Virginia Engineering Magazine, Fall 2004 School Notes

Virginia Engineering
Spring 2005, Volume 17, No. 2

School Notes

Introducing the SEAS Trustees

The SEAS Trustees - A new organization that combines the functions of both the Virginia Engineering Foundation Board and the Dean's Advisory Committee - was formed in January 2005.

This new organization is charged with advising the dean on strategic planning, development, and promotion. It will provide advice, through four primary boards, on academics, development, communications, and finance (see box). It also will serve as the governing body of the Virginia Engineering Foundation, which will continue to serve as the development organization for the School.

The SEAS Trustees will work to provide opportunities for alumni and friends to become more engaged in the Engineering School and will work within the University structure to ensure that the School remains an effective, collaborative partner in the wider University community.

"These changes are very important to the School," according to SEAS Trustees president Doug Garson. "In the world of today, it is essential that we look at the total needs of the School. And it is essential that we attract people with the interest, influence and ability to make a difference for the School. This new organization makes that possible."

The structure of the SEAS Trustees will allow for a deeper involvement than was possible before. In addition to the four primary boards, several standing committees have been established to address ongoing concerns (e.g., strategic planning and facilities). The Facilities Committee, for instance, will monitor improvements in current structures and will actively participate in the planning and construction phases of new facilities. "This is of great importance today as the Foundation endeavors to raise funds for the completion of Wilsdorf Hall, and other new buildings," says Garson.

The arrival of Nancy J. Cable as the Engineering School's Associate Dean for Development and Virginia

Engineering Foundation Vice President for Development is additional exciting news.

Before coming to the University, Cable was Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at North Carolina's Davidson College, with professional experience that includes a comprehensive background in admissions, recruitment, financial aid, marketing, publications, and development.

Nancy Cable

"I am very pleased to join the University and the Engineering School and to work with the SEAS Trustees, the VEF staff, and the Engineering School's faculty and administration to outline the steps necessary

"I especially look forward to engaging with individuals and organizations who want to work to enhance and sustain the quality of education and research at the School and the University."

for the School to succeed in the years ahead. As a graduate of the University, I especially look forward to engaging with individuals and organizations who want to work to enhance and sustain the quality of education and research at the School and at the University," says Cable.

"These are very exciting times," Dean James Aylor reports. "Unprecedented opportunities are in front of us, and with the support of the SEAS Trustees, the Foundation, and our excellent faculty and staff, the Engineering School is in very good shape to move through the years ahead with our place assured as a top-quality institution of engineering education and research."

Boards of the SEAS Trustees

The Academic Board will serve to enhance the stature of the Engineering School by providing high-level guidance and assistance on curriculum issues, academic strategy and specific departmental initiatives.

The Finance Board will oversee the financial activities of the VEF and serve in an advisory capacity on the School's finances.

The Communications Board will provide strategic advice on plans for raising awareness of the excellence, breadth, and unique qualities of SEAS to all constituencies within and outside the University.

The Development Board will recommend, oversee, and evaluate the development policies and programs required for SEAS to accomplish its goals.

Washington, D.C., Policy Interns
- Jeanne Siler

IN LESS THAN FIVE SHORT YEARS, AN IDEA ABOUT summer internships for U.Va. engineering students has grown from the proverbial twinkle in attorney James Turner's eye to a stellar set of experiences for some 50 young men and women. This summer, the Science and Technology Policy Washington, D.C., Internship Program once again offers a select group of engineering students a chance to earn credits while exploring the ways science and technology influence-and are influenced by-public policy in the nation's capital.

The students, typically third- and fourth-years, work directly with key policy-makers at federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation and Department of Health and Human Services, and in think tanks, Congressional offices and foreign embassies.

"We try to place our interns at the highest possible levels within organizations," notes environmental historian and internship director Edmund Russell. "While the goal is not to have our interns go into public policy careers per se," he says-nevertheless flashing a grin at the thought of a U.Va. engineer as a future U.S. president-"we hope that as a result of the program, our interns will carry with them, whether into business, medicine or law, a knowledge of public policy-making that will benefit those careers."

Turner, chief Democratic counsel for the House Committee on Science and a parent of an Engineering School alumnus, was aware that MIT students had been enjoying successful summer internships in D.C. He contacted then-Dean Richard Miksad about creating a parallel program for U.Va. engineering students. Turner now helps secure placements within the national-and international-science community in Washington, for about 10 students each year.

The program, which is fully funded by contributions to the Virginia Engineering Foundation Annual Fund, continues to thrive as the sophistication of the students, their placements, and the mentoring increases.

"We're getting some very talented and interesting students applying for the program.

The agencies remember their previous U.Va. students, and nine out of 10 interns are getting their first choices," Turner says with clear excitement. "Everybody is working for a mover and shaker in Washington."

To prepare for their summer experience, all prospective U.Va. Washington interns enroll in STS 500, a graduate-level spring semester course taught by Russell. The course's demanding academic focus reviews the U.S. government's role in policy formation. Beginning with the American Revolution and the Constitution, students examine when, why, and how the federal government expanded its reach. At mid-semester their studies look at such early scientific agencies as the Department of Agriculture to trace the government's growing engagement with science.

But it's not all history-based. The course stresses the importance of following and reflecting on the latest developments in science and technology policy, with an expectation that class members will read a
major newspaper like The Washington Post daily, and give weekly briefings to each other.

"We hope that as a result of the program, our interns will carry with them, whether into business, medicine or law, a knowledge of public policy-making that will benefit those careers."

Case studies of federal departments and agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense are followed by oral and written reports on the agencies where each student will intern and on current policy issues facing those agencies.

Russell, who wants his students to view him as a kind of "coach," has planned a series of guest lectures, has asked students to start tracking their evolving ideas and questions about public policy in a journal, and has put in place processes for summer networking-all part of the Engineering School's strategy to send off this group well-prepared to maximize their successes.

To catch up on a few past Washington Interns, see page 20 of "Class Notes."

Professor Edmund Russell

Renovated and Renamed Library Gives Students a 21st-Century Space of Their Own

Ask U.Va. students to name the best place to study and one answer may surprise you. A number of students will undoubtedly name the Science and Engineering Library housed in Clark Hall. Thanks to a three-year, $10 million renovation that was completed in Fall 2003, and a generous pledge from Mrs. Charles L. Brown, students have a top-notch space for research and study and the library has an endowment for its long-term success.

Built in 1932, Clark Hall was originally home to the University's Law School. The building became the Science and Engineering Library in 1975, but by the 21st century it was badly in need of improvement. In planning the renovation, "we asked the students what they wanted," said Carol R. Hunter, library director.

The library's new features reflect what students requested. A large, sky-lit reading room with ample study space, group study rooms for collaborative projects, a state-of-the-art digital classroom, and wireless access throughout are just some of the improvements. The stacks are now fully accessible via a wide staircase and elevator, and the entire library is air-conditioned. The 1930s wood tables have been refurbished and repositioned for a laptop generation, and a working gas fireplace invites students to linger in the spacious reading room.

In 2004, Ann Lee Brown, widow of University alumnus and AT&T CEO and Chairman Charles L. Brown, pledged $5 million to honor her late husband with an endowment for the Science and Engineering Library. The facility was renamed the Charles L. Brown Science and Engineering Library in appreciation of her generous gift.

Mrs. Brown also gave $5 million to the Engineering School Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. It was renamed the Charles L. Brown Department of Elecrical and Computer Engineering in honor of Mr. Brown.

4th Year Students Build a Launcher

Scott Barker (ECE) worked with undergraduate students this semester on a project involving the optimization of an electromagnetic launcher. The project began at the end of Spring semester 2004 and was later funded by the Army Research lab, which allowed the team to purchase the supplies needed to build the launcher. They successfully designed, built and tested their initial launcher design and are now in the process of designing their next iteration. "This project highlights the tremendous quality of students that we have here at U.Va.," Barker said.