ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
RMU’s School of Engineering, Mathematics and Science (SEMS) transforms lives by building
knowledge, skills and citizenship to prepare students for scientific and technical careers in a
rapidly changing world. Our graduates effectively address complex problems with innovation
and integrity. Our students benefit from personalized engaged learning, interdisciplinary
education, enriched communication and business skills, and strong alliances with
industry. SEMS graduates combine solid technical skills with communication and enterprise
skills to provide productive talent to organizations that employ them.
SEMS is now the fastest growing school at RMU, having grown from 22 engineering students
when we opened our doors in 1999 to 1016 across all our disciplines today.
Recently RMU/SEMS became a member of The National Additive Manufacturing Innovation
Institute (NAMII), now called America Makes. This initiative is President Obama’s vision on
manufacturing renaissance in the country. America Makes is a network of research universities
including RMU, 40 companies, five community colleges, and 11 nonprofit organizations in
Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. RMU's portion of the initiative, is in government grants,
and involves research, education, and workforce development and training at the university's
laboratories. RMU's laboratories are equipped with state-of-the art 3-D printing equipment, and
the university's B.S. in manufacturing engineering is the only one in Pennsylvania accredited by
ABET Inc.
In mathematics department, the actuarial science program at Robert Morris University prepares
students for a rewarding career as an actuary. RMU was one of the first 10 universities in the
United States to be designated a Center of Actuarial Excellence by the Society of Actuaries.
RMU's actuarial science program is highly interdisciplinary in content. The curriculum includes
courses in general mathematics, statistics, actuarial mathematics, business, economics, and
finance.
33 faculty members, many with industry work experience that help SEMS students maintain a
92% job placement rate within 12 months of graduation, and often 96% placement in
engineering, especially manufacturing.
Our integrated BS/MS Engineering Management entails planning, organizing, allocating
resources, and directing and controlling activities that have a technological component. This
distinguishes engineering managers because they possess the ability to apply engineering
principles and the skills to organize and direct technical projects and people in technical jobs.
RMU's innovative master's program in engineering management will prepare you to apply
knowledge and provide leadership in technical environments. For practicing engineers, physical
scientists, and environmental consultants, RMU now offers graduate courses in Energy and
Sustainability within the program. As the demand for renewable energy technologies increase,
professionals need to remain current in fossil fuel geology and technology, land management,
research & development of energy transfer and storage, and the long-term economic, social, and
environmental impact of technology.
RMU believes that students learn by doing and that they benefit from practice with the processes
and equipment used in industry. The heart of RMU's engineering programs is The Learning
Factory, where students gain hands-on experience with design, testing and manufacturing
processes and equipment, in much the same way that medical students learn from clinical
training in a hospital.
The industrial-grade facility allows students to take a product from concept to reality using
cutting-edge technology. It includes equipment for automatic identification, CNC machining and
turning, controls, injection molding, machine tool monitoring, machine vision, materials testing,
metallography, metrology, packaging, powder metallurgy, rapid prototyping, reverse
engineering, 3-D printing and robotics. Science laboratories are also state of the art facilities that
offer students hands-on education and research opportunities.
The SEMS-Research and Outreach Center, SEMS-ROC has a number of new initiatives to
further the goals of the research agenda in SEMS, especially undergraduate interdisciplinary
research involving faculty and students. This year alone, SEMS-Outreach held more than 20
different events at K-12 level and reached out to more than 10,000 students in the area.
Our international connections grew with the addition of universities in Scotland, Slovakia,
Ireland, and Germany, with new student study abroad program in Mexico. Our students were
admitted to NASA Summer Undergraduate Research Program, had internships at John Hopkins,
Purdue, and fellowships at National Institute of Health (NIH).
Our alumni work at nation’s some of the most prestigious companies Alcoa, NSA, NASA,
Boeing, Westinghouse, Rolls Royce, Bayer Material Science LLC, Chester Engineers, US Steel
Corporation, Schroeder Industries LLC, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Westinghouse,
Lockheed Martin, Siemens, Mitsubishi, CMU Robotics Institute, Bombardier Transportation,
Northrop Grumman, UPMC, VA, Department of the Army, just to name a few.
MARIA V. KALEVITCH, PHD
UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR OF SCIENCES/BIOLOGY
DEAN OF SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCES
Dr. Maria Kalevitch is a University Professor of Sciences and the Dean of School of
Engineering, Mathematics and Sciences (SEMS) at Robert Morris University (RMU). Her
academic career includes serving in a wide range of leadership positions over the past 15 years:
Founding Chair of Sciences Department, Associate Dean, Interim Dean and The Dean. Prior to
coming to RMU, she had an opportunity to work at several academic institutions in Pittsburgh
region. She also led the Research Unit at the Center of Sustainable Agriculture and served as a
Senior Research Fellow in Russian Academy of Sciences.
She holds a BS (1981) and an MS (1983) in Bioengineering from Biotechnological University
(former University of Food Industry), Moscow, Russia, and a Ph. D. in Biology (1988) from the
Institute of Botany, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.
Her research includes more than 100 publications in peer reviewed national and international
journals, with a co-authored book published by Kluwer Academic Publishers “Natural Growth
Inhibitors and Phytohormones in Plants and Environment”. The book was covering a range of
topics in ecological systems, microbiology, and soil quality.
Dr. Kalevitch is a Principal Investigator on NSF S-STEM grant (NSF #0806927 2008-2013) for
the “STEM Scholar” program for 21 students studying STEM disciplines. NSF-funded S-STEM
Scholars Program provided scholarships and mentoring for talented students from low-income
families (many of them first generation college students) to earn a degree from SEMS and RMU.
She served as a reviewer for National Science Foundation panels related to STEM Education.
Dr. Kalevitch is the designated representative at the National Council for Science and The
Environment: Council of Environmental Deans and Directors. She is a member of New York
Academy of Sciences, American Society of Microbiologists, Scientists Without Borders, National and
Regional Association of Pre-Health Advisors, and American Society for Mycology. She is also a member
of Women in Engineering Leadership Institute.
Dr. Kalevitch and SEMS twice served as a host institution to Leadership Pittsburgh Inc. (LPInc.)
that is dedicated to developing a diverse group of leaders to serve southwestern Pennsylvania.
She has been invited and served as a member of editorial advisory board for Journal of Agroecology
and Sustainable Food Systems, Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, International Journal
of Environmental Management and Pollution, and Journal of Advances in Molecular Biology.
Dr. Kalevitch has a very diverse base of successful experience in higher education. She has been
successful in leading many internally and externally–focused university strategic initiatives, including
SEMS Strategic Plan, 2014-18, achieving ABET reaccreditation for engineering programs and
establishing a Designated Center for Actuarial Excellence. School enrollment has quadrupled under her
leadership with increase in student academic excellence and job placements.