Clark School Awards 1,000th B.S. Degree in Fire Protection Engineering

COLLEGE PARK, Md., June 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park's A. James Clark School of Engineering graduated its 1,000th undergraduate student earlier this spring. The department is one of only a handful of such programs across the country, and the only one offering accredited undergraduate degrees. Its graduates form a close-knit community whose members play leading roles in corporate, government, and academic institutions.

Coincidently, the 20th Ph.D. degree where the principal research advisor was a faculty member in the department also was awarded. The department expects to graduate its 300th master's degree student this summer.  

A Far-Reaching Impact
Clark School fire protection engineering graduates have gone on to positions in government, industry and research sectors of the profession.  In the post-9/11 era, their expertise is used in the development of building and fire codes that will ensure building survivability; conduct forensic studies of significant fires; and test everyday products (e.g., clothing, furniture, etc.) to ensure their flammability is within the code developed for fire safety limits. Registered fire protection engineers are required to review plans for all federal buildings before they are constructed, to ensure the design meets fire and life safety requirements.  Fire protection engineers are also involved in the design of new fire protection products ranging from fire detectors to equipment for the fire service.

Clark School Fire Protection Engineering: A One-of-a-Kind Program
In 1956, John L. Bryan, known affectionately as "Prof" by his students, returned to Maryland after completing B.S. and M.S. degrees at Oklahoma State University. The Maryland State Fireman's Association had been studying the initiation of an academic program in fire protection at the University of Maryland since 1950. Together, their efforts resulted in an appropriation and a mandate to institute an academic fire protection program in the College of Engineering in 1956.  Six years later, the first four Bachelor of Science degrees in fire protection were awarded.  

Although more than a half century has passed since the program was initiated, the Clark School still has the only program in the country to award engineering accredited bachelor's degrees in fire protection engineering.  Initiating its graduate degree program in 1989, it is one of only three graduate-level programs in the country.  

The department recently announced a new chair. Jim Milke, P.E. is the fourth chair of the department, following John Bryan, Steven Spivak and Marino di Marzo. Milke is among those first thousand B.S. graduates from the department and has served on the faculty since 1981. He recently was nominated to be president of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, the international professional organization in the field.  

Helpful Links
Department of Fire Protection Engineering: http://www.fpe.umd.edu/

About the A. James Clark School of Engineering
The Clark School of Engineering, situated on the rolling, 1,500-acre University of Maryland campus in College Park, Md., is one of the premier engineering schools in the U.S., with graduate and undergraduate education programs ranked in or near the Top 20. In 2010, the Clark School was ranked 13th in the world by the Institute of Higher Education and Center for World-Class Universities in its Academic Ranking of World Universities. Three faculty members affiliated with the Clark School were inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2010.

The school, which offers 13 graduate programs and 12 undergraduate programs, including degree and certification programs tailored for working professionals, is home to one of the most vibrant research programs in the country. The Clark School garnered research awards of $171 million in the last year. With emphasis in key areas such as energy, nanotechnology and materials, bioengineering, robotics, communications and networking, life cycle and reliability engineering, project management, intelligent transportation systems and aerospace, the Clark School is leading the way toward the next generations of engineering advances.

Visit the Clark School homepage at www.eng.umd.edu.

SOURCE A. James Clark School of Engineering