Summer 2026
FROM THE DEAN
When I joined Boise State University, I began my journey alongside a passionate and bold group of students, faculty, staff, and community who continually set new benchmarks for research and academic excellence and student success. Now, after my first full year as dean for the College of Engineering, these stories we share embody the shared commitment and remarkable trajectory of our college as we drive forward the university’s momentum toward R1 Carnegie status.
The 2025-2026 academic year was defined by tangible progress. We witnessed the ESI Construction Management Building rise from the ground, uniting alumni and current students in collaborative learning. In our School of Computing’s inaugural year, we’ve emerged as a national powerhouse in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Students have traveled across the world to international partnerships in semiconductors, tested custom-built lunar robots, and conducted cutting-edge research at national laboratories.
What excites me the most is how our students apply their knowledge beyond the classroom. They’ve delivered award-winning community projects, developed wearable technology, and explored innovative solutions to Idaho’s most pressing energy and climate challenges. Our programs prioritize our students’ education through real-world application, preparing them as emerging workplace-ready leaders.
These achievements reflect our college’s core mission: building an environment empowering all to think critically and solve our world’s complex challenges. As we continue building on this momentum, I’m confident our Broncos will shape the future of engineering, construction, and technology
Go Broncos!
Amy S. Fleischer, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Engineering
COEN BY THE NUMBERS
Over 3K
68.4%
5 of 8
31%
Boise State team tests custom-built lunar robot
Eight Boise State students recently traveled to the University of Central Florida to test their custom-built lunar robot, Bender 5.0, in a regolith pit designed to simulate the surface conditions of the Moon. The team ran the robot through excavation and traversal tests, collecting performance data that will inform the design of next year’s robot.
Over 30 students, ranging from first-year undergraduates to graduate students, designed and manufactured Bender 5.0 over the course of the 2025-26 academic year as part of the Bender Autonomous Robotic Systems, or Bender ARS, Vertically Integrated Project. Steve Swanson, a Boise State professor and former NASA astronaut, leads the project.
Top Ten Scholar: Ali Russell
Degree: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Bachelor of Business Administration with a Minor in Entrepreneurial Management and Certificate in Intermediate Spanish
Future Plans: Begin her career in structural engineering while continuing to invest in her creative and entrepreneurial passions. Having recently purchased a home locally, she is excited to put down roots and begin this next chapter after graduation.
Honored Faculty: Sydney Fuhrman, Senior Director of Student and Recent Graduate Programs, Boise State University Foundation
Hometown: Meridian, Idaho
Doctoral student brings Boise State innovation to Oak Ridge National Lab
When Kincaid Graff arrived at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a visiting graduate student, he tackled an ambitious question: How can we watch batteries work in real time?
Through the Department of Energy’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program, the Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering doctoral student set out to answer this question using insights that conventional X-ray and electron techniques cannot reveal.
One Year later: Broncos Build Program's Future Home
Anyone that’s walked or driven by Boise State University’s campus near Beacon Street over the past year has witnessed what was once an empty dirt parking lot transform into the ESI Construction Management Building. Evolving from an initial groundbreaking, the rapid rise of the structure hints at an exciting new era of collaborative student success.
Students Build More Than Walls, Earn National Recognition
What began as a simple request from elementary school parents became a masterclass in real-world construction management—and earned Boise State students the nation’s top honor from the Associated General Contractors of America.
Alumni Honor Legacy Through Endowed Fellowship
Professor Casey Cline’s students don’t just graduate—they lead. From restoring historic guard towers to building bridges for nature centers, his hands-on approach has produced a generation of construction leaders who credit him with career-defining moments they never saw coming.
Dig, Set, Design
Dig-set-spike is the foundational sequence in volleyball involving a controlled pass (dig) of a hard-driven ball, a precise second hit (set), and a powerful attack (spike).
A similar three-word sequence exists at Boise State’s student-run product design firm, studio\Blu: “design-create-launch.” This foundational sequence is how studio\Blu develops the next generation of Idaho’s leaders, like senior student-athlete Elle Cotton. It also describes Cotton’s journey while at Boise State.
Akhtar named Boise State Top Ten Scholar
Nuha Akhtar, an EIS spervisor and mechanical engineering major, earned a 2025 Boise State Top Ten Scholar award. The passionate STEM leader, saxophonist, and advocate will pursue a Ph.D. at UC Berkeley as a part of the Optical Nanoengineering Lab.
Ayala named 4th COEN Goldwater Scholar
Natalie Ayala, a mechanical engineering junior, became the 4th COEN recipient of the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. Natalie is an EIS supervisor, NASA intern and co-lead of the Microgravity team, with sights set on a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering to create tools for the Moon and Mars.
E-tattoo research makes its mark on the wearable tech scene
What began as a playful childhood novelty, peel-and-stick temporary tattoos, has evolved into cutting-edge wearable technology at Boise State University. Doctoral student Ajay Pratap and Professor David Estrada have led a 17-member interdisciplinary team to develop “electronic tattoos” that blur the line between fashion and function, potentially revolutionizing health monitoring and energy harvesting.
From Earthquake Survivor to Infrastructure Innovator: Shreya Mul's Path to Resilience
Shreya Mul arrived at Boise State with a singular mission shaped by personal tragedy. The 2015 Gorkha earthquake, which devastated her native Nepal and claimed nearly 9,000 lives, inspired her to become a geotechnical engineer dedicated to resilience, both above and below ground.
Global semiconductor program giving Boise State students hands-on experiences
Few industries are shaping our future as powerfully as semiconductors. With the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act and a renewed push to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States, the demand for skilled engineers and researchers has never been higher. Recognizing this opportunity, Micron Technology and global partners launched an ambitious initiative to strengthen the semiconductor workforce pipeline across two continents.
Blue Turf Thinkers
The College of Engineering, an emerging AI powerhouse.
At each Boise State home football game, the “Blue Turf Thinkers” series honors outstanding groups and initiatives on the world-renowned Blue Turf.
The Sept. 27 game’s “Blue Turf Thinkers” included faculty from the College of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and newly formed School of Computing who are advancing artificial intelligence in Idaho and beyond.
Read More About Blue Turf ThinkersComputing student tackles ‘technical debt’ with prestigious Department of Energy award
Eric Melin stands in front of Frontier, the world’s first exascale supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as one of only 79 doctoral students in the nation selected for the Department of Energy’s prestigious Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program. For this third-year computing doctoral student, the honor represents far more than academic achievement. It’s a tangible way to serve his country.
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Fall 2009 – 2020
For older issues of the COEN Spotlight Newsletter please contact Michele Armstrong or Jamie Fink