College to hold forum on strategic positioning issues
Institute of Technology faculty and staff are invited to attend a forum with representatives of three University strategic positioning task forces concerned with issues that may directly affect the college. The forum is Tues., Dec. 13, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in 402 Walter Library. After the forum, refreshments will be available in the foyer.
Task force representatives at the forum will include Professor David Bernlohr (biochemistry, molecular biology, and biophysics), co-chair of the Science and Engineering Task Force; Professor Steven Campbell (electrical and computer engineering), co-chair of the Research Infrastructure Task Force; and Professor Robert Tranquillo (biomedical engineering), member of the Undergraduate Reform: Honors Task Force.
The Undergraduate Reform: Honors Task Force is one of 11 task forces that will make their preliminary recommendations available Dec. 16 on the Transforming the U Web site. During the public comment period, which extends to Jan. 27, people are encouraged to review these recommendations and submit their comments. The 11 task forces will send their final recommendations Feb. 3 to team leaders Provost Tom Sullivan and Senior Vice President Robert Jones. The recommendations then will be forwarded to the executive team for review and determination of next steps.
The Science and Engineering Task Force and Research Infrastructure Task Force will issue their preliminary recommendations in May 2006. More...
Science & Technology Banquet to feature keynote speaker Horn
Dr. Paul M. Horn, senior vice president and director of IBM Research, will be the keynote speaker at the 2006 Science & Technology Banquet, on Tues., April 11, in Minneapolis. Time and location will be announced in January, and online registration will be available in February.
Horn oversees the world’s largest and most prolific research organization dedicated to information technology, with 3,000 researchers at eight labs worldwide. Under Horn’s leadership, IBM Research has produced an unmatched string of technological breakthroughs, including the chess-playing supercomputer Deep Blue and the world’s first copper chip. A physicist by training, Horn has also led IBM Research into a distinctly cross-disciplinary “grand challenge” with Blue Gene—a $100 million project dedicated to exploring the frontiers of supercomputing, including the use of computation to advance our understanding of important biological processes.
IT’s premier annual event, the Science & Technology Banquet is a fundraiser, a social event, and a business networking opportunity for alumni, faculty, staff, students, and corporate friends in the Minnesota business community. Banquet proceeds benefit the Institute of Technology Alumni Scholarship Fund.
Giving to Community Fund Drive tops 40 percent
Overall participation in giving from Institute of Technology faculty and staff topped 40 percent this year, up from 34 percent last year. Institute of Technology employees pledged more than $107,000, the second-largest dollar amount raised by any unit within the University. Overall, the University’s Twin Cities campus raised more than $1 million in pledges with 27.63 percent of University employees contributing.
Twelve Institute of Technology units had a participation rate of 50 percent or more, with four of those units reaching a 100 percent participation rate or more when including student employees. Winners of this year’s Institute of Technology “Dean’s Challenge” participation awards are the Institute of Technology Center for Educational Programs, the Center for the Development of Technological Leadership, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
"I am proud to lead a college with so many employees who care deeply about supporting the charities that serve our community," said Institute of Technology Dean Steven Crouch.
For more information about the Community Fund Drive or to contribute to the effort, visit www.umn.edu/cfd.
U to conduct comprehensive alumni survey
In mid-January 2006, the University will be sending a survey to an estimated 300,000 alumni, with the goal of finding out more about their accomplishments, their attitudes about their University experience, and their impact on the economy and society.
The survey will go to all University alumni except graduates of the Institute of Technology and the Carlson School of Management, who received similar surveys in 2004. Faculty and staff who are alumni are asked to watch for the survey and take time to complete it on paper or online. More...
Lodge appointed MRSEC director
Distinguished McKnight University Professor Timothy P. Lodge has been selected as the director of the University’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) effective Dec. 1. Lodge is a professor in both the chemistry and the chemical engineering and materials science departments. MRSEC is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Lodge’s research areas include the study of polymer structure and dynamics and polymer characterization. He and other members of the University’s polymer research group are working on research that could have practical applications in everyday life such as improved medical drug delivery, lower-cost compact discs, and biodegradable materials.
Lodge is a member of many professional organizations and is editor of the American Chemical Society’s journal Macromolecules. He has served on the editorial boards of several other professional journals including the Journal of Chemical Physics, Journal of Polymer Science, and International Journal of Polymer Analysis and Characterization. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 articles in the field of polymer science and advised or co-advised more than 30 Ph.D. theses. More...
Honors
Distinguished McKnight University Professor Frank Bates (chemical engineering and materials science) has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He was honored for his outstanding contributions to the development of new polymeric materials, especially those based on multi-component block copolymers.
John Gulliver, Joseph T. and Rose S. Ling Professor and head of the civil engineering department, was one of five University faculty and staff members to receive Fulbright Scholar Grants for special research projects in 2005-06. From July to December, Gulliver was at the University of Chile in Santiago, Chile, where he studied and gave lectures on the flow and chemical transport in environmental systems.
Professor Mikhail Shifman (physics) will receive the 2006 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize from The American Physical Society (APS). Shifman, who holds the Ida Cohen Fine Chair in Theoretical Physics, was recognized “for his contributions to theoretical high energy physics, in particular for the understanding of strong interactions and dynamics of supersymmetric gauge theories and for communicating the excitement of science to the public.” He will be honored at a special ceremonial session during the APS April 2006 meeting in Dallas.
In memoriam: Christie Geankoplis
Christie Geankoplis, 84, professor of chemical engineering and materials science, died Nov. 15 in Edina, Minn.
Geankoplis’ research focused on transport processes in biochemical engineering and biochemical reactor engineering. He wrote the chemical engineering texts Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles, Third Edition, and Mass Transport Phenomena, and published more than 50 research articles.
He was born June 18, 1921, in Minneapolis and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1943 with a bachelor of science in chemical engineering. He attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a master of science in chemical engineering in 1946 and a Ph.D. in 1949.
From 1943 to 1946, Geankoplis was chief engineer for Atlantic Richfield Corporation, where he was in charge of process research to produce aviation gasoline for the armed forces. He was a member of the chemical engineering faculty at Ohio State University from 1949 until 1982, before coming to the University of Minnesota.
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Media watch
Robot Women
A feature article profiles three graduate students in computer science and engineering who encourage girls and minority students to pursue careers in science and technology.
Wed., Nov. 30, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.
Medtronic: Minnesota Success Story
KARE 11 EXTRA offered an inside glimpse at Medtronic, a worldwide leader in medical technology, which is based in Minnesota. Medtronic founder and Institute of Technology alumnus Earl Bakken was interviewed and shared information about the University’s role in developing the world’s first wearable cardiac pacemaker.
Tues., Dec. 6, KARE 11 EXTRA.
Student focuses energy to help Nicaragua
Electrical engineering senior Patrick Delaney’s senior project is to assist in the creation of renewable energy in a poor region of Nicaragua. During winter break he will research the use of micro-hydropower systems in rural areas of the country.
Wed., Dec. 7, The Minnesota Daily.
Arnold weighs in on world-record muskie
The World Record Muskie Alliance filed a protest after geometrical calculations by mathematician and fisherman Douglas Arnold, director of the Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications, suggested that a famed muskie caught in 1949 might not have been quite the record-setting lunker it was reputed to be.
Wed., Dec. 7, Chicago Sun-Times.
James “Crash” Ryan
If you’ve ever driven a car or been a passenger on an airplane, you have probably been touched by the research of University professor James Ryan, who was a pioneer in the field of automobile and aircraft safety and systems. Professor Max Donath (mechanical engineering) explains.
Fri., Dec. 9, Minnesota Moment.
Dec. 13: Student teams in the ME capstone design course show off their work and creativity. Free and open to the public. 2:00–4:30 p.m., Coffman Memorial Union Great Hall.
Distinguished Women Scientists and Engineers Speakers Program: Wendy Silk
Dec. 14: Dr. Wendy Silk, professor of water science and quantitative plant biologist, University of California-Davis, will deliver a lecture entitled “Biomechanics of Plant Habitat.” Free and open to the public. For more information email kstelson@me.umn.edu. 3:30 p.m., 1130 Mechanical Engineering.
Kits for Kids campaign
Dec. 1–16: The Minnesota Alpha chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society, is sponsoring its annual Kits for Kids program, which raises money to purchase science and engineering-related toys for the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots campaign. Although Kits for Kids accepts donations of new toys, monetary gifts are preferred because they will allow Tau Beta Pi to obtain discounted prices on bulk purchases. Make checks payable to Tau Beta Pi and write "Kits for Kids" in the memo line. Mail your donation to Tau Beta Pi, 106 Lind Hall, 207 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. For more information email tbetapi@umn.edu.
Looking ahead
2006 Legislative Briefing
Jan. 25: Learn about the University’s 2006 capital request and how you can help. President Robert Bruininks, students, and faculty members will explain the request and how it will benefit the University and the state. RSVP by Jan. 24. 5:30–7:30 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center.
2006 S&T Banquet
April 11: Mark your calendars now for the 2006 S&T Banquet, which features keynote speaker Paul Horn, senior vice president and director, IBM Research. All proceeds from the banquet are designated for Institute of Technology student scholarships. Time and location will be announced in January, and online registration will be available in February. Sponsored by the Institute of Technology Alumni Society.
Dr. 
Distinguished McKnight University Professor 
Christie Geankoplis, 84, professor of chemical engineering and materials science, died Nov. 15 in Edina, Minn.