School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Harvard)

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Harvard)
Name	School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Harvard)
Established	1847 (origins), 2007 (current structure)
Type	Private
Parent	Harvard University
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Campus	Harvard Yard, Allston

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Harvard) is the engineering and applied sciences faculty of Harvard University located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and with facilities in Allston. The school traces its lineage to 19th-century instruction connected to Lawrence Scientific School and later to structural reorganizations involving Harvard College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. It serves undergraduate and graduate students and engages in interdisciplinary research spanning collaborations with institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Broad Institute, and Harvard Medical School.

History

The institution's antecedents date to the founding of the Lawrence Scientific School in 1847 and its integration into Harvard College amid 19th- and 20th-century debates involving figures like Charles W. Eliot and events such as the expansion of American technical education in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution. The 20th century saw the emergence of departments in Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering linked to national wartime research initiatives like programs associated with Office of Scientific Research and Development and collaborations with Bell Labs. In 2007 the contemporary entity was formed through a formal reorganization that aligned engineering and applied sciences within Harvard's administrative structure, coinciding with capital projects tied to the Harvard Campaign and strategic planning influenced by donors such as the Harvard Corporation and foundations connected to names like Wyss Foundation and Fisher philanthropy. The school's evolution reflects interactions with regional networks including Kendall Square and federal funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health.

Organization and Administration

Administratively the school operates under the governance of Harvard University's central leadership including the President of Harvard University and the Harvard Corporation, with academic oversight coordinated through a dean and faculty committees composed of scholars affiliated with departments historically rooted in Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences structures. Organizational units include departments and programs linked to disciplinary traditions represented by chairs once held by scholars with ties to institutions such as Princeton University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Caltech. The school's budgetary and strategic planning interfaces with entities such as the Harvard Fund, the Office for Sponsored Programs, and corporate partners including Google, Microsoft, and Dow Chemical for industry engagement and technology transfer.

Academic Programs

Academic offerings include undergraduate concentrations and graduate degree pathways reflecting historic curricula in Applied Physics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, and emergent fields intersecting with Biophysics and Materials Science. Degree programs confer credentials recognized alongside those from peer institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, Columbia University, and University of Pennsylvania and coordinate with cross-registration policies involving Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and the Harvard Kennedy School. Pedagogical innovations draw upon curricular models informed by reports like the Boyd Report and accreditation frameworks compatible with standards from organizations such as ABET. Joint degree options exist with professional schools including Harvard Business School and Harvard Medical School.

Research and Centers

Research activity spans basic and translational work conducted through research centers and institutes associated with the school, including partnerships with the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and thematic centers addressing challenges highlighted by agencies like the Department of Energy and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Centers focus on domains related to nanotechnology, quantum information science, robotics, synthetic biology, and computational neuroscience, hosting faculty who have received honors such as the National Medal of Science, MacArthur Fellowship, and membership in the National Academy of Sciences. Technology transfer and entrepreneurship are supported through collaborations with Harvard Innovation Labs, regional incubators in Kendall Square, and venture partners including Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins.

Campus and Facilities

Facilities include laboratory buildings and classrooms situated in historic and modern structures across Cambridge, Massachusetts and the Allston campus expansion, encompassing spaces analogous to those found at institutions like Stanford University and Princeton University for interdisciplinary work. Notable infrastructure investments have paralleled projects such as the development of new engineering complexes, cleanrooms, high-performance computing clusters connected to consortia like XSEDE, and shared core facilities coordinated with the Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems. Campus planning interfaces with municipal authorities in Cambridge, Massachusetts and regional transit hubs including Kendall/MIT station and integrated development initiatives tied to the Allston Yards.

Admissions and Student Life

Admissions are administered through centralized processes of Harvard College for undergraduates and through graduate admissions aligning with standards observed at peer research universities such as MIT, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley. Student life involves student organizations and professional societies including chapters of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, and collaborative groups connected to the Harvard Undergraduate Research Association and the Harvard Graduate Council. Career placement and alumni networks coordinate with offices like the Harvard Office of Career Services and alumni chapters situated in cities such as Boston, New York City, and San Francisco to connect graduates with employers including IBM, Cisco Systems, and Pfizer.

Category:Harvard University Category:Engineering schools in Massachusetts