Yale's Faculty of Engineering is celebrating its 150th year of teaching and research.
Founded by Brown University engineer and teacher William A. Norton, Yale
Engineering now boasts researchers who specialize in a variety of engineering disciplines and in applied physics. In the past few years, it has inaugurated programs in biomedical and environmental engineering, and it has attracted top-notch scholars to help its endeavors grow.
Engineering is also a major beneficiary of Yale's $1 billion commitment to bolster the science and medicine infrastructure. Led by Dean Paul Fleury, Yale Engineering is poised to reach the next level of excellence.
Among the special events marking Yale Engineering's sesquicentennial have been a forum and a lecture series bringing distinguished leaders from diverse engineering disciplines to campus. A reunion in October of 2002 brought graduates of Yale Engineering back to campus.
At the May 2002 forum kicking off the 150th-year celebration, titled "Challenges to Innovation in the 21st Century," Yale President Richard C. Levin hailed the key role that U.S. universities play both in training the next generation of scientists and engineers and in advancing the national research enterprise.
"The teaching in American universities contributes mightily to technological leadership and ultimately economic growth," Levin said. But, he warned, "We mustn't be complacent. We must invest heavily in science and engineering at Yale. The fate of our students, nation and the global economy depends on us."
With its strong base of arts and humanities, Yale has done a better job of humanizing the study of engineering than most other engineering programs, said Levin. In fact, he noted, Yale engineers have the breadth of education that makes them likely to succeed not just technically but as leaders within the workplace.
NIH Grant for Research on Epilepsy
A team of Yale engineers, scientists, physicians and their colleagues are performing advanced bioimaging research that will provide neurosurgeons with a wealth of new information that could dramatically change the treatment of patients suffering from severe epilepsy.
The research is supported by a $7.1 million grant the team received in April of 2002 from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), the newest institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The researchers are studying the biochemical signature of brain tissue that causes severe epileptic seizures and its relationship to surrounding normal tissue, using both cutting-edge imaging techniques and mathematical modeling strategies, explains the project's principal investigator, James S. Duncan, professor in diagnostic radiology and electrical engineering.
Dr. Dennis Spencer, professor and chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and key co-investigator of the grant, says the approaches being developed on this project could significantly enhance understanding of neocortical epilepsy and provide revolutionary new treatment paradigms by shortening the time necessary to perform these extensive surgeries (typically two four- to eight-hour procedures). Surgeons will be provided with an integrated, detailed map of the structure and function of the brain that will help them both plan and perform the procedure more precisely and efficiently.
"This award represents the largest research grant to date to Yale in the area of biomedical engineering," says Duncan, who directs Yale's Interdepartmental Program in Biomedical Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering, as well as the Section of Bioimaging Sciences within the Department of Diagnostic Radiology in the School of Medicine. "It also is ... indicative of Yale's increasing presence in biomedical engineering."
Building a Quantum Computer
A research project with the goal of building the first quantum computer at Yale's Faculty of Engineering received a four-year, $1.2 million grant from the
W.M. Keck Foundation.
The project involves six Yale principal investigators, including Michel Devoret, Daniel Prober and Robert Schoelkopf in condensed matter experiment, Steven Girvin and A. Douglas Stone in condensed matter theory, and David DeMille in atomic and molecular physics.
In addition to the Keck Foundation's support, the project also has $3,658,000 in funding from Yale and other sources.
The goal of the project is to investigate whether a quantum computer can be built using "atom-like" circuits or cold molecules. A quantum computer differs from a classical computer because its basic building blocks behave according to the laws of quantum mechanics rather than classical physics.
"The question we will address in this project is whether quantum information can be stored and processed in solid-state and molecular systems," said Schoelkopf, who is assistant professor of applied physics.
The quest to build a quantum computer is based on the theory that such a computer would be far superior to conventional computers for certain numerical tasks.
In addition to these specific goals, the researchers anticipate significant contributions to condensed matter physics and atomic and molecular physics, which are areas that are particularly strong at Yale.
Nobel Prize-winner
Retired Yale professor and alumnus John B. Fenn was awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for research he conducted during his 20-year tenure at Yale. Fenn, a former professor of chemical engineering at Yale, shared the prize in chemistry with Koichi Tanaka of Japan and Kurt Wuethrich of Switzerland. The three won the prize for advances in the analytical chemistry of proteins and other large biological molecules.The techniques they developed now assist with diagnosing cancer and analyzing environmental pollution, and have many other applications. Yale alumnus Raymond Davis '42 Ph.D. also won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics, bringing the number of Nobel laureates with ties to the University to 23.
'Breakthrough of the Year'
Yale researchers, led by electrical engineering and applied physics professor Mark Reed are leaders in the nanotechnology revolution.
They were among researchers whose work was hailed by the journal Science as a "Breakthrough of the Year" in 2001.
Reed and his team constructed molecules that work as extremely small memory cells. They also found a way to encourage the memory molecules to make copies of
themselves.
Reed said that within five years we will see complex molecular circuits being demonstrated. Reed also teaches the popular Yale class "Science Fiction and Science Fact."
National Academy of Engineering Honorees
Two Yale professors recently received one of the highest professional distinctions awarded to engineers in the United States.
Thomas Graedel, the Clifton R. Musser Professor of Industrial Ecology at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (F&ES) and professor of chemical engineering and geophysics; and A. Stephen Morse, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, were among 74 new members elected to the National Academy of Engineering in February of 2002.
Membership in the academy is bestowed on those who have made important contributions to engineering theory and practice and who have demonstrated unusual accomplishments in the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology.
Graedel was elected for his "outstanding contributions to the engineering theory and practice of industrial ecology, particularly for improved methods of life-cycle analysis," and Morse was elected for his "contribution to geometric control theory, adaptive control and the stability of hybrid systems."
Goizueta Foundation Grant
In February of 2002, the Goizueta Foundation made a $3.5 million grant to Yale to endow a professorship and a scholarship fund.
The first incumbent of the new professorship, The Goizueta Foundation Senior Faculty Chair in Chemical Engineering, is W. Mark Saltzman, who joined the University faculty on July 1, 2002. Saltzman's research focuses on tissue engineering and developing better methods for drug delivery. Through this research, he aspires to create safer and more effective medical and surgical therapy.
The new scholarship fund will provide need-based financial assistance to Hispanic and Latino students whose families live in this country.
The Goizueta Foundation was founded by Roberto C. Goizueta, a Cuban refugee who earned a Yale degree in engineering and who for 16 years sat at the helm of The Coca-Cola Company. Goizueta was noted for his devotion to Yale and its engineering program, and for his commitment to helping deserving students who could not otherwise afford a Yale education.
Contents
Building for State-of-the-Art Research
Inspiring Future Science Leaders
Harnessing the Power of the Genome
Encouraging Women in the Sciences
Forging International Collaborations
Yale Dean Honored With Blue Planet Prize
Engineering the World of Tomorrow
Yale Engineer Receives National Medal of Technology
Promoting the Greening of 'The Blue'
Peabody Museum of Natural History:
Preserving the Past, Educating Future Generations
Bringing Yale Discoveries to The Public
Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory: Probing the Power of Particles
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