School of Engineering and Applied Science

The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), also called Columbia Engineering, is the engineering school of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. It began as the School of Mines in 1863, later became the School of Mines, Engineering and Chemistry, and was eventually renamed the School of Engineering and Applied Science. In 1997, it was renamed again in honor of Fu Zaiyuan, a Chinese businessman who donated $26 million. The school maintains research ties with NASA, IBM, MIT, and The Earth Institute, and its patents generate over $100 million annually for the university. Notable achievements by faculty and alumni include the development of FM radio and the maser. The faculty includes twenty-seven members of the National Academy of Engineering and one Nobel laureate, while faculty and alumni combined have won ten Nobel Prizes. The school enrolls about 300 undergraduates per graduating class and shares housing with its sister school, Columbia College. Its dean, appointed in 2022, is Shih-Fu Chang. The school's history traces back to Columbia's original 1754 charter, which included instruction in subjects like surveying and navigation, laying early groundwork for engineering education at the university.