Steven Crouch, Institute of Technology dean, is one of 200 delegates visiting China in November as part of the new Minnesota-China Partnership, a broad-based initiative to strengthen the state’s longstanding ties with that country.
The partnership will promote all facets of Minnesota’s connections with China, from trade and investment, science and academia, arts and culture, friendship and understanding, and humanitarian endeavors.
Governor Tim Pawlenty is leading the delegation of business, government, civic, and academic leaders. In addition to Dean Crouch, the education contingent includes other University representatives; among them are President Robert Bruininks, Regents David Metzen and Patricia Simmons, Vice President for Research Tim Mulcahy, College of Biological Sciences Dean Robert Elde, Regents Professor Lanny Schmidt (chemical engineering and materials science), and Richard Hemmingsen, director of the Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment.
The mission will feature events in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. While in Beijing, the dean will give a presentation to the Chinese Academy of Sciences about possible collaborations in research.
Opportunities for these collaborations are enhanced by the University’s already strong relationship with China. The University has more than 1,200 visiting Chinese scholars and students, the largest population on a North American campus. The University’s China Center, established more than a quarter century ago, coordinates various exchange programs and collaborative research projects. More ....
New directors to lead Babbage Institute, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory
Thomas Misa, associate professor of history at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), has been selected as the new director of the Charles Babbage Institute, effective July 1, 2006. In January 2006, he will begin the phase-in process, working with current director Arthur Norberg.
Also beginning in July, Misa will hold concurrent appointments as Engineering Research Associates (ERA) Chair in the History of Technology, as a faculty member in the Program in the History of Science and Technology, and as professor of history of science and technology within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. More...
Fotis Sotiropoulos will join the Institute of Technology as director of the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory and professor of civil engineering in January 2006. Sotiropoulos currently is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he holds a joint appointment in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the G.W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. More...
In memoriam: Rutherford Aris
Rutherford “Gus” Aris, Regents Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering, died November 2 in Edina, Minn. He was 76.
A brilliant scholar, Aris had an enormous impact on the field of chemical engineering. Among his most important contributions are detailed explanations for sudden temperature runaways and oscillating behavior of processes involving chemical reactions, work that led to improved design of potentially explosive chemical processes and safer industrial operations. He led the way in developing new mathematical techniques for optimizing and controlling chemical manufacturing processes and teaching these new methods to students and professional engineers. He published 13 books and more than 300 research articles, and mentored more than 65 master’s and Ph.D. students.
Aris was hired in 1958 as an assistant professor by Neal Amundson, head of the University of Minnesota’s chemical engineering and materials science department (1949–74), who had a keen eye for talent. In 1974 Aris succeeded Amundson as department head and served in that capacity until 1978.
Aris also held a joint appointment in the Department of Classics and Near Eastern Studies, where he conducted research and taught classes in paleontology.
Aris was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (1975) and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1988). He received many honorary degrees and more than a dozen prestigious awards from engineering and scientific societies. He was named a Regents Professor in 1978. More…
Honors
Associate Professor Ramesh Harjani (electrical and computer engineering) has been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for his contributions to the design and computer-aided design of analog and radio frequency circuits. The grade of Fellow recognizes extraordinary accomplishment in a field of interest to the IEEE.
Professor Vipin Kumar (computer science and engineering) has been selected as a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), an international professional organization dedicated to the advancement of computer science. The ACM Fellows Program honors outstanding ACM members for their achievements in computer science and information technology and for their contributions to ACM’s mission. Kumar is head of the computer science and engineering department.
Assistant Professor Jennifer Maynard (chemical engineering and materials science) was awarded a 2005 Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering. She received the fellowship for her work on re-engineering a system that recognizes specific cell types, which will impact the design of therapeutic proteins as well as fundamental cell biology and virology studies. The fellowship includes a $625,000 unrestricted research grant to be used over five years.
Professor Bruce Wollenberg (electrical and computer engineering) was formally inducted into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) at a ceremony held November 9 in Washington, D.C. Wollenberg, whose election to the NAE was announced in February 2005, was honored for his contributions to control centers for electric power grids and to power engineering education.
Events
NCED Distinguished Lecturer Series: NSF’s Planning for Geosciences in the Future
November 18: The recent string of major natural disasters in the U.S. and abroad has underscored the importance of research in the geosciences. Members of the University community and the general public are invited to attend a free lecture by Dr. Margaret Leinen, assistant director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and head of its directorate for geosciences, and Dr. Margaret Cavanaugh, deputy assistant director for geosciences, who will discuss the future of geosciences within the NSF. Their talk is presented by the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (NCED), an NSF Science and Technology Center headquartered at the University’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. For more information, call 612-624-4606 or email info@nced.umn.edu. 11:00 a.m., Auditorium, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory.
Cray Lecture: Personal Sensors for Personal Health/Fitness
November 28: Gaetano Borriello, professor of computer science and engineering, University of Washington, has developed an activity recognition system that achieves an accuracy of more than 92 percent for a set of 10 basic movement activities. He will describe the system's major parts, the statistical inferencing now being embedded into the device, and development of applications to personal health/fitness. Free. For more information, call 612-625-4002 or email csevents@cs.umn.edu. 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m., 3-180 EE/CSci.
IREE Annual Research Symposium
November 29: University researchers showcase groundbreaking new work in the areas of renewable energy and the environment. Program includes keynote address by Governor Tim Pawlenty. For more information, call 612-624-6140 or email reub0002@umn.edu. Sponsored by the Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment. 9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m., Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs.
DTC Science and Technology Innovators Lecture Series: Wireless Sensor and Consumer Multimedia Networks: A Story of Converging Trajectories!
November 29: Jan Rabaey, Donald O. Pederson Distinguished Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California–Berkeley, will discuss the emergence of ubiquitous wireless connectivity in the residential home and the resulting need for a convergence between media and sensor networks. Rabaey also is scientific co-director of the Berkeley Wireless Research Center and director of the Gigascale Systems Research Center. Free. 4:30 p.m., reception; 5:00 p.m., seminar, 402 Walter Library.
Dinner with the Dean
December 6: This popular social event offers IT parents a unique opportunity to meet the college’s deans, faculty, and staff who are guiding their child’s education. The evening includes a reception and dinner, a presentation by Dean Steven Crouch, a panel discussion, and Q&A session. Parents and their students are welcome to attend. Fee. RSVP by November 28. Sponsored by IT Alumni Society. 5:30–8:00 p.m., Mississippi Room, Coffman Memorial Union.
IMA Public Lecture: Does Math Matter to Brain Matter?
December 8: The Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) Public Lecture Series presents Philip Holmes, professor of mechanics and applied mathematics, Princeton University, who will discuss how mathematics can help model the brain’s cognitive processes. For more information, call 612-624-6066 or email ods@ima.umn.edu. Free. 7:00 p.m., 125 Willey Hall.
Looking ahead
2006 Legislative Briefing
January 25: Learn about the University’s 2006 capital request and how you can help. 5:30–7:30 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center.
Rutherford “Gus” Aris, Regents Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering, died November 2 in Edina, Minn. He was 76.