IN THIS ISSUE: The 1990s As the Decade of the Undergraduate (Editorial) /2 (Special programs at Cornell are designed to help prepare the kinds of engineers needed in the coming decade and beyond.) ... Undergrads in the Research Labs /4 (A novel and highly successful program gives Cornell engineering students the chance to participate in productive research.) ... Cornell's Engineering Minority Programs: Developing a Needed Resource /12 (Increasing the enrollment and retention of students from underrepresented minorities is a major aim of the college.) ... Skill with Words: A New Emphasis in the Education of Cornell Engineers /20 (Engineers today need to be effective in writing and public speaking, as well as technically proficient. The work of the college's recently formed Engineering Communications Program is described by Penny Beebe, a member of the program faculty.) ... Co-op: A Vintage Program for Tomorrow's Engineers /26 (Keeping up with the needs of the times is key to the vitality of the long-standing) ... Engineering Cooperative Program at Cornell. Linda Van Ness, the coordinator, discusses how the program functions in today's industrial world.) ... Register /32 (Five faculty members at the college will retire this summer.) ... Faculty Publications /35