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Harvard SEAS, Newsletter, Spring 2008
Harvard SEAS, Newsletter, Spring 2008
Harvard SEAS, Newsletter, Spring 2008
A s readers of this newsletter know, I am ing. SEAS is actively engaged in creating and I am more than ready to join the cause.
partial to using metaphors. Because new courses (a portal course for engineer- As a nation, we need to find ways to encour-
this is my last Dean’s Message, it seems only ing; a new track on technology, innovation, age positive change by working with politi-
appropriate to turn yet another phrase. For and society), building teaching labs (a space cal, industrial, and academic leaders. After
the past few months, I’ve been telling col- for CAD/CAM, mechanics, and photonics is all, it is far better for a call to action to come
leagues that “I’m looking forward to skip- due in September), and reconsidering what from a shared desire to make the world a
ping stones.” I suspect many thought I was “design” means (a committee is hard at better place (such as eliminating hunger) or
planning to delve into the field of fluid me- work). As important, I will personally strive motivated by the sheer excitement of solv-
chanics. Not quite. to find new ways to value teaching, at the ing a problem (inventing a clean energy
Consider the classic childhood game. You school and university levels, by providing source) than for it to come from a crisis.
fling an inanimate object into motion. Just time, incentives, rewards, and recognition For the past decade, I have been working
when you think the rock might sink, it to those who excel. hard with everyone here to make these
rises again, often repeating the cycle before practices ones that define SEAS. We have
Teasing out the interfaces of technology, innova-
settling. The phenomenon is a marvel of progressed, thanks to all those who have
tion, and society.
applied science (see, for example, “Secrets supported us. On a personal note, I am
Henry Petroski wrote that “To Engineer Is
of successful stone-skipping,” Clanet et al., grateful to the members of the Harvard
Human.” At one level, we need to trace the
Nature 427 (6969): 29, 2004) and a perfect leadership who gave me the opportunity
path of how technology influences our so-
way to ease into a long afternoon. to serve as dean and to the wonderful SEAS
ciety and economy (like digital music mak-
At its best, skipping stones is a form of community, which made every day such a
ing the CD nearly obsolete) and understand
active meditation. I’ve long enjoyed listen- joy. I will always remember my friends.
how individuals and institutions push tech-
ing to the water lap back and forth, a habit nical development (the idea marketplace). In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says, “As a
I picked up while living in Santa Barbara More broadly, the decisions we make now person puts on new garments, giving up
and now do at my retreat on Cape Cod. The about what technologies to support, de- old ones, the soul similarly accepts new
rhythm enables my own thoughts to skip velop, and adopt, from building nanobots material bodies …” Although I will keep the
to and fro, unfettered, before eventually to manipulating the human genome, will same body, I will gain a new intellectual
landing upon a potential idea. In fact, I owe influence how we live—and even who we soul. And thus, as I move into my new role,
much of my best thinking, as a researcher will become as individuals and as a species. I will remain active as a teacher, researcher,
and administrator, to the right mix of tide I will be advocating, in word and action, and supporter for SEAS.
and time. that we should not take such issues lightly. If you don’t see me in the hallway or some-
While the next dean will take forward the where on campus, or if my door is closed,
Creating links to other parts of Harvard just remember, I’m likely near the water
plans SEAS has set in motion (and add new
This has long been a goal of SEAS—and one somewhere, skipping stones. J
elements), upon stepping down and return-
that will be the most critical aspect of ensur-
ing to the faculty full time I am looking
ing SEAS’ long-term success. We can make
forward to dedicating myself to tackling
deep connections on a local level through
issues that will require many afternoons of
joint appointments. By the fall, we will
energetic reflection.
welcome new faculty members in systems
Venkatesh “Venky” Narayanamurti
Improving our teaching. biology and environmental engineering, all Dean, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
We have heard from current Harvard stu- based in multiple departments and schools. John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering
dents and alumni how much teaching and I myself plan to serve as a visiting professor and Applied Sciences, Professor of Physics
Life On & Around Oxford Street
Links and nodes
Dean Venky to step down research here. The new lab is located
alongside the “wet lab,” created primar-
in September
ily to support courses in bioengineering.
Venkatesh Narayanamurti, Dean of The lab—a beautiful glass and steel fish-
SEAS, who for 10 years has directed the bowl—will become a haven for hands-
renewal and expansion of the former di- on experimentation and research.
vision and its transition to a School, an-
nounced on February 15 his intention Welcoming Microsoft
to step down from his position in Sep- Research to New England
tember 2008. “Venky’s leadership has The sizable new engineering teaching lab in Pierce Hall is due to
Microsoft Research, the basic research open in September 2008; undergraduates will have opportunities to
had a genuinely transformative impact
arm of Microsoft Corp., unveiled its lat- delve into CAD/CAM, mechanics, and photonics research
on engineering and applied sciences at
est lab, to be called Microsoft Research
Harvard,” said Harvard President Drew
New England and to be based in Cam-
Faust. “He has in many ways been both
bridge, Mass.
the architect and the chief engineer of
Harvard’s newest School, and his vision, The new lab, due to open in July, will
energy, and instinct for collaboration enable Microsoft Research to interact
have strengthened our capacity and el- closely with the large community of
evated our sights in a vital academic do- scientists in New England, notably
main. It’s been a pleasure to work with the faculty and students at the many
him, and I join his many admirers in premier academic institutions in the
saluting his service to the University.” vicinity. It will also provide researchers
with the opportunity to interact with
Narayanamurti, the John A. and Eliza- The newly created Microsoft Research New England, based in Cambridge,
people in Microsoft’s incubation cen-
beth S. Armstrong Professor of Engi- will forge links to local universities like Harvard and MIT.
ters and newly acquired companies in
neering and Applied Sciences, origi-
the region.
nally announced his decision to return
to teaching and research in 2005 but Extensive research collaboration
agreed to stay on as dean to oversee with BASF established
the SEAS transition and launch of the
new School last fall. After stepping Harvard and BASF announced an agree-
down, Narayanamurti will continue ment to jointly establish the BASF
to devote himself to teaching, research, Advanced Research Initiative. Based at
and other forms of University service. A SEAS, the initiative will benefit from
faculty advisory committee chaired by strong ties with departments and
Provost Steven Hyman and FAS Dean schools throughout the University. As
Michael Smith has been convened outlined in the agreement, BASF will On October 29 (left to right) Dean Michael D. Smith, Dr. Takao
to begin the search process for a new provide direct funding (anticipated to Kuramochi, Dr. Koji Kaya, Dean Jeremy Bloxham, and Dean
Venkatesh Narayanamurti signed a Memorandum of Understanding
dean. Alumni are encouraged to email be up to $20 million over the next five to encourage and facilitate collaborations between Harvard
their suggestions and thoughts to: years) to Harvard researchers, initially and RIKEN researchers.
Overheard
“I’m from Tennessee and we do a lot of fishing. You can make a
fishing lure out of it … and I’m always looking for the prefect lure, as I always want to pull in
the biggest fish I can. So one day, when I retire from Harvard, I want to be able to be able to
take these biohybrid constructs and make fishing lures out of them.”
— Kit Parker, Associate Professor of Bioengineering, in a BBC World Radio interview about his lab’s creation
of biohybrids of elastic film and muscle cells that can generate force to grip, pump, walk, or swim.
Random Bits
Love at first byte
Christopher R. Coyne ’99, Sam A. Yagan ’99, and Maxwell N. Krohn ’99 turned to their
applied math skills in creating a new online dating site. The site, OKcupid.com, which,
according to Yagan, counts over a half-million active users, is noted for its algorithm that
produces “match percentages” based on user-submitted questions on everything from
smoking habits to religion.
Author, author!
A current SEAS faculty member in bioengineering, David Edwards, and a current graduate
student in applied math, Erez Lieberman, have both published works of fiction; a late
SEAS faculty member, Thomas McMahon, an expert on animal locomotion, published four
novels; the late famed author James Michener concentrated in aeronautical engineering
at Harvard. J
SEAS – Spring/Summer 2008 I 3
Recent findings
(top left) By mathematically modeling how the flipper of the humpback whale allows the massive mammal to fly through the
water, Ernst van Nierop, Silas Alben, and Michael Brenner may one day help engineers build better blades and wings; (right)
The lab of Ken Crozier demonstrated a new type of optical tweezer: (a) microfabricated Fresnel Zone Plate optical tweezers,
consisting of concentric gold rings (50-nm thick) on a microscope slide; (b) CCD camera image of fluorescent bead trapped
in zone plate focus.
In addition to the obvious benefits of Aziz, Gordon McKay Professor of Ma- plied Physics and Vinton Hayes Senior
being portable, Sun says that the extra terials Science in SEAS; Christopher H. Research Fellow in Electrical Engineer-
boost in sensitivity could enable physi- House, Associate Professor of Geosci- ing, and includes graduate student Ben-
cians to find pathogens much earlier, at ences at Pennsylvania State University; jamin Lee, researchers Mikhail Belkin
the first sign of a disease. and Daniel P. Schrag, Professor of Earth and Jim MacArthur, and undergraduate
and Planetary Sciences, Professor of En- Ross Audet. The researchers have also
Engineered weathering could vironmental Science and Engineering filed for U.S. patents covering this new
retard global warming in SEAS, and Director of the Harvard class of laser chips.
Researchers at Harvard University and University Center for the Environment. The broad emission spectrum of the
Penn State University have invented a Lead authors House and Aziz add that Quantum Cascade Laser material, grown
technology, inspired by nature, to re- more research is needed on some of the by a commercial reactor, is designed
duce the accumulation of atmospheric chemical processes’ effects on ocean bi- using state-of-the-art nanotechnology.
carbon dioxide (CO2 ) caused by human- ology and on improving efficiency and An array of 32 lasers, each designed to
caused emissions. scalability. emit at a specific wavelength, is then
By electrochemically removing hydro- fabricated on a single chip by standard
chloric acid from the ocean and then
Compact QC laser’s range of semiconductor processing techniques.
neutralizing the acid by reaction with applications is huge A microcomputer individually fires up
silicate (volcanic) rocks, the researchers Engineers have demonstrated a highly and tunes each laser in the array in any
say they can accelerate natural chemi- versatile, compact, and portable quan- desired sequence. This generates a broad
cal weathering, permanently transfer- tum cascade laser sensor for the fast and continuously tunable wavelength
ring CO2 from the atmosphere to the detection of a large number of chemi- spectrum that can be used to detect a
ocean. Unlike other ocean sequestration cals, ranging from infinitesimal traces large number of chemical compounds.
processes, the new technology does not of gases to liquids, by broad tuning of The team’s coauthors are research as-
further acidify the ocean and may be the emission wavelength. The potential sociates Laurent Diehl and Christian
beneficial to coral reefs. range of applications is huge, including Pflügl of SEAS; Doug Oakley, David
The innovative approach to tackling homeland security, medical diagnostics Chapman, and Antonio Napoleone of
climate change is reported in the No- such as breath analysis, pollution moni- MIT Lincoln Laboratory; David Bour,
vember 7 issue of the journal Environ- toring, and environmental sensing of Scott Corzine, and Gloria Höfler, all for-
mental Science and Technology by co–lead the greenhouse gases responsible for merly with Agilent Technologies; and
authors Kurt Zenz House, a Ph.D. candi- global warming. Jérôme Faist of ETH Zurich. J
date in Harvard’s Department of Earth The team is headed by Federico Capasso,
and Planetary Sciences, and Michael J. the Robert L. Wallace Professor of Ap-
SEAS – Spring/Summer 2008 I 5
180 Degrees: Assessing SEAS
Surprisingly, when it comes to academic institutions, that question may be more functional than meta-
physical. After all, prospective students and their parents want to know every last data point before
making a four-year commitment. Company executives want to know if holding a given degree will
ensure star performance at work. Alumni want to know if their alma matter is protecting its heritage
while still embracing the future.
To get past the spin cycle (what a place proclaims about itself), savvy investigators look to what others, especially those on (or
previously on) the inside, say about an institution. In fact, such an 180-degree turn allows an institution to get a bracing reality
check. Today such feedback loops (from product reviews to personal musings) are ubiquitous and nearly instantaneous, thanks to
channels of online chatter. Meaning, if an institution doesn’t assess itself, an army of virtual pundits will gladly do so.
As mentioned in the previous Fall/Winter newsletter, in the spring of 2007 Harvard’s Alumni Affairs and Development Office
asked 22,700 graduates (including 1,700 SEAS alumni across all areas and degree programs) to report on their Harvard experiences
and current attitudes toward the University. What follows is a select summary of the responses given by SEAS alumni, all taken
from the open feedback section of the survey. We hope you find the scrutiny as enlightening as we did.
SEAS – Spring/Summer 2008 I 7
Turning a corner:
Crosscurrents
How to internalize
external insights
L
ooking inward inevitably results in the desire to
put an institution in a wider context. In the case
of SEAS, one doesn’t need to look far. This year, the
National Academy of Engineering (NAE) issued its
Grand Challenges for Engineering, rallying think-
ers, researchers, politicians, and the public to work
together toward ambitious goals such as the devel-
opment of cleaner and renewable energy sources,
providing access to clean water, advancing public
health, and securing cyberspace.
Through the engineering accomplishments of the
past, the world has become smaller, more inclu-
sive, and more connected. The challenges facing
engineering today are not those of isolated locales,
but of the planet as a whole and all the planet’s
people. Meeting all those challenges must make
the world not only a more technologically ad-
vanced and connected place, but also a more sus-
tainable, safe, healthy, and joyous—in other words,
better—place.
(top) The February issue of ASEE’s PRISM magazine took more than a full spread to cover the launch of the School of Engineering and Applied sciences.
Nota Bene
Turing Corners … The February issue of Follow your heart … Technology Review Favorite things … The editors of Nature Creativity in the Post-Google Generation,
the American Society for Engineering followed postdoctoral student Adam chose papers by SEAS graduate student ranked #4 on The Boston Globe’s February
Education magazine, PRISM, covered the Feinberg and faculty member Kit Parker in Erez Lieberman (applying evolutionary list of bestselling books. President Faust’s
launch of SEAS, proclaiming, “With the their quest to engineer heart tissue. BBC models to linguistic standardization) and new book about the Civil War grabbed the
rare opening of a new school, Harvard re- Radio’s World Service also interviewed faculty member Lene Hau (converting light top spot.
stores engineering to its once-prominent Parker and Feinberg (see page 3). In ad- into matter, then back into light) as among Industry meets ivy … In Chemical and
spot.” We will, of course, do our best to dition to forseeing use of the engineered their favorites for 2007. Engineering News Shriram Ramanathan
live up to such lofty claims. In addition, tissue, which can contract like muscle discussed making the transition from cor-
Radio waves … NPR reporters chatted
the April 2008 issue of IEEE’s Spectrum tissue, in drug screening and implantable porate life to the halls of academia and the
with bioengineering faculty member
investigated how to engineer the Harvard devices, Parker expressed his desire to try distinctive skill set former industry experts
David Edwards about his new book and
engineer, dedicating nearly 4,000 words it out as the ultimate fishing lure. have to offer. In a different issue, SEAS’s
Le Laboratoire, his creative space in Paris
to the topic. Fly art … The Museum of Modern Art in new research partnership with BASF (see
(see below), and with Steven Wofsy, who
Open books … The New York Times, Bos- New York (MOMA) displayed the robotic monitors carbon activity, as part of a p. 2) made the cover, showing how SEAS
ton Globe, Chronicle of Higher Education, fly, created by Rob Wood, as part of its profile of Harvard’s 3,000-acre forest is forging new relationships with industry
Bloomberg, and others covered Stuart Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition in laboratory. partners to further research with techno-
Shieber’s proposal, passed by the mem- February. Wood himself authored “Fly, logical and commercial promise. Last but
ArtScience … Bioengineer David Edwards
bers of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, to Robot, Fly” for the March issue of IEEE’s not least, FAS Dean Mike Smith, SEAS
wrote an editorial in Nature about his Le
post scholarly research online for free. Spectrum. Dean Narayanamurti, and former Associ-
Laboratoire project, the first experiment-
Cold comfort … Lene Hau discussed pos- ate Dean Seltzer explained the business
driven art and science incubator opening
The editors of Nature chose papers by sible applications from the coldest frontier sense needed to be a good administrator
in Paris. His book on the topic, ArtScience:
Erez Lieberman (pictured) and Lene Hau
in applied physics on NOVA’s “Absolute in The Crimson. J
as among their favorites for 2007.
Zero.”
The writing is on the wall. MOMA in New York displayed Rob Wood’s robotic fly as part
Friendly press … FAS’s Fall/Winter 2008 of the “Design and the Elastic Mind” exhibit.
issue of The Yard highlighted the SEAS
launch and the Center for Research on
Computation and Society (CRCS). The
Winter 2008 Radcliffe Quarterly profiled
Radcliffe fellow Christine Mummery’s
collaboration with Kit Parker to find a
way to put new heart cells into damaged
hearts. The November/December issue
of Harvard Magazine highlighted Colleen
Hansel’s studies of microbial interactions
with metals, part of the Microbial Sciences
Initiative.
Faculty News
Barbara Grosz, Higgins Professor of Systems (IROS 2007) sponsored by the
Natural Sciences and Interim Dean of Institute of Electrical and Electronics En-
the Radcliffe Institute; Frans Spaepen, gineers (IEEE) in San Diego in November.
John C. and Helen F. Franklin Professor In fact, Harvard researchers were authors
and Director of the Rowland Institute at of three of the four finalists for the best
Harvard; and Zhigang Suo, Allen E. and paper award, out of 681 accepted papers.
Marilyn M. Puckett Professor of Mechan- Shriram Ramanathan, Assistant Profes-
ics and Materials, were elected to the sor of Materials Science, is among the
National Academy of Engineering (NAE). recipients of the Air Force’s Young Inves-
They are among 65 new members elected tigator Research Program. The program
to the NAE in 2008. Election to the fosters creative basic research.
NAE is among the highest professional
Daniel Jacob, Vasco McCoy Family Pro-
distinctions accorded to an engineer.
fessor of Atmospheric Chemistry and
Academy membership honors those who
Environmental Engineering, and Steven
have made outstanding contributions
Wofsy, Abbott Lawrence Rotch Profes-
to “engineering research, practice, or
sor of Atmospheric and Environmental
education, including, where appropriate,
Science and Associate Dean of FAS, are
significant contributions to the engineer-
Much-admired mentor, teacher, researcher, Henry Ehrenreich passed away in early 2008. among the participants in the Inter-
ing literature,” and to the “pioneering of
governmental Panel on Climate Change
new and developing fields of technology,
Remembrance making major advancements in tradition-
al fields of engineering, or developing/
(IPCC) report, an assessment of climate
change research, for which the 2007 No-
bel Peace Prize was awarded.
Henry Ehrenreich, Clowes Professor of Science, Emeritus, a pioneer in semiconductor implementing innovative approaches to
materials, and a Harvard professor for more than four decades, died on January 20, a few engineering education.” Howard Stone, Vicky Joseph Professor
months before his 80th birthday. He also served as the University’s first Ombudsman and of Engineering and Applied Mathemat-
Lene Hau, Mallinckrodt Professor of
extended his academic interests to government and public policy, spending a year working ics and Associate Dean for Academic
Physics and of Applied Physics, was
with the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House and Programs, has been selected as the first
elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of
serving on several national and international panels. winner of the G. K. Batchelor Prize for
Sciences for her experiments on the ma-
Fluid Mechanics for research published
Ehrenreich received his B.A. (1950) and his Ph.D. in the emerging field of semiconduc- nipulation of photons. The Academy is an
over the past 10 years.
tor physics (1955) at Cornell, where he also met and married Tema, his wife for almost independent organization whose overall
objective is to promote the sciences and Eric Mazur, Balkanski Professor of Phys-
55 years. He spent the next eight years at the General Electric Research Laboratory in
strengthen their influence in society. ics and Applied Physics, was elected a
Schenectady, N.Y., then a hub for scientific research. In 1963 he was appointed a professor
Fellow of the Optical Society of America
in what was then Harvard’s Division (now School) of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Todd Zickler, Assistant Professor of Elec-
for his “pioneering contributions to op-
trical Engineering, was named a 2008
In addition to educating and mentoring students in his research specialty, Ehrenreich de- tical waveguiding at the nanoscale level
Alfred P. Sloan Fellow. The award recog-
veloped courses for students at all levels that covered topics ranging from the physics, and to understanding the interaction of
nizes exceptional faculty who are early in
chemistry, and policy aspects of materials and devices to energy and the environment, ultrashort laser pulses with materials.”
their research careers.
even to ones that touched on his personal interests in history and music. Ehrenreich, a
Dave Mooney, Gordon McKay Professor
skilled pianist, developed his love of music early, thanks to his father, a choral conductor The National Science Foundation (NSF)
of Bioengineering, won the 2008 Clem-
and music critic. awarded 2008 CAREER awards to Ken
son Award in Biomaterials. Awardees are
Crozier, Assistant Professor of Electrical
“An enormous number of colleagues, friends, and students at Harvard and throughout the selected by the Society for Biomaterials
Engineering, for his work in near-field
world have benefited from their interactions with Henry as well as from the papers and Awards, Ceremonies and Nominations
optical forces, and Vinothan Manoha-
reports he wrote and the volumes he edited. His insights, wisdom, and thoughtfulness Committee, and confirmed by the Presi-
ran, Assistant Professor of Physics and
will be sorely missed,” said Paul Martin, John H. Van Vleck Professor of Pure and Applied dent of Clemson University.
Chemical Engineering, for his work on
Physics at Harvard. Bob Westervelt, Mallinckrodt Professor
imaging colloidal self-assembly. The
In addition to his wife, Tema, Ehrenreich leaves a daughter, Beth; two sons, Paul and honor is considered one of the most of Applied Physics and of Physics, was
Robert; and 10 grandchildren. J prestigious recognitions of rising stars named a 2007 American Physical Society
in science and engineering. The Fac- fellow for “seminal contributions to our
ulty Early Career Development (CAREER) understanding of the quantum behavior
SEAS – Spring/Summer 2008 I 11
Student News
Student News
Computer software, hardware, systems 23%
Career finder Other 18%
A nthony Arcieri, Assistant Director for Careers in Science Banking, finance, communications 11%
and Technology at the Office of Career Services (OCS), Engineering and science 11%
arrived in the spring of 2007 with some compelling words of Education 8%
wisdom—an entire book’s worth, in fact. The author of Major- Full-time student 7%
ing in Success: Building Your Career While Still in College has been Law 6%
dedicated to increasing students’ access to—and awareness Consulting 6%
of—options: career options, graduate school options, support
Medicine, healthcare, public health 5%
and counseling options, and perhaps most important, the op-
Arts, government, politics 5%
tion to connect with alumni and begin developing networking
skills. We asked Anthony for some highlights of his career- * Data from 2007 Alumni Survey.
building efforts over the past year and about ways companies Who is hiring? Technical employers continue to show an in-
and alumni can get involved. terest in recruiting Harvard students, with Google leading the
What’s happening? In September the annual Career Forum in- pack of the most popular employers for students to interview
cluded a variety of employers seeking to recruit SEAS students with. Others, including Facebook, Microsoft, NASA, Meebo,
as well as an expert panel focused on Careers in the Life Sciences Symantec, and NVIDIA, provided plentiful internship and
(which particularly appealed to Biomedical Engineering con- full-time opportunities for interested students through the On-
centrators). October found SEAS students attending programs Campus Recruiting program, the Career Forum, and listings on
on Applying to Graduate School in the Sciences and on Work- the OCS Website.
ing Beyond the Bench. Spring saw an equal flurry of activity, How can alumni get involved? This year, OCS organized topi-
with students participating in both the Engineers Week Career cal panels of invited guests, including alumni, to speak about
Fair in Boston and the All Ivy Environmental Career Fair in New their career paths and provide advice to students and also
York City in search of jobs and internships. OCS also cospon- hosted alums for intimate “career chats” with current students.
sored a new Science, Technology, and Society Career Chat Se- Anthony invites alumni of SEAS and those in related graduate
ries, which kicked off with a discussion about careers in science engineering fields to connect with current students by becom-
policy and will continue with an upcoming chat on science and ing involved with some of these career programs or by posting
democracy, with particular focus on the changing landscape for internship and full-time opportunities with OCS on behalf of
science funding. Future career programming will include on- their employers. If you are interested in participating, please
demand chats on topics such as the environment and energy. contact Anthony Arcieri at arcieri@fas.harvard.edu. J
Student Awards
On behalf of the New York City Post of the and rescue missions. At Cambridge, I will her experience traveling in South Africa. Shayak Sarkar ’07 (A.B. in Applied Math-
Society of American Military Engineers pursue an M.Phil. in Engineering to more She is currently designing a chimney for ematics and a Master’s in Statistics) and
(SAME), Harvard College senior Connie deeply explore my research interests be- thatched-roof huts that would provide Sammy K. Sambu ’08 (Engineering Sci-
Cheng ’08 has been awarded the 2007 fore Ph.D. studies.” heat and reduce the indoor air pollution ences), representing Kenya, were selected
Colonel and Mrs. S. S. Dennis III Scholar- Xuanhe Zhao, a Ph.D. candidate in Zhigang that results from using wood fires to cook as Rhodes Scholars. A biomedical science
ship in recognition of her hard work and Suo’s group, won the American Academy food indoors. And in addition to project and engineering concentrator and a resi-
dedication to research. At a ceremony in of Mechanics Founder’s Prize for his essay ideas, Stenson returned home with a cu- dent of Leverett House, Sambu plans to
Pierce Hall, Venkatesh Narayanamurti, on soft active materials. rious souvenir: dreadlocks, courtesy of a conduct research at the Oxford Institute
Dean of the Harvard School of Engineering South African salon.” of Biomedical Engineering on improving
Two doctoral students in computer science, vaccine delivery technology. Sarkar, having
and Applied Sciences, presented her with a Rohan Narayana Murty and Ece Semiha Several robotics researchers were recog- served the homeless, refugees, and low-
certificate of accomplishment and a schol- Kamar, were named 2008 Microsoft Re- nized for outstanding work at the IEEE income youth through various public ser-
arship check for $1,000 from SAME. search Fellows (see page 12). International Conference on Intelligent vice organizations while an undergraduate,
Jessica Shang ’08 (Engineering Sciences) Undergraduate Ahmad Khairi ’08 (En- Robots and Systems (IROS 2007) in San is now interested in applying his analytic
has been awarded a Gates Cambridge gineering Sciences) and postdoctoral Diego in November. Postdoctoral fellows skills in mathematics, statistics, and eco-
Scholarship. The program enables non- student Jian Han from Donhee Ham’s lab from Robert Howe’s Harvard BioRobotics nomics to addressing problems associated
U.K. students to study at the University received the 2008 Analog Devices, Inc., Lab, Riichiro Tadakuma and Mahdi Tava- with poverty, especially affordable housing
of Cambridge. According to her biosketch, Outstanding Student Design Award. koli were finalists for the Conference Best and education reform.
she worked with faculty member Rob The Crimson named concentrator Jackie Paper Award. In addition, Harvard under- Yuancheng was selected as a Computing
Wood “developing a microrobotic drag- Stenson ’08 (Engineering Sciences) one graduate Dan Kettler ’07 (Engineering Sci- Research Association (CRA) Outstanding
onfly as part of my honors thesis to gain of the 15 most interesting seniors in the ences), now a Ph.D. student at MIT, was Undergraduate Award finalist. CRA’s pro-
insight into the dynamics and evolution class of 2008. Stenson, a globetrotter one of four finalists for the Best Student gram recognizes undergraduate students
of insect flight. This research will aid the by nature, “said her senior project, the Paper Award, for work from his senior in North American universities who show
development of highly maneuverable, equivalent of a senior thesis for engi- design project on new instruments for outstanding research potential in an area
autonomous vehicles useful in search neering science concentrators, came from beating-heart surgery. of computing research. J
SEAS – Spring/Summer 2008 I 13
Fred Abernathy and Paul Martin ing was ambivalent at best.
In Profile
SEAS – Spring/Summer 2008 I 15
Innovation in the Air
Intersections
Intersections
The Crimson named Engineer- be used to enhance virtual
ing Sciences concentrator worlds? The answers may
Jackie Stenson ’08 as one of well realized, especially since
its top 15 most interesting the lighting project for Af-
seniors: “She said her senior rica has received seed fund-
project … came from her expe- ing. The audience, however,
rience traveling in South Afri- seemed less than enthusiastic
ca. She is currently designing about the thought of breath-
a chimney for thatched-roof ing rather than eating their
huts that would provide heat victuals.
and reduce the indoor air pol-
lution that results from using XEconomy.com reported on
wood fires to cook food in- InCytu, a firm that hopes
doors.” Stenson also serves as to make tissue engineering
the founding president of the succeed in the marketplace.
Harvard College chapter of The startup “draws on new
Engineers Without Borders. technology from Harvard
bioengineer David Mooney’s
Ashkan Vaziri, a postdoctoral lab. InCytu is developing a
scholar, reported on a novel suite of ‘smart’ materials that
phenomenon: direct irra- help the body grow new tis-
diation of an InGaN substrate sues and repair itself—using
with a focused ion beam, its own stem cells right in the
which provides a technique body—rather than requir-
Stephanie Wilson ’88, A veteran of two space flights, poses with the rest of the crew of
for the fabrication of single- ing that cells be harvested, the STS-120.
crystal indium nanowires treated in a lab, and then re-
at a rate that is much higher turned to the patient … The Events
than other available tech- company’s initial aim is to Visit www.seas.harvard.edu/newsandevents for the latest details, dates, and times for
niques. “We envision that create simpler products such SEAS events. Here are some highlights from the past months:
these composite nanowires as dressings that can coax The SEAS industrial partnerships program hosted a workshop on materials and struc-
will have versatile applica- new blood vessels to grow tures for energy in May. The event brought together faculty, students, and profes-
tions in electronics and opto- into skin badly damaged by sionals from industry and government to investigate the development and application
electronic devices. Other uses diabetes and injectable gels of materials designed to increase energy efficiency and mitigate the negative envi-
include building biosensors, to help repair hernias and ronmental impact of technologies ranging from chips to laptops. Jennifer Casasanto,
solar cells, electrodes, and perhaps even shrapnel or bul- Director of Industrial Outreach and Community Relations said, “Our goal is to find ever
more specific ways to link our research with critical, up-to-the-minute problems, like
even memory devices. With let wounds.” J
energy consumption, that a particular industry faces.”
additional work we could Jackie Stenson ’08, installing one of her
In March, famed Princeton engineering educator David Billington, Gordon Y. S. Wu
create nanoneedles and nano- chimneys on a thatched-roof hut.
Professor of Engineering, shared tales about the design of some of the world’s most
pipettes for delivering mole- famed bridges, such as the elegant Salginatobel Bridge in Switzerland (literally hugged
cules or drugs such as nucleic in place by two mountainsides) and Boston’s own Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge,
acids in the next generation the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world. Billington’s aim was to illustrate the criti-
of nanosurgery devices.” cal role of aesthetics in well-designed structures. After all, a well-built bridge will be
trod for many decades, if not centuries, to come.
Students in ES-147, “Idea In February, NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson ’88 came in for a second landing. Wil-
Translation,” presented pro- son, who is now a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers, has completed two
shuttle flights in less than two years (rare for any astronaut). At the packed lecture,
jects to the Harvard com-
in addition to some deeply philosophical questions (from “Do you believe there is
munity that tackled some other intelligent life in the universe?” to “Should we go to back to the moon and on
intriguing questions: Can to Mars?”—to which she answered yes both times), an audience member asked an
remote sensing elevate mu- eminently practical, if not personal, one (“So how do you go to the bathroom [aboard
seum experiences? Are lumi- the shuttle]?” to which she answered, “It’s very similar to what happens on an air-
nous polymers the keys to plane”).
lighting Africa? Are gourmet In December, Kathryn Hollar, Director of Educational Programs, and Howard Stone,
aerosols the next big thing Vicky Joseph Professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics and Associate Dean
in the culinary arts? Can for Academic Programs, once again hosted the Holiday Lecture. This time they headed
into the kitchen, exploring the science behind one of America’s favorite foods: pizza.
your biological information
SEAS – Spring/Summer 2008 I 17
Alumni Notes
Alumni Notes
school for the 21st century?
As Theodore von Kármán, Caltech’s
Provost during its formative years, once
said: “Scientists discover the world that
exists; engineers create the world that
never was.” Of course, the optimists
seek scientific solutions for these new
problems, as well they should; but the
realists are not wrong to wonder if even
more problems will in turn be created.
Thus, von Kármán’s statement needs
elaboration: The world that technol-
ogy has transformed begs to be shaped KAUST campus rendering. (View from under the rotunda
by values, values which can promote of the of the main entrance and Administration Building.)
What do you think has enabled your
and sustain life in the 21st century. The own success?
You’ve said that you went from being a
21st-century engineering school—in-
mediocre student to attending Harvard. I am fundamentally drawn to the chal-
deed, the 21st-century university—has
What inspired you to push forward? lenge of transforming the seemingly im-
a civilizing mission: developing indi-
Today, much of university education is possible into a possible. A curiosity for
viduals who know how, among other
driven by extrinsic factors, such as liv- how things work and a love of adventure
qualities, to mingle easily with diverse
ing out parental dreams, making lots have also driven me to seek out exciting
cultures as well as to be conversant on
of money, and going for a straight and and meaningful pursuits. At the same
global issues.
easy path to success. To do well in en- time, always in my heart are the words of
As you know, Harvard recently launched gineering, there needs to be intrinsic my devout Buddhist mother: “You must
SEAS. Do you have any advice? motivation—love of science and curios- not be so attached to something that you
ity to discover how the world works. To can’t do without it.” I think of life more
I believe that SEAS has a particular
sustain students’ interest in engineering, as a never-ending and ever-changing
responsibility because of Harvard’s
professors have a big part to play. Their journey of learning and discovery. Hu-
prominence at the forefront of global
excitement and enthusiasm can be infec- mility, humanity, and humor also make
knowledge institutions. It can offer op-
tious, drawing out a love for the subject good traveling companions. J
portunities for fruitful conversations
outside the boundaries of science and and helping students find fulfillment in Note: An unabridged version of this interview is
learning and discovery. available on www.seas.harvard.edu.
engineering in order to sharpen the in-
tellectual life and heighten the cultural
sensitivity of SEAS students. It is vital
that SEAS establishes a no-walls culture
Be part of the Renaissance...
of openness, promoting collaboration The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences thrives because of institu-
and discovery across disciplines and tional, government, industrial, and alumni support. Such financial generosity, intel-
institutions, as well as across communi- lectual guidance, and enthusiasm will enable us to continue to enhance education
ties, cultures, and continents. This is one and research and to better society.
step towards ensuring a thriving and To learn more about giving opportunities, please contact Linda Fates, Associate Dean
successful future. for Resource Development, at ord@seas.harvard.edu.
Alumni Accomplishments
Because several alumni asked the pioneers honored with fessor of Electrical and Com- David E. Keyes ’84 (Applied
to share their successes with the 2007 A. M. Turing Award puter Engineering at the Mathematics), Fu Foundation
the wider SEAS community, for model checking (first de- University of Maryland, was Professor of Applied Math-
we decided to pass along the veloped at Harvard in 1981). awarded the 2007 IEEE Con- ematics, won the 2007 Sidney
praise. Please feel free to send trol Systems Society Hendrik Fernbach Award.
any of your own accomplish- The Turing Award is consid- W. Bode Prize.
ments our way: communica- ered the Nobel Prize of com- Choon Fong Shih ’73 has been
The prize was developed to appointed the first president
tions@seas.harvard.edu. puter science.
recognize distinguished con- of the KAUST in Saudi Arabia
E. Allen Emerson ’81 (Ph.D., P.S. Krishnaprasad ’77 (Ph.D., tributions to control systems
(see p. 18 and above).
Applied Math) was among Engineering Sciences), Pro- science or engineering.
SEAS – Spring/Summer 2008 I 19
Teaching it Forward
Connections
Feedback loop 4 Ian Malott ’09, Randy Ryan ’09, Jacob Rus ’09, and
We welcome and appreciate your comments, Samir Paul ’10 (not pictured) use sketches to develop
suggestions, and corrections. Please send interface design ideas for their course shopping tool.
feedback to communications@seas.harvard.edu
or call us at 617-496-3815. This newsletter 5 Storyboard of a calendaring interaction for an wear-
is published biannually by the Harvard School able calendaring device being developed by Sabrina
of Engineering and Applied Sciences Chou ’09, David Kosslyn ’11, Hannah Ma ’08, and
Communications Office. Alan Ramos ’10.
Harvard School of Engineering
and Applied Sciences 6 Rachel Popkin ’08, Josh Montana ’10, Alex Komoroske
Pierce Hall ’08, Hannah Ma ’08, and Jana Lepon ’08 listen as
29 Oxford Street Liesje Hodgson ’08 poses a question to the group.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Managing Editor/Writer 4
Michael Patrick Rutter
Additional Writers
Abigail Adair; Andrew Arcieri
Copy Editor
Darlene Bordwell, Ambient Light
Proofreader
James Clyde Sellman, PhD ’93