Letter From Chair
It is my great pleasure to
welcome you to the newly designed Web site of Columbia University’s
Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. Some of us,
especially from the older generation like myself, may have a harder time adjusting to technological changes than younger generations. There
is in fact anecdotal evidence that acceptance and mastery of new
information technologies are inversely proportional to age. But we all
recognize that the modes of communication are not anymore what they
used to be. In the "old days," to obtain information, potential
students would contact us by "snail mail," by telephone, or stop
by in person. Now, much of that same information is only a click of the
mouse away. In fact, our new Web site is much more comprehensive and
logically organized than anything we had before, making the retrieval
of information literally child's play.
With that in mind, I invite you to browse through the various pages of our Web site to find out who we are, what kind of programs and courses we have to offer, and what facilities we have to support your studies here. But in spite of all this modern information technology, it cannot replace the human touch. Therefore, you are still more than welcome to contact us the "good old way," to call us, or visit us. One of the assets we are most proud of is our willingness and readiness to help and advise our students and to guide those who are contemplating study at Columbia.
And there is always room for improvement. If we are missing some information you would like to see on our Web site, or if (goodness gracious) you encountered some problem browsing through it, we would like to hear from you as well.
Christian Meyer
Professor and Chairman
September 2007