The School of Engineering continues to be viewed as the premier institution of its type in the country. Built around traditional disciplinary curricula with a strong emphasis on engineering science, the School has excelled at the integration of research and education and, relative to our peers, at developing the interface between our research and educational programs and industry.
From this position of strength, the School of Engineering is in the midst of a transition that will give new emphasis to engineering practice and the broader context of engineering, as proposed in the School's Long-Range Plan. The timing for instituting change is opportune. The recently completed retirement program created over 35 vacancies in the School, roughly 10 percent of the faculty. Strategic redeployment of these faculty positions will be critical to moving the School in new directions. The School has entered into a strategic planning process for allocation of these positions; this process will be launched at an Engineering Council Retreat to be held in September 1996. The initial discussions will focus on resource allocation and on organization of the School for optimum development of programs in engineering systems and biomedical engineering.
Simultaneously with this planning, new undergraduate and graduate programs are emerging throughout the School, each with new emphasis on engineering practice and professional education. The new undergraduate Mechanical Engineering curriculum with their IAP subject, ME Tools (2.670) is a wonderful example of learning by design, as proposed by the effort in the ECSEL educational program. At the graduate level, professional educational programs developed solely by departments or as inter-school activities continue. The pilot-program of the System Design and Management (SDM) Program was run this year with 11 students. A full class of 30-40 students is expected in January 1997. Also, the Nuclear Engineering Department will launch its Masters of Engineering (M. Eng.) Program this fall. Master of Engineering Programs have already been established in three departments (Aeronautics and Astronautics, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Ocean Engineering). Civil and Environmental Engineering expects over 30 students in fall 1996.
During the Academic Year 1996, the School of Engineering appointed 12 new faculty, all funded totally from Institute general and fund accounts. Even so, the fraction of faculty salaries funded on research contracts and grants continues to be a concern. After the retirement program is fully implemented, the average fraction of academic year salaries of the school funded by research will be considerably below 10 percent, but this burden will be unevenly distributed among departments and faculty.
The School is continuing to make efforts to interface both our research and educational programs better with needs of industry. We are working through individual meetings and focussed mini-conferences to establish dialog with industry sectors. Similar international interactions already have been successful. In 1996, a major new research and educational initiative has started with Thailand and will involve projects in four to five departments, as well as endowment support. Also, discussions with Malaysia are reaching a critical point where a proposal will be considered.
Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching was presented to Professor Alan V. Oppenheim of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. This year a newly established Jr. Bose Award was presented to Assistant Professor Gregory W. Wornell of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The Bose Awards are funded with gifts from the Bose Foundation in recognition of outstanding contributions to undergraduate education.
Ruth and Joel Spira Awards for Teaching Excellence were presented this year to Professor Steven B. Leeb of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Professor Jung-Hoon Chun of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Professor Sidney Yip of the Department of Nuclear Engineering. The Spira awards were established with a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Joel Spira to honor outstanding teachers in the three departments listed above.
Henry Ford II Scholar Award - This award is presented to the senior in the School of Engineering who has attained the highest academic record at the end of the third year and who has exceptional potential for leadership in the profession of engineering and in society. The recipient this year was Mr. Mehul A. Shad, '96 of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship - This scholarship is awarded on the basis of merit to students who are sophomores or juniors and who have excellent academic records and have demonstrated an interest in and potential for careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and those engineering disciplines that contribute significantly to the technological advances of the United States. This year we had two winners from the School of Engineering: Timothy A. Chklovski, a sophomore in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Youssef M. Marzouk, a junior in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Reinhold Rudenberg Memorial Fund - This prize is awarded to students based on their senior theses in the area of energy conversion.
Three awards were made this year to Ryan J. Bryla, a student in the Energy Laboratory, for his thesis titled "The Use of Laser Induced Fluorescence for Measurement of Engine Oil Film Thickness," Tiffany K. Buffaloe, a student in the Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems, for her thesis titled "Fluorescent Lamp Optical Communication Scheme," and Peter W. Kassakian, a first year graduate student in Mechanical Engineering, for his thesis titled "Design and Testing of a Mechanical Arm for Use with Polymer Gel Muscles."
Undergraduate Enrollment
|
Graduate
Enrollment
|
||||||
| %
|
%
|
%
| |||||
| Oct.
|
Change
|
Change
|
Change
|
Oct.
|
Change
|
Change
| |
| '95
|
'94-'95
|
'94-'95
|
'93-'94
|
'95
|
'94-'95
|
'94-'95
| |
| Aero
& Astro
|
95
|
-11
|
-10
|
-23
|
185
|
-13
|
-7
|
| Chemical
|
324
|
9
|
2
|
4
|
225
|
-5
|
-2
|
| CEE
|
114
|
-6
|
-5
|
-6
|
295
|
4
|
1
|
| EECS
|
942
|
17
|
2
|
-5
|
805
|
-17
|
-2
|
| Materials
|
116
|
-4
|
-6
|
176
|
2
|
1
| |
| Mechanical
|
415
|
-49
|
-10
|
1
|
417
|
12
|
3
|
| Nuclear
|
18
|
-7
|
-28
|
-24
|
119
|
-8
|
-6
|
| Ocean
|
12
|
1
|
9
|
-22
|
146
|
-16
|
-10
|
| Totals
|
2036
|
-5
|
-2
|
-4
|
2368
|
-41
|
-2
|
During the past year, faculty positions were offered to 31 individuals, including eight women and 2 African Americans, one of whom is a woman. One of the eight women has accepted the offer and joined the faculty last September. Two of the offers to women are still pending the candidate's decision. One of the two African Americans, Professor Wesley Harris, accepted. The other (the woman) declined.
The School is in its fifth year as a participant in the GE Fund's Faculty for the Future Program. The goal of the program is to increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities on engineering faculties throughout the United States. Grant funds are used to encourage women and minorities at each stage of the pipeline and provides support for undergraduate research, graduate fellowships, forgivable loans to Ph.D. candidates interested in teaching careers and start-up funds for Ph.D. recipients seeking faculty positions at MIT and elsewhere.
The special retirement incentive offered to MIT faculty and staff in 1995-96 resulted in 37 faculty retirements in the School of Engineering, at least five of whom will not be replaced thus reducing the School's authorized faculty headcount.
The School continues to make hardening faculty salaries a priority. The percentage of faculty salaries currently recovered from research stands at approximately 10%.
In January 1996 Professor Robert A. Brown formerly head of the Department of Chemical Engineering was named Dean of Engineering. Professor John VanderSande, who served as acting dean from June until mid-January when Professor Brown was named Dean, resumed his responsibilities as Associate Dean of Engineering. In June, Professor Robert C. Armstrong was named head of Chemical Engineering, succeeding Dean Brown in that post. Professor David Hardt, Acting co-director of the Leaders for Manufacturing Program was named co-director. Professor Rafael Reif, director of the Microsystems Technology Laboratory, was appointed to Engineering Council
In 1995-96, EIP placed thirty sophomores with member companies, up from 17 sophomores in 1995. The total number of interns placed were 54. One new company joined the EIP.
The Engineering Internship program is currently under review by both member companies and faculty to redefine its mission and goals. One goal will be to increase the number of students placed in internship assignments that meet both educational and corporate objectives. We will also examine options for a centralized internship program, and for an international internship program.
During the summer of 1995, 49 high school juniors completed the 6 week residential program. Of the 49 students who attended MITES, 34 applied to MIT. Of the 29 admitted, we will enroll 18. That number represents 62% of the admitted students - which is the highest enrolling percentage since the same percent enrolled in 1986.
During the summer of 1996, 45 talented high school juniors will complete the 6 week residential program. MITES applications increased from 211 in 1995 to 586 in 1996, representing close to a three-fold increase. Five new corporate sponsors supported the MITES Program.
In February 1996 Hugh Robinson, '59, chairman of Tetra Group, hosted a reception at the Dallas African American Museum in honor of MIT's Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science Program. The event was attended by more than 40 MIT alumni and friends. Among the guests was Engineering Dean Robert Brown.
We will continue to develop plans for new initiatives, such as MITE2S (Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science) and mini-MITES (a local after-school outreach program).
Robert A. Brown
MIT Reports to the President 1995-96