This Year So FarThe Cockrell School has had an exciting year. From award-winning faculty to state-of-the-art facilities to continuously impressive students, we have a lot to celebrate. From Boston to AustinAerospace engineer Karen Willcox departs MIT to become the new director of UT’s Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences. In Their Own WordsFor over a decade, Moriba Jah has been on a crusade to inform the public about the growth and consequences of free-floating space debris. Inspired by NatureCivil engineering senior Savanna Smith has a particular interest in biomimicry. Balancing BotsThanks to Luis Sentis and the amazing work happening in his Human Centered Robotics Laboratory, the same type of balance and “natural” control that humans use may soon be experienced by robots. Driverless Cars? That’s So Yesterday.Uber is betting that one day — however soon or far away that is — we all will be ride-sharing in the skies, and the company has enlisted UT engineers to help. Texas Engineers Go GreenThis year marked the Cockrell School’s first-ever study abroad Maymester course on the island of Ireland. Unsung HeroesFrom alumni outreach to student life programming, staff members dedicate themselves to improving and advancing the Cockrell School. Rex Tillerson Headlines Cockrell School’s Inaugural Distinguished LectureAs the inaugural speaker of the Cockrell School's new Distinguished Lecture Series, Rex W. Tillerson discussed the topic of leadership and ethics in a global society. Putting a Face to the NameTwo extraordinary Cockrell School alumni have made gifts in support of two engineering departments. The New GenerationMore so than any other generation, Gen Z students are eager to get out of the classroom and learn in the real world. ‘Our Purpose Has to be About Transforming Lives’Alumnus Sam Dawson began his career at Pape-Dawson Engineers. Coming HomeAfter graduating from the Cockrell School in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, Adrianne Rosales knew that research was her passion. One of a KindBy building a truly world-class energy engineering facility, Texas Engineering is positioned like no other to generate new ideas to meet the current and future demand for energy. Alumni NotesTexas Engineering alumni lead industries, launch companies and help develop solutions that improve lives around the world. Inside OutThe Cockrell School is now the sole custodian of one of the world’s most comprehensive visual learning resources for students. Our Hidden GemJust 10 miles from UT’s main campus sits the J.J. Pickle Research Campus , one of the nation's leading research hubs that is known to many but still somehow steeped in mystery. A Storm Surge of OptimismOne year after Hurricane Harvey shook the Lone Star State to its core, some coastal towns may never be the same again.