The Knowledge Review The 20 Most Innovative STEM College and Universiti | Page 43

About The Cooper Union’s
First Woman President
Laura Sparks became President of The Cooper Union for
the Advancement of Science and Art on January 4, 2017. She
is the thirteenth president of the institution, and the first
woman in the role.
Sparks is a leader in the field of community-focused
philanthropy. Previously she served as the Executive
Director of the William Penn Foundation. At the leading
philanthropy with an endowment greater than $2 billion, she
was responsible for numerous initiatives addressing social
and environmental challenges in America’s fifth largest city
and for designing programs in education, public space, the
arts and the environment. Under her guidance, the foundation
launched and refined new strategic priorities, focusing its
$115 million grant budget on improvements in urban
education for economically disadvantaged children,
protection of the water resources serving 15 million people
across four states, development of world-class urban parks
and trails in underserved communities and cultivation of a
vibrant cultural sector. A magna cum laude graduate of
Wellesley College, Sparks holds an M.B.A. and a J.D. with
honors from the University of Pennsylvania. T R
• Unlike most other
schools where students
select a major in their
sophomore year, Cooper’s
engineering students apply
directly to one of the
bachelor of engineering
(B.E.) degree programs
offered; these are
chemical, civil, electrical
engineering, and
mechanical.
• Cooper Union students are
encouraged to pursue
internships and, typically,
will finish at least two
internships before
graduation. The Center for
Career Development helps
prepare students to transition
successfully from their
undergraduate degree to
either an advanced degree or
to their professional career.
Cooper Union Alumni
Alumni of The Cooper Union span professions,
continents and generations. Nina Tandon
graduated from e electrical engin ring
program in 2001. Today, she is e CEO and
co-founder of EpiBone, “ e w ld's first
company growing bones f skeletal
reconstruction.” Also, ano er eminent alumnus
The Cooper Union is proud of is Patty Jenkins ,
a 1993 graduate of e School of Art. She
directed e blockbuster superhero movie
Wonder Woman.
Michael D et's (A'67) fifty-year car r w k
has included logos like e one he did f
e
New Y k Knicks, album covers like KISS'
“Rock and Ro Over” (1976) and various
graphics, like multiple covers f Time
magazine. A designer and i ustrat who
graduated from e School of Art, in 1951,
Seymour Chwast has created countless
i ustrations, posters, advertisements and
c p ate graphics. F his st ied car r, he
was named to e Art Direct s Ha of Fame
and received an AIGA Medal from e
American Institute of Graphic Arts.
O er notables include Dr. Russe Hulse , a
1993 Nobel Prize f Physics winner, Stanley
Lapidus who invented scr ning techniques f
e early detection of colon and uterus cancer,
and Marissa Lago , who is Direct of e
New Y k City Department of City Planning.
• A popular event hosted by the
college is the Annual Student
Exhibition that transforms the
halls, labs, and studios into
exhibition space
and allows students to showcase
their research and engineering
projects. The Cooper Union's
student organizations, such as
Society of Women Engineers,
SHPE, and major professional
societies, also host regular
networking events and
discussions.
• The Cooper Union has
built creative partnerships
with larger and foreign
institutions so students have
exposure to research, career
opportunities and
experiences beyond the
in-house resources. Scholars
are regularly recruited by
major national and
international corporations,
such as Bloomberg,
SpaceX, Google, Ford
Motor Company, Raytheon,
and more.
October | 2017
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N O W L E D Education.
G E R Innovation.
E V I Success
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