ITems | March 2005

Kaveh appointed associate dean

Professor Mostafa Kaveh, head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has accepted a three-year appointment as IT's associate dean for research and planning, effective March 1. Kaveh will continue to serve as department head until his successor has been identified, most likely sometime in April.

As associate dean Kaveh will be responsible for managing the college's financial resources, including decisions on requests for matching funds. He will also work to identify and promote major research opportunities for IT faculty as well as to enhance collaborations between faculty and industry.

U to get $5 million from Microsoft

The University received $5 million from Microsoft on Friday, March 11, as part of an April 2004 settlement of an antitrust class-action lawsuit against Microsoft Corporation. The University was not a plaintiff in the case.

As part of the settlement, the University receives $2.5 million in cash and $2.5 million in product vouchers to be used by the Institute of Technology.

University President Robert Bruininks announced a new initiative, the Consortium for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, which will be financed with the settlement money and $5 million in matching funds from the University.

Boston Scientific CTO to headline 2005 S&T Banquet

Fred Colen, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Boston Scientific, will be the keynote speaker at this year's Science and Technology Banquet, which will be held April 28 at the Minneapolis Hilton. IT's premier annual event, the banquet is a fundraiser, a social event, and a business networking opportunity for our students, alumni, and corporate friends in the Minnesota business community. Banquet proceeds benefit the IT Alumni Scholarship Fund. Find out more...

In memoriam

Professor Paul Ellis (physics) died suddenly of a heart attack Sunday, February 20, at his home in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. He was 63.

Born in Northampton, U.K., Ellis received an undergraduate degree in physics from the University of Bristol in 1962 and a doctorate in physics from the University of Manchester in 1966. He joined the University of Minnesota faculty in 1973. A member of the department's nuclear physics group, Ellis studied the many-body theory of nuclei and nuclear matter at zero and finite temperature using relativistic approaches.

Ellis published more than 100 original research articles and coedited the first two volumes of Trends in Theoretical Physics, the first in a series associated with the University's Theoretical Physics Institute. He was elected a Fellow of the American Physics Society in 1998 and received the college's Best Instructor Award in physics for 1980–81. Read more...

IT welcomes two new faculty

Nelson Assistant Professor Traian Dumitrica joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering in December. Dumitrica received his Ph.D. in chemical physics from Texas A & M University. His area of research is in theoretical and computations aspects of materials science, with emphasis on the mechanical properties, stability, and behavior of distinct nanoscale objects.

Assistant Professor Ryan Elliott is the newest member of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics faculty. Elliott received a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering and scientific computing from the University of Michigan in 2004. His areas of research are martensitic phase transformations, shape memory alloys, atomistic materials simulation, and stability and bifurcation. He joined the department in January 2005.

Honors

Associate Professor Thomas Chase (mechanical engineering) has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The Fellow grade, the highest elected level of ASME membership, is conferred upon a member who has at least 10 years of active engineering practice and who has made significant contributions to the profession. Chase works in the field of computer-aided engineering and has actively published on the topic of mechanism synthesis.

Distinguished McKnight University Professor Christopher Cramer (chemistry) received the 2005 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Postbaccalaureate, Graduate and Professional Education.

Professor Jane Davidson (mechanical engineering) received the University's 2005 Distinguished Women Scholar Award in science and engineering.

Regents Professor H. Ted Davis (CEMS) received a Humboldt Research Award, which recognizes lifetime achievements in research. Recipients of this award are invited to conduct research projects of their own choice in cooperation with specialist colleagues in Germany.

Professor Bin He (biomedical engineering) has been inducted into the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) as a Fellow. AIMBE currently has about 800 Fellows, who are distinguished for their contributions in research, industrial practice, and/or education.

Professor Kenneth Leopold (chemistry) received the 2005 Horace T. Morse-University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education.

Distinguished McKnight University Professor Robert Tranquillo (biomedical engineering, CEMS) was invited to deliver the inaugural presentation in the Medtronic Distinguished Lectureship series at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in November. He also delivered the Area 15d/e (life science fundamentals) plenary lecture at the 2004 annual meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, also held in November.

Events

IMA Public Lecture: Computers and the Future of Mathematical Proof

March 30: Computers crash, hang, succumb to viruses, run buggy programs, and harbor spyware. By contrast, mathematics is free of all imperfection. Why are imperfect computational devices so vital for the future of mathematics? Thomas C. Hales, Mellon Professor of Mathematics will explore this topic as part of the IMA's Math Matter's Public Lecture Series. 7:00 p.m. 3-210 EE/Csci.

IT Day at the Capitol

March 31: Join alumni, faculty, staff, and students for Institute of Technology Day at the Capitol.  This is a great opportunity to educate your legislators about the value of IT and the University of Minnesota to the state. Face-to-face meetings have the most impact with legislators and are key in building legislative support for the U's full request.  We need your help! Sign up online. 12:30-4:00 p.m.

Distinguished Women Scientists and Engineers Speakers Program: Meg Urry

April 6: Dr. Meg Urry, director of the Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Yale University, will present a lecture entitled Hidden Black Holes in the Young Universe. Free. 4:00 p.m., 131 Tate Laboratory of Physics.

April 7: Urry, who has worked hard to increase the number of women in the physical sciences, will also present an informal talk on April 7 about gender issues in sciences. Free. 11:15 a.m., 358 Tate Laboratory of Physics.

Girl Scout Patch Day

April 9: The Minnesota section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is seeking volunteers to help with Girl Scout Patch Day, a special event designed to teach 100 Scouts in grades 4-6 about engineering. At the end of the day the girls will get a SWE Patch to wear on their vests. Volunteers will be needed from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Many volunteer opportunities available, ranging from teaching the experiments to stuffing goodie bags and timekeeping. For information contact cg@swe-mn.org.

Donaldson Lecture: Julia Phillips

April 14: Dr. Julia Phillips, director of the Physical, Chemical, and Nano Sciences Center at Sandia National Laboratories, will discuss some of the scientific and engineering discoveries of the last half century that have given us the ability to study and control materials at the nanoscale. In her lecture entitled Why Is Nanotechnology So Big?, she will also use selected examples of current nanoscience research to explain why the field is so exciting and to paint a picture of how nanotechnology has the potential to change our lives. Reception follows lecture. Free. 3:45 p.m., 2-470 Phillips-Wangensteen Building.

DTC Symposium: Bioinformatics: Building Bridges

April 14–15: The Fourth Annual Symposium on Bioinformatics includes tutorials, world-renowned speakers, poster session, exhibits, demonstrations, and a lunch hosted by the bioinformatics graduate faculty. Free but pre-registration is required. For more information call (612) 624-9510 or email info@dtc.umn.edu. Digital Technology Center, Walter Library.

CDTL Short Course: Leveraging Innovation to Power Corporate Growth

April 19: Translating information into business success is a primary focus of this program presented by the Center for the Development of Technological Leadership (CDTL). Leveraging Innovation to Power Corporate Growth helps improve the success rate of corporate innovation. Participants will learn ways to enhance and renew innovation throughout their organizations. Fee. Register online. For more information call 612-624-5747 or email shortcourse@cdtl.umn.edu. 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., West Bank Office Building.

Looking ahead

MOT Executive Institute: Unleash the Power of Strategy, Technology, Intellectual Property, and Innovation

May 2–5: The Management of Technology (MOT) Executive Institute, a short course presented by the Center for the Development of Technological Leadership, is designed for executives and senior managers who lead at the intersection of strategy, technology, and innovation. The schedule includes full-day sessions on strategy for technology intensive-organizations, leveraging new technologies for growth, probing the business issues of IP, and developing and managing innovation. Institute faculty members are drawn from IT and its MS/MOT program, the Carlson School of Management, and the University of Minnesota Law School. Fee. Register by April 25 (registrations after that date accepted only on a space-available basis). For more information call 612-624-5747 or email executive_institute@cdtl.umn.edu. West Bank Office Building.

UMAA Annual Celebration: U's Night with Aaron Brown

May 10: Aaron Brown, anchor of  CNN’s flagship evening newscast, will be the keynote speaker at the UMAA’s 101st annual celebration. For more group sales information (10 or more tickets) call 612-625-8878; for individual tickets call 612-624-2345. Student discount available. Social hour and dinner, 5:30–7:30 p.m., Coffman Union; program, 8:00 p.m., Northrop Memorial Auditorium.

Annual Meeting, North-Central Section of Geological Society of America

May 19–20: The Minnesota Geological Survey, in conjunction with the Department of Geology and Geophysics, will host the 39th annual meeting of the North-Central Section of the Geological Society of America. Registration fee (special rates for students, K-12 teachers, guests). Standard registration deadline is April 18. On-site registration will be available (higher registration fee). Register online. Radisson Hotel Metrodome.

Second International Symposium on Nanotechnology and Occupational Health

October 3–6: The Second International Symposium on Nanotechnology
and Occupational Health will be the premier global meeting of 2005 addressing the potential implications and applications of nanotechnologies in the workplace. The symposium will
provide a multi-stakeholder forum for presenting, assimilating, and discussing the latest breakthroughs and activities in addressing nanotechnology and worker safety and health. Abstracts are due March 31, 2005. Space is limited, and early registration (by August 1) is highly recommended. For further information contact Katie Kjeseth at 612-624-3708 or conferences5@cce.umn.edu.