August 21, 2017

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Please extend a warm greeting to our new and returning students this week. They include, at last estimate, 430 incoming first-year students.

I look forward to greeting the Class of 2021 at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Feldman Ballroom. When I do, I will be sure to mention that, among the many opportunities awaiting these students, is a wide range of hands-on research experiences. That was especially evident this summer, when Hajim undergraduates participated in mentored research projects as McNair Scholars, Xerox Engineering Research Fellows, and Eisenberg Summer Interns, and as participants in two new NSF-funded research experiences for undergraduates (REU) programs.

I encourage both new and returning students to click here to read more about our Summer of Research. Note, for example, the video and stories about:

Steven Broida ’18 of computer science, a participant in the Advancing Human Health REU, who is programming a robotic arm to respond to spoken commands so it can assist people with limited mobility. Steven worked in the lab of Asst Prof. Thomas Howard.

Tianhao Yu ’19 of chemical engineering, an Eisenberg Summer Intern, who studied and tested materials for OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays in the lab of Prof. Lewis Rothberg.

Meghan Patrick ’18 of mechanical engineering, a Xerox fellow, who studied how fluid flows in liquid metal batteries in the lab of Asst. Prof. Douglas Kelley.

Arlen Fan ’18 of electrical and computer engineering, a participant in the Music, Media, and Minds REU, who worked on developing a computer interface that could receive audio and automatically transcribe it as a musical score in the lab of Asst. Prof. Zhiyao Duan.

Students will now have an additional incentive to seek out these kinds of co-curricular activities. We’ve just received word that the Hajim School has been accepted into the NAE Grand Challenges Scholars Program, which recognizes students who successfully combine research, community engaged learning, internships, and global experiences to address one of 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century. This is a great opportunity for students to proactively take ownership of their learning experience here, and receive recognition that will help them find jobs and fellowships. Click here to learn more.

Congratulations to three Hajim School and Laboratory for Laser Energetics researchers who are being recognized with awards by Fusion Power Associates, a non-profit group that advocates for fusion power through research and education. Adam Sefkow, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and senior scientist at LLE, will receive an Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award. This comes on the heels of his Early Career Research Program award from DOE. LLE senior scientists Valeri Goncharov, who is adjunct professor of mechanical engineering, and Craig Sangster will receive a joint leadership award.

Reminder: Tomorrow is the deadline to register for a series of free talks by leading computer science theoreticians in honor of Joel Seiferas, professor emeritus of computer science. The talks will be given on Labor Day, September 4. Click here for more details.

Today, weather permitting, we will have an opportunity to view the solar eclipse. Please take care to avoid damage to your eyes. Jim Zavislan, our associate dean and associate professor of optics, and members of our student SPIE chapter will have a solar telescope set up for people to look through on the Hajim Science and Engineering Quad outside the entrance to Goergen Hall from 1 to 4 p.m. Click here for a list of other viewing opportunities on campus — and a note about the Icaroscope developed at the Institute of Optics during World War II to enable our soldiers to “safely” look at the sun while trying to spot enemy dive bombers.

Again, please join me in a warm welcome to the Class of ’21 and all of our returning Hajim School students. For first-year students in particular, let’s all do our very best to answer their questions, give them good advice, and help them feel at home!

Wendi Heinzelman