Despite being unsubstantiated, the image of an engineering student as a caricatured super student –– complete with pocket protector –– is one that is familiar to all of us. Benjamin Cohen, assistant professor in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) at U.Va.’s School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), however, has forever modified this stereotype.

It seems an improbable pairing — drama students and first-year engineering students — but together they’re working to bring a series of one-act plays to life in the University of Virginia’s Helms Theatre in an intriguing interdisciplinary activity. Called “Inside the Box,” the collaborative project is in its fourth year of combining the creativity of writers, directors and actors with the inventiveness of young engineers.

A shared interest in conducting and funding transformational engineering research makes Micron and the Micron Foundation natural partners with the U.Va. School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). Since 2006, Micron, one of the world’s leading providers of advanced semiconductors, and SEAS have partnered to launch collaborative projects with the Darden School of Business, curriculum advancements for the Chemical Engineering Department and unique nanotechnology research.

It is reported that Thomas Jefferson measured 6 feet 2 inches. Had they been colleagues, the 6-foot-6-inch Mitch Rosen, chief technology officer for U.Va’s Engineering School, might have recruited him for a pickup game of basketball.