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Modeling Better Futures

Jennifer Sinclair Curtis on Supporting Tomorrow鈥檚 Chemical Engineers

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A photo of Jennifer Curtis, dressed in a beige colored business suit with a white blouse and off-white background, standing with her arms crossed.
Professor Jennifer Sinclair Curtis (Gregory Urquiaga/嘿嘿视频)

Jennifer Sinclair Curtis was already well-established in her career in engineering when she arrived at 嘿嘿视频 in 2015, yet she was able to take her work to even greater heights as the new dean of the College of Engineering.  

鈥淎fter the interview I knew I wanted this job,鈥 Curtis said. 鈥淭he spirit of the campus and faculty both shared 鈥渁 very creative kind of can-do spirit, very no-nonsense. That's the vibe I got.鈥

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That same year, Curtis was awarded the prestigious American Institute of Chemical Engineers鈥 F.J. & Dorothy Van Antwerpen Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements in chemical engineering. In 2023, Curtis was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering. Curtis worked with industry partners to take their in-house codes and visualize them into 鈥渕ulti-phase particle flow simulations.鈥 

鈥淭hese simulation codes need more capabilities. We developed physical models that describe the behavioral particles, how they interact with each other,鈥 Curtis explained. 鈥淢odels provide more capabilities to treat and simulate different systems and different conditions of fluid and particle dynamics.鈥 

These models and simulations have since been adapted and incorporated into fluid dynamics software packages across multiple industries. 

Curtis is also a fellow of the American Physical Society, American Society for Engineering Education, American Institute of Chemical Engineers and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has served on numerous national advisory boards and committees.

鈥淚t's been a very intellectually fulfilling career,鈥 Curtis said. 鈥淚'm extremely grateful to 嘿嘿视频 because some of the key things of my career occurred during my time here.鈥

Mentors spark interest

Originally from Ohio, Curtis is the product of parents who were 鈥渘ot STEM people at all,鈥 she said, referring to the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Instead, she discovered engineering through high school.

鈥淎 high school guidance counselor said to me, 鈥業 think you should consider chemical engineering,鈥 which was pretty progressive of him,鈥 Curtis recalled. She told her parents the news and they too were unaware of what chemical engineering entailed. Still, Curtis followed her counselor鈥檚 advice. 

鈥淗e was totally right 鈥 I loved the courses,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t was just a perfect fit.鈥

Curtis earned her undergraduate degree from Purdue University and her master鈥檚 and Ph.D. degrees from Princeton University, all in chemical engineering. Her first year, she met a professor who Curtis described as 鈥渁 proactive mentor who answered questions I didn't even know I had.鈥 

鈥淭hat's how I started doing research,鈥 she explained, 鈥渆ven as an undergraduate.鈥

A woman in professional dress and a microphone headset delivers remarks to members of the press in front of an exterior sign.
Then-Dean Jennifer Curtis at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Engineering Student Design Center, October 2020... (Gregory Urquiaga/嘿嘿视频)

 

Diane Bryant with Jennifer Curtis
...and inside the center, with namesake Diane Bryant, during its grand opening, May 2023. (Jos茅 Luis Villegas/嘿嘿视频)

Making space for innovation

After fulfilling the roles of department chair and associate dean, Curtis served as the first female dean of the College of Engineering at 嘿嘿视频 from 2015 through December 2020. 

鈥淎s an administrator, a lot of people come with different ideas and there's limited resources,鈥 Curtis explained. 鈥淵ou have to put your energy and seed money into what you think is going to have the biggest impact for the students and bring the biggest visibility to 嘿嘿视频.鈥

She cited the launch of the as 鈥渁 major initiative鈥 for the college. The center provides manufacturing education, resources and support for students of every engineering discipline, faculty and staff. 鈥淭hat concept was developed and the majority of the funds were raised while I was dean.鈥 

The goal was to help retain engineering majors and support them throughout a challenging academic program. 

鈥淲hen we looked at the data of the [student] retention, it was not good 鈥 and not good in all groups,鈥 Curtis said. 

A key goal of the center was 鈥渢o give students a vision for what the career of engineering is as early as possible鈥 by showing students 鈥渢he whole engineering design process 鈥 come up with an idea, do a prototype, test it out,鈥 Curtis explained. 

鈥淚 think you have to have a context for what this career and what the vision for this career is going to be,鈥 Curtis said, 鈥渁nd that's what's going to sustain you.鈥

Curtis also created a career development course, taught by alumni and designed to teach student鈥檚 professional presentation and development skills. One hundred thirty students were enrolled in the course each quarter at the time Curtis stepped down as dean. 

鈥淲hen I looked at the enrollment of that course, most of the students were from these at-risk groups,鈥 she explained, underscoring the need for such centers and courses. 

Within a six-year period, retention within the college of engineering increased by 20%, according to Curtis. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 huge! It made a big difference,鈥 she said.  

This speaks to the campus spirit that initially attracted Curtis to Davis.

鈥淒avis has a lot of accolades that should be noticed,鈥 Curtis said. 鈥淧eople will go out of their way to be helpful.鈥

A photo of Professor Jennifer Curtis sitting at her desk in her office in front of her computer.
Professor Curtis at her office on campus (Gregory Urquiaga/嘿嘿视频)
 

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Jos茅 Vadi is a writer for Dateline 嘿嘿视频, and can be reached by email.

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