Spotlight on Colleen Bush, P.E., Assistant Dean for External Relations and Communications
Colleen Bush comes to this role after 3 years as CEC's Director of Industry Relations.
Spotlight on Colleen Bush, P.E., Assistant Dean for External Relations and Communications
Colleen Bush, P.E. is a Civil Engineer who has spent the past three years as the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) Director of Industry Relations. As of July 1, she has stepped into a new role: our Assistant Dean for External Relations and Communications. In this brief interview, you can find out more about her background, expertise, and her goals for the future as Assistant Dean.
What makes ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú CEC a special place?
ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú CEC is special because of its strong sense of community. The faculty and staff are dedicated to guiding and supporting the students, who, in turn, collaborate with each other and create a close-knit family on campus.
What's one thing you hope to achieve in your new role?
The College has done an incredible job growing the student pipeline, and I aim to build on that success to further increase enrollment in the College of Engineering and Computing, particularly among students of color and women.
Can you briefly describe your engineering area of expertise?
I began my career designing heavy industrial structures around the world. I then moved on to designing a variety of buildings, including fire stations, schools, office buildings, and maintenance facilities.
What made you want to enter the engineering field?
I always enjoyed math and science, and people often suggested that I pursue engineering. In high school, I wasn't sure what that entailed, but I was always up for a challenge, and the prospect of being one of the few women in engineering appealed to me. When I started college, I wasn't certain which type of engineering I wanted to specialize in. After some research, I decided to focus on Civil Engineering, specifically Structural Engineering. My love of Legos ended up being quite valuable!