Case impact is wonderful to see

I often talk with pride about the research and academic missions of the Case School of Engineering. I don’t always have the chance to share how these missions connect to the outside world. On that front, there is so much good news to share. We at Case are driving industry innovation and workforce development through the integration of our research and academic expertise with private and public partners. 

And we can prove it. Case Western Reserve ranks 21st in the world for attaining U.S. utility patents.This winter, Zheng-Rong Lu, the M. Frank Rudy and Margaret Domiter Rudy Professor of Biomedical Engineering, was elected to the 2021 Class of Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction accorded to academic inventors. His election to this prestigious group is a demonstration of the quality of his research and its potential to enhance medical imaging and drug delivery. 

Professor Lu, along with our other NAI members — Fellows Professor Anant Madabhushi and Professor Emeritus Hunter Peckham; and Senior Members Professors Rohan Akolkar and Umut Gurkan — are outstanding examples of our faculty’s translational efforts and the impact those efforts have on driving innovation. 

Innovation doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Through their experiences in the classroom and in the lab, our undergraduate and graduate students are trained to become the top-flight engineering leaders industry needs to be successful. Student preparation, workforce development, faculty innovation, and entrepreneurship are interdependent on our campus, a feedback loop that brings engineering advancements from our labs to modern life. 

The national impact of our academic mission is clear. After completing their degrees, our graduates secured positions at top firms in Ohio and across the country. This spring, we once again have the chance to watch our graduating students launch into the real world. I can’t wait to see what they will do. Thank you for your continued support of the Case School of Engineering and Case Western Reserve University.