Steven L. Crouch, professor of civil engineering and associate dean for finance
and planning, has been named the college's
new dean. His appointment will become effective pending review and approval
by the board of regents at its next meeting in February. He began serving
as interim dean January 1.
Crouch has strong ties to the University, both as an alumnus and a faculty
member. He received a bachelor's degree in mineral engineering in 1966, a
master's degree in 1967, and a Ph.D. in 1970. He began his career as a research
officer with the Chamber of Mines in South Africa from 1968 to 1970, when
he joined the Department of Civil Engineering faculty. He served as department
head from 1987 until 1997, when he became the college's associate dean for
finance and planning.
Crouch's research interests are in the area of boundary element methods applied
to problems in geomechanics and composite materials. Currently he holds the
Theodore W. Bennett Chair in Mining Engineering and Rock Mechanics.
He succeeds IT dean H. Ted Davis, who announced in January 2004 that he
would step down after nine years as dean to return to a faculty position after
fall semester. A national search for his successor was launched in May.
Regents approve six-year capital plan
At its December meeting the University's board of regents approved a six-year,
nearly $1.3 billion capital plan for fiscal years 2004-05 to 2009-10. The
plan comprises $842 million in state support and $457 million in projects
funded by the University through debt obligations, fundraising, and partnerships.
Regents also approved an amended 2004 capital
bonding request so as to
accurately reflect new Department of Finance inflationary projections.
The amended request will be presented to the 2005 legislature. Find out
more...
U opens Office of Business Development
The daunting challenge of launching a successful business
based on University research just became a little easier. University officials
and business leaders gathered December 1 to celebrate the official opening
of the Office of Business Development (OBD), which will work to
nurture business opportunities by connecting and serving researchers, investors,
and industry.
OBD and its partners will work to achieve the long-term
goal of enhancing Minnesota's economic vitality through successful University
start-ups. OBD's services include start-up assistance, faculty education,
gap funding, and resource information for researchers, businesses, and investors.
OBD complements the University's existing Office of Patents and Technology
Marketing, which identifies and protects University-developed technologies
and negotiates their transfer to the private sector through licensing. Find
out more...
Legislative Network: The U needs you
Now is the time for the governor and Minnesota legislators to invest in the
University. Strong state support of the University strengthens the state's
workforce and improves quality of life for all Minnesotans. You can help by
joining the Legislative Network,
a coalition of alumni, students, faculty, staff, and community members who
are committed to educating elected officials and our community about the University's
importance to the state.
The Legislative Network also is organizing constituent
meetings in legislative districts around the state. These informal gatherings
provide a unique opportunity for University supporters to talk to their
state senator and representative about the University's impact on the state.
Legislators can also learn more about the University's biennial budget and
capital requests. Most meetings are scheduled during the week beginning
January 17.
Mark your calendars now for the Legislative
Briefing on January 27, when President Robert Bruininks
will give you an insider's look at the University's 2006-07 biennial budget
request to the Minnesota state legislature. Come learn what you can do as
an advocate for the University and connect with other supporters from around
the state. Then join other University supporters for Maroon
and Gold Day at the Capitol, February 16, to lobby for the University.
If you'd like to advocate for the University
by joining the IT grassroots committee, contact
Sara Beyer at sbeyer@umn.edu or
612-626-8282. Find
out more...
Nominations open for President's Award for Outstanding Service
Each spring the University recognizes faculty and staff who have gone well
beyond their regular duties and demonstrated unusual commitment to the University
community or to outreach efforts. The President's Award for Outstanding Service
is presented to active or retired faculty and staff who have set high standards
of excellence. Current University faculty, staff, and alumni may submit award
nominations, which are due by March 1, 2005. Contact the University Senate
Office (612-625-9369) for more information about the award or the nomination
process.
Mentor a repair session for Engineering World Health
The Minnesota chapter of Engineering World
Health (EWH), a group of University
engineering undergraduates, is seeking volunteer mentors to help with its
effort to aid hospitals and clinics in developing countries. EWH is a national
organization that collects and repairs used medical equipment donated by health
care facilities and industry. The refurbished
equipment is sent to health care facilities in countries that lack basic medical
supplies and equipment. Volunteer mentors use their knowledge of device design
and troubleshooting skills to help students during repair sessions.
Mentors need to supervise only one session, a time commitment
of about two and a half hours, at an East Bank campus location. If you or
your company are interested in getting involved, contact EWH president Santhi
Elayaperumal (elay0007@umn.edu)
or faculty advisor William Durfee, professor and director
of design education, Department of Mechanical Engineering (wkdurfee@umn.edu).
Find out more....
In memoriam: Allen Nussbaum
Allen Nussbaum, professor emeritus of electrical
and computer engineering, died January 5 at
age 85.
Nussbaum earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry
(1939) and a master's degree in physics (1940)
from the University of Pennsylvania. From 1941
to 1950 served in the U.S. Air Force as a radar
officer and then earned a Ph.D. in solid-state
physics from the University of Pennsylvania
in 1954. Nussbaum was a research physicist
and manager at Honeywell Research Center in
Hopkins, Minnesota, from 1953 to 1961, and
the Head of the Solid State Division of American
Electronics Labs, 1961-1962.
In 1962 Nussbaum joined the electrical engineering
faculty,
where he specialized in the physics of heterojunctions
and PN junctions, and advanced geometrical
optics. His work in optics involved the behavior
of lenses, mirrors, prisms, and their use in
optical instruments such as microscopes, photographic
lenses, bar code readers, and medical applications. He
served the department as the director of graduate
studies for over two decades until his retirement
in 1988. Nussbaum published a total of
35 papers and eight books, and served on the
editorial boards of Solid State Electronics and IEEE
Transactions on Education and was a Life
Fellow of the IEEE. He was a Fulbright Visiting
Professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem
(1971–72).
Nussbaum is survived by his wife, Barbara;
four children, three grandchildren, and a great-grandson.
No memorial service has been scheduled, however
a memorial recital is being planned. Memorials
are preferred to the Allen Nussbaum Scholarship
Fund, University of Minnesota Foundation.
Honors
Distinguished McKnight University Professor Frank
Bates (chemical engineering
and materials science) received the Materials Research Society (MRS) Turnbull
Lectureship at the fall 2004
MRS meeting in Boston. He won the lectureship for his "pioneering
contributions to the fundamental understanding of structure and properties
of complex polymeric materials, particularly block copolymers and polymeric
vesicles, coupled with outstanding lecturing, writing, teaching, and educational
leadership." The Turnbull Lecturer receives a $5,000 honorarium
and a citation plaque.
Professor Jane
Davidson (mechanical engineering) received the John I. Yellot
Award from the Solar Energy Division of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers. This biennial award is presented to individuals who demonstrate
leadership, produce high-quality solar energy research, and make significant
contributions to education in solar engineering.
University of Minnesota
Alumni Association CEO Margaret Carlson and IT dean H. Ted Davis presented
David Hagford (AEM ’64) with the first IT Alumni Society Outstanding
Volunteer Award for his nearly 30 years of service to the ITAS board of directors.
Hagford has been active on the board throughout the inception and successful
development of the IT Mentor Program and Science & Technology Banquet.
Recently he volunteered his substantial expertise as the board revised its
strategic plan. Hagford received the award at the board's meeting in November.
Professor Robert
Gehrz (astronomy) has just been elected a Fellow of the
American Physical Society. His citation reads: "For major contributions
to the understanding of the role
of classical novae in the interstellar medium, and of the properties of grains
and gas in comets, interstellar clouds and circumstellar winds."
Professor Marvin
Marshak (physics) was named a Fellow of
the American Physical Society (APS). Each year only one half of one percent
of the current APS membership is selected for this honor. The fellowship program
recognizes members who've made significant contributions through original
research and publication, the application
of physics to science and technology, teaching of physics, or service
and participation in APS activities.
Professor Jae
Moon (electrical and computer engineering) has been elected
a Fellow of the IEEE for his contributions to
signal processing and coding for magnetic recording.
Geology doctoral candidate Laura
Triplett won a $78,000 Canon
National Parks Science Scholarship that is aimed at developing the next
generation of scientists working in the fields of conservation, environmental
science, and national park management. Triplett has been studying human
impacts on the St. Croix River for the past three years, and for her doctoral
thesis she'll research specific pollutant sources and regional trends
affect the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. She is one of eight scholarship
recipients selected from about 200 applicants from the Americas, including
students studying in the U.S., Canada, and Argentina.
Events
Faculty Seminar: Research and Policymaking: Effective Communication
January 24: Policymakers often have little time to read
and digest comprehensive research studies relevant to the issues they face.
The Children, Youth and Family Consortium is hosting Research
and Policymaking: Effective Communication,
a free
seminar for faculty to help them learn
effective strategies for communicating with policymakers. Leading the seminar
is Dr. Karen Bogenschneider, Rothermel Bascom Professor of Human Ecology,
University of Wisconsin-Madison. The concepts she will discuss apply across
all disciplines, and all interested faculty are welcome to attend. Space is
limited; RSVP is required. To register or for more information call 612-625-7849
or email cyfc@umn.edu. 2:00–4:00
p.m., Mississippi Room, Coffman Union.
Legislative Briefing
January 27: Join President Robert Bruininks
for an insider's look at the University's 2006-07 biennial budget request
to the Minnesota state legislature. Come learn what you can do as an advocate
for the University and connect with other supporters from around the state.
You'll receive a tool kit with background information on
the University's biennial budget and capital requests and resources to help
you be an effective advocate throughout the legislative session. RSVP by
noon, January 20. 5:30
p.m., McNamara
Alumni Center.
Aris Lecture Series: Robert Bruininks
February 1: University President
Robert Bruininks kicks off the 2005 Aris
Lecture Series on "Challenges to Education"
with a talk entitled Today's Public Research
University: Costs, Benefits, and Expectations.
1:25 p.m., B75 Amundson
Hall
Distinguished Women Scientists and Engineers Speakers Program: Teresa Jordan
February 3: Professor Teresa Jordan, chair of
the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Studies at Cornell University, will
deliver a lecture entitled The Role of Groundwater in
Sedimentary and Geomorphic Processes Where There Is No Surface Water: Atacama
Desert, Chile. A stratigrapher, Jordan studies sedimentary basins to
understand the history of regional tectonic processes and climatic factors.
Her work in and adjacent to the Andes Mountains is part of the broad, multidisciplinary
Cornell Andes Project. Free. 3:30
p.m., 110 Pillsbury Hall.
IMA Workshop: Career Options for Women in Mathematical Sciences
February 4–5: This workshop
will familiarize women in the mathematical sciences with professional opportunities
in industry and government. Although the program is
geared primarily towards graduate students and Ph.D.s in the early stages
of their postgraduate careers, it should be useful to researchers at all stages
of professional development.
Registration is by invitation
only.
Co-organized by the IMA and the Association for Women in Mathematics. Cosponsored
by Ford Motor Company. 8:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m., 3-180 EE/CSci.
IMA Public Lecture: Math Behind the Curtains: Dynamic Simulation at Pixar
February 9: The Institute for Mathematics and
its Applications (IMA) hosts a lecture by David
Baraff, senior animation
scientist at Pixar Animation Studios. Baraff will provide a candid behind-the-scenes
look at the core physical simulation technologies and creative process
that produced Pixar blockbusters Monsters
Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles. Free. 7:00
p.m., B75
Amundson Hall
Distinguished Women Scientists and Engineers Speakers Program: Jeannette
Wing
Maroon and Gold Day at the Capitol
February 16: Visit your legislators
at the capitol to show your support for the University. RSVP by
February 12. 10:00
- 4:30 p.m.
Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of The Works
February 26: The Works,
a hands-on science and technology museum, is celebrating its 10th anniversary
with a special event. The IT Alumni Society is partnering with The Works to
provide free admission to this fun-filled day of activities for the whole
family. The special event also marks
National Engineers Week and the 150th anniversary of the first bridge crossing
of the Mississippi River. For more information call 952-848-4848. 10:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Edina
Community Center.
