VOLUME 13, NO. 2     NOVEMBER 2000

Grasso '77 heads Smith College engineering program

The Picker Program in Engineering at Smith College is the nation's first at a women's college, and one of only a few engineering programs based at a liberal arts school. Founding Chair Domenico Grasso has two goals: to break down gender barriers in a male-dominated profession, and to build bridges between the technical and the humanities disciplines.

Grasso was appointed chair of the Picker Program and Rosemary Bradford Hewlett '40 Professor in the fall of 1999. A specialist in interfacial processes and hazardous waste site remediation, he was previously head of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Connecticut. He serves on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board and is editor in chief of Environmental Engineering Science. The Christian Science Monitor called him "an environmental engineer with a mind to change the world."

"Engineering finds applications for science to serve humanity," says Grasso. "Engineers are often very well-educated in scientific principles, but have not established a firm understanding of the humanities or the human condition. Clearly, it's very difficult to properly serve humanity without an appreciation of the humanities."

The influence of WPI's philosophy is apparent in Grasso's vision for the Picker Program, which requires study in the traditional academic areas of knowledge in addition to mastery of engineering fundamentals. "Our intent is to have each engineering class contain societal elements," says Grasso, "so, for example, they won't be just about heat transfer, or circuits or fluids–there will be ultimate applications to society." One of the first people Grasso invited to join his advisory board was President Edward Alton Parrish.

Grasso says he intends to infuse the engineering profession with women leaders beginning with the charter class, which will graduate in 2004. The initial plan is to award B.S. degrees in engineering science to approximately 25 students a year. "That number may not ostensibly seem significant enough to have an impact on women in the workplace," he explains, "but Smith's tradition is to graduate people who will take on leadership roles in society and in their professions. As such they will become role models to encourage other women to pursue careers in engineering. Our graduates will be prepared to be practicing engineers, or to undertake graduate study, go into law or medicine, or work for nonprofit agencies. Our expectation is that the sense of social responsibility and social conscience that we hope to instill in them will pervade whatever they do."

Grasso, who moved to Northampton with his wife, Susan, two sons and two daughters, turned down an offer to become a tenured professor and chair at Columbia University to develop and lead the Picker Program. "I thought this opportunity was more exciting and held more promise to make a significant difference," he says.

The response among Smith students has been strong: more than 70 turned out for the first informational session, and the inaugural offering, "Designing the Future: Introduction to Engineering," was oversubscribed. "I think that all schools will have to start to think about engineering in the future," says Grasso. "The whole concept of a liberal arts education is to provide a broad education to live a full life and be able to make reasoned judgments. In an age that is increasingly technologically rich, engineering has to be part of this. I believe that Smith is leading the way–not just for women–but for all liberal arts colleges."

–Joan Killough-Miller