The College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences Spotlight

Oriol Case Rovira joins the CEIAS team as a Fiscal Oversight Manager for SICCS. Oriol was born and raised in Callús, a small town that is situated in the heart of Catalunya, close to Barcelona (Spain). He has a BS in Business Management and Administration at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and professional background in banking, financial auditing, and grant management. Oriol moved to Flagstaff to marry his wife Alejandra, who is a Flagstaff local. Prior to pursuing his business career his main goal was to become a professional cyclist.

Lauren Majure has joined our team as a Business Education Partnership Manager. Lauren has over 11 years of employer relations experience working for Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU.  She is an Arizona native and earned both of her degrees here at NAU.  When she has the time, she loves to travel with her family and volunteer for a local wild horse rescue center.

Lydia Wielgus joins our team as a Business Education Partnership Manager. She is an NAU alumni who studied criminology and criminal justice.  Lydia has worked at NAU for seven years for various departments including admissions, financial aid, and most recently, the Franke College in Business.  In her spare time, she enjoys weightlifting, hiking, and reading.

This week we are shining the spotlight on the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). TSMC has recently named NAU and the College of Engineering as one of its top 15 feeder schools.  On December 6, 2022 TSMC also announced the construction of their second lab in Phoenix that is set to begin production in 2026. The growth in the semiconductor industry, TSMCs increased investment in Arizona, and the deepening relationship with our College promises to strengthen ties and open doors to projects and hiring for both our faculty and students.

The College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences is pleased to feature Dr. Carlo da Cunha. Dr. da Cunha is an assistant professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber-Systems at NAU. He holds an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from West Virginia University and Arizona State University, respectively. He was also a postdoctoral researcher at the department of physics of McGill University in Canada. Before joining NAU, Dr. da Cunha held academic positions in Brazil, Canada, Austria, and Japan. His research is interdisciplinary and focuses on the investigation of low-dimensional semiconductors to implement electronic devices for high-performance computing. He is also the author of a book about econophysics, where he explores similarities between physical and economic systems. More recently, Dr. da Cunha has been interested in using nanostructures to implement artificial neurons. Outside work, you can find Carlo playing rock and roll on his bass guitar or riding horses with his family.

The College of Engineering is pleased to recognize Rachael Haneysmith as this week’s student spotlight. Rachael is a senior in the Environmental Engineering program and has been very involved with CEIAS throughout her time at NAU. Rachael has been a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) all four years of her undergrad and is now President of the club. During the spring semester last year, she began a club on campus called The Associated Students of Environmental Professionals (ASEP). She has also served in positions of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) including Social Media Coordinator and Treasurer. The connections Rachael made through her involvement in these organizations have led not only to great friendships but also career opportunities. One of her good friends in ASCE helped her land a summer internship where she works to this day. Rachael is grateful for the experiences she’s had at NAU and is excited about career opportunities post-graduation.

This week we are shining the spotlight on Mary Fuller. Mary was selected as the 2022 President’s Alumni Award recipient for the College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from NAU.  She entered the Silicon Valley tech industry as an electrical engineer for Hewlett-Packard Co., where she assisted in the design of laser printers. Mary decided to pursue her JD at the University of Notre Dame School of Law and graduated cum laude.

Mary began her career in Silicon Valley as a patent attorney at law firms, rising to become Director and Managing Counsel for Litigation. She then served as Managing Director and Associate General Counsel at Maxim Integrated Products as the company’s top IP attorney. She later became General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Adaptive Spectrum and Signal Alignment (ASSIA), and after that has held leadership roles including her current one as Head of Legal from Jupiter Intelligence.

Mary established her own firm, Fuller Tech Law to provide fractional general counsel and patent counsel services in an approachable manner.  Mary has also served as the General Counsel for Benetech, a nonprofit that develops software social good.

In 2016, Mary established an endowed scholarship to support students following in her academic footsteps. The Mary Fuller Scholarship for Student Success supports students in the First Scholarship program.

The College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences has been recognized at the Bronze Level from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).  The Diversity Recognition Program was created by the American Society of Engineering Education to publicly recognize those engineering and engineering technology colleges that make significant, measurable progress in increasing diversity, inclusion, and degree attainment outcomes of their programs.

From the ASEE “Based on the committees review your application was rated at the Bronze level. This is the highest level we issued this submission cycle. The Bronze level recognition means that your College/School is among the nation’s leaders in inclusive excellence.”