About the School

Here are some of the stories recently published featuring Southern Illinois University Edwardsville faculty and students:

1. WalletHub: Best Credit Cards to Build Credit
   
   WalletHub featured Riza Demirer, PhD, Graduate Program Director and professor at SIUE, in a guide to credit-building. Demirer emphasized the value of responsible credit card use, smart budgeting, and utilizing secured cards to build strong financial foundations. 
   
   Read the feature on WalletHub.
   
   Photo: Riza Demirer
   
   
   
2. Nepal Raib...

Dr. Denn Receives the 2025 Faculty Award from the St. Louis Chapter of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics  

From a young age, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Michael Denn, PhD, has loved aviation and rocketry. Denn, instructor in the SIUE School of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Mechatronics Engineering, has taken his passion for and years of expertise in the aerospace industry and propelled them into an impressive pedagogy that has caused ma...

Situated quite fittingly in the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability, Fuller Dome at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, energy specialists convened for a “Energy Water Food Nexus” during an afternoon symposium on April 24. The SIUE School of Engineering’s Serdar Celik, PhD, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering and Chair of the Climate and Sustainability Advisory Board and Curtis “Drew” Hoelscher, Interim Dire...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has been nationally recognized by Money.com, with its School of Engineering (SOE) ranking among the top 50 master’s programs in the country. Highlighted for its academic excellence and exceptional value, SIUE’s SOE stands out for providing students with strong career outcomes and affordability. This recognition reflects the dedication and hard work of SOE’s faculty and staff and reaffirms the University’s unwavering commitment t...

Faculty and Staff on all SIUE Campuses Enjoy Good Fellowship, Good Food, Good Times  

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville honored faculty and staff members on all its campuses during its annual observance. Employees on the Edwardsville, East St. Louis and Alton campuses embraced the occasion and enjoyed one another.

Each celebration offered food, games and gifts.  

Photos: SIUE paused to recognize and honor faculty and staff on its campuses during April and May.

Bruce Holland, founder and CEO of Holland Construction Services (HCS), has been named the 2025 recipient of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering Distinguished Service Award. Holland will receive this prestigious award for decades of dedication to the Metro East region and the SIUE community.

Holland’s leadership in construction, local innovation, student mentorship and advancement of the University will be formally recognized during the School’s Commen...

Originally from Ghana, Akosua Cobbina, is graduating with a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering this spring. She describes herself as an engineer motivated by "innovation, strategy, and making ideas happen." Cobbina has led award-winning research, built AI tools to detect brain injuries, and developed marketing skills expanding upon her technical prowess. She prides herself on mentoring future engineers and even starting a nonprofit, “because why not?” she said. &...

SIUE Students Reflect on Good Times at SIUE and Look Toward the Future  

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville was a place of refuge that made for a tremendous experience, with warm faculty, interdisciplinary coursework and a beautiful campus, according to several graduating seniors. 

Students reminisced about their experiences and academic careers at the University and talked about their career goals after participating in Affinity Celebrations last week. The SIUE commencement...

Fourth Annual Fundraising Celebration Exceeds $2.5 million Goal and Sees Significant Contribution from Local Employer

The much-anticipated countdown by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD, at the motor-sport themed One Day, One SIUE led to a grand slam. Surrounded by SIUE Cheer and Dance Team, Minor prepared the big reveal: “The final tally for this year’s One Day, One SIUE...5, 4, 3....” The audience joined in, "...2...1," accomp...

Members of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s GeoPrediction chapter took home the first place Mohr Circle Trophy at the GeoFrontiers 2025 competition. GeoInstitute advisor and assistant professor Saad Ullah, PhD, PE, said this is the first time the team has won a national competition during his tenure as an advisor. He said the organization has helped students grow an awareness for geotechnical engineering.

According to GeoInstitute member and civil engineering graduate student A...

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville sophomore Aman Pai has been appointed to the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) Board of Directors.  The NCHC is dedicated to supporting honors education throughout universities across the globe. Pai is the only current SIUE representative that has been selected for this honor.

Pai is currently a civil engineering major. He is on track to graduate in May 2027. Pai found SIUE after graduating from Parkway North High School in his hometown of ...

Mike Hayes, Vice President of Planning, Design and Constructions, is the recipient of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s 2025 Construction Leadership Institute (CLI) Alumni Leadership Award.

The CLI Alumni Leadership Award recognizes an outstanding graduate who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and service to the St. Louis area building community.

Mike Hayes, Vice President of Planning, Design and Construction (PD&C) for BJC HealthCare, is responsible for the overall opera...

The Construction Leadership Institute (CLI) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville celebrated 48 graduates of its program Friday, March 7 as a part of the CLI Graduation celebration. Developed by the SIUE Schools of Business and Engineering, the CLI provides the knowledge, skills and strategies that individuals and companies need in today’s challenging construction industry.

Program Co-Directors Chris Gordon, associate dean of the SIUE School of Engineering, and Kristine Jarden, d...

The Southern Illinois University (SIU) System Collaborative Grant is a research award given to promote the latest biomedical research. For the period of January 1 through December 31, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Industrial Engineering chair Sinan Onal, PhD, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) associate professor Chao Lu, PhD, will be funded for their project “Advancing Biomedical Research Through AI-Driven Dynamic Gait Phase Detecti...

This past Saturday, SIUE’s School of Engineering lit up with energy as more than 215 students (grades 6–12) dove into hands-on activities—from building spaghetti towers and balloon-powered cars to programming from scratch! A huge shout-out to keynote speaker Angela Heise, SIUE alumna and Microsoft Worldwide Public Sector CVP, for inspiring our future engineers. Kudos to the Society of Women Engineers and Ameren for making it a day to remember!

Never miss out ...

Aiming to educate and inspire students, the annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day will be on Feb. 22 in the School of Engineering (SOE) building. The event is for students in grades 6-12 eager to learn more about engineering. Students will hear from a keynote speaker, as well as a panel of engineering students.

Presented by Ameren, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGE) is scheduled for the final day of SIUE’s Engineering Week. The event is planned by SIUE’s Society of Women...