Spring quarter 2020 began with our campus, our CSE community and our world facing unprecedented challenges. Yet, in the midst of learning how to grapple with COVID-19, we refused to compromise the quality of our research and education. Our dedicated staff made major adjustments to keep us running as smoothly as possible. Our faculty made tremendous efforts, over a short period, to transform our entire curriculum to be delivered remotely and effectively, providing a true Triton experience for our students.

Meanwhile our CSE alumni and faculty have stepped up to lend their expertise in the fight to help us understand and combat this global pandemic. You can read more about the wide range of work and contributions they are making in Around the Department below.

I want to express the pride and gratitude I feel in seeing our alumni, faculty, staff and students step up to meet this crisis head-on. And as you’ll read in this issue of CSE Alumni Magazine, our alumni continue to be trailblazing entrepreneurs, not afraid to take on challenges and forge new paths to success. 

As we are navigating this challenge, I also must reflect on another one gripping our nation: incidents of racism and violence. I want our CSE community to know that we stand with all of our members and embrace diversity and inclusion of all perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee has been working hard to make sure those values are front and center in all that we do at CSE. As a recent note from the DEI committee to our community affirmed, Black Lives Matter. 

While this has been a turbulent time, we are looking forward to starting our next academic year with several new faculty, which will be announced at a later date, and a new department chair. I’d like to congratulate Sorin Lerner, a tireless supporter of CSE and our 2018-19 Teacher of the Year, who will be taking over as department chair for a three-year term on July 1.

It has been a true privilege to have served as CSE department chair for the last four years, and I wish you all good health and happiness. 

Dean Tullsen
Professor and Chair, CSE