Interim dean wins permanent job leading UNLV’s College of Engineering

Rama Venkat, who has served as interim dean of UNLV’s Howard Hughes College of Engineering since 2010, was named permanent dean Monday.

Venkat has taught electrical and computer engineering at the university since 1989 and is an active researcher of energy-efficient display technology and solar power.

In a statement, John White, executive vice president and provost for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, lauded Venkat for bringing entrepreneurism to the college, strengthening its ties to the state’s economic development initiatives and pushing the university toward its Tier 1 research status.

Venkat recently led engineering students to the Depart of Energy Solar Decathlon, where UNLV engineering and architecture students won second place.

He created the biannual senior design competition, which challenges senior engineering majors to create innovative commercial products and team up with business school students to create business and marketing plans.

Venkat also had a hand in developing the Mendenhall Innovation Program to introduce engineering students to entrepreneurial research, product development and commercial applications.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead the College of Engineering on its rise toward top-tier status,” Venkat said. “I’ve dedicated the past 25 years of my career to UNLV as a faculty member, teacher, researcher and administrator, and I’m proud to be at the helm of a college that plays such an integral role in both the educational and economic development aspirations of our university and community.”

UNLV expects to announce a minor in unmanned aerial vehicles in the fall. Aerospace & defense are identified as a key industry by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and the state recently became a designated Federal Aviation Administration drone test site.

Contact reporter Kristy Totten at ktotten@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3809. Follow @kristy_tea on Twitter.