University of Portland receives $100,000 from Bill and Melinda Gates to support Engineering and Computer Science students

PORTLAND, Oregon -- Bill and Melinda Gates have awarded a $100,000 grant to the University of Portland's Engineering Endowment Fund to support the university's students participating in local, regional, and national engineering design contests.

"The Fund will enable students to enter even more national competitions, challenging their abilities and better preparing them for successful careers in engineering and computer science," said Zia Yamayee, dean of the University's School of Engineering.

The University's School of Engineering offers degrees in five study areas: civil engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and engineering management. The University emphasizes hands-on education beginning with freshman. Students' first course challenges them to work as team members to solve problems. This cooperative and applied research carries thorough a student's four years in engineering and culminates in year-long senior design projects, most of which are solutions to actual problems submitted by regional industry and governmental entities. In recent years, University of Portland engineering students have placed high in national competitions including aerodynamic and automotive design and construction.

The University of Portland is Oregon's Catholic university and has been closely affiliated for nearly a century with the congregation of Holy Cross, Notre Dam, Ind. U.S. News and World Report ranks the institution as one of the top regional universities in the America West. It is the only school in Oregon to offer a College of Arts & Sciences, a Graduate School, and accredited schools of Business, Education, Engineering and Nursing.