers, 3D printers, sewing machines, multimeters, hand tools and other equipment. We invite all WashU students, faculty and staff to use the space.

10. Pennies
In past years, student groups competed to raise money for charities in penny wars during EN Week. Sometimes the collections were associated with faculty members, and the faculty member with the most pennies served a sentence in a dunking booth or suffered a pie in the face. Learn more about events both fun and serious throughout the year at McKelvey Engineering. 

11. Robot arm
McKelvey students are known for their creative and hands-on approach.  Under the mentorship of our renowned faculty, they build device prototypes and other tech and participate directly in research in aerosols; artificial intelligence; biomedical engineering; computer science & engineering; electrical & systems engineering; energy, environmental & chemical engineering; imaging science; mechanical engineering & materials science and more. Learn more about McKelvey’s programs of study. 

12. Cheap lunch
Everyone loves pizza! EnCouncil, McKelvey’s student council, offers Cheap Lunch every Wednesday during the school year. For $5, you get two pieces of pizza, a soda, chips and a cookie. Whether or not pizza is your jam, there are plenty of places to get great food on campus. That’s one reason the Princeton Review ranks WashU as having the best quality of life for students. 

13. Race car
Engineers make cool things. WashU Racing makes race cars. Every year, this student group designs, manufactures and assembles a formula-style race car. Then they race it against over 100 other student teams from around the world.