Dean's Corner
October 2009
Dear Friends,
It has been a little more than a year since my wife Pat and I relocated to Irvine, and it has certainly been an adventure! It seems like just yesterday we arrived - we simply have had little time to look back. Before I embark on a summary of the past 12 months, it is important that I express my gratitude to all of you who have welcomed me and Pat, helped us in our transition, and exhibited extraordinary patience as we navigated new waters in sometimes unchartered directions. All said and done, this challenging ride has ultimately been good for The Henry Samueli School of Engineering.
To be among the very best schools, to attract the very best students, and to provide the best education immersed in frontier research, we must not only grow, but also maintain our foundation by hiring the best young minds to join our faculty. Despite the difficult financial constraints and recent campus hiring freeze, our School was successful in hiring five of the best new professors the country has to offer.
Steven C. George, M.D., Ph.D., formally The William J. Link Chair and Professor of BME, was appointed the founding director of The Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology in July 2009 - one of our top biomedical engineering initiatives. The Edwards Lifesciences Center is housed in the brand new Engineering Hall building, which opened for occupancy in June, and is a multidisciplinary center that focuses on heart and vascular diseases and advanced cardiovascular device technology, with strong collaboration among students, faculty, and experts in the cardiovascular field.
We are focused on attracting the best and the brightest students, and this admission cycle was very successful. This fall, we anticipate nearly 700 first-year and transfer students, a large class and one of the best ever, and more than 250 new graduate students. These students are drawn to a school “on the move,” with increasing national and international recognition. U.S. News and World Report ranks The Henry Samueli School of Engineering 35th in the annual rankings of the nation's public and private graduate programs, tying our School with Duke University for graduate studies, up two positions from last year. At the undergraduate level, the School went from 51st to 45th in national rankings. Although these are all impressive numbers, we can, and will, do better.
One of the real pleasures of this past year has been to meet and engage the members of the community who so generously offer their support to the School. I have been extraordinarily impressed with the accessibility of these individuals, their kindness, and the honest desire to make the School the very best. In summary, they know that a great community and a great Orange County - as a place to live and do business - are dependent on a great university. Furthermore, they know that science and engineering are at the heart of the development, wealth and growth of the nation, the state of California, and Orange County. We are willing partners and will work to make UC Irvine the center of innovation, ideas, and creation of wealth and prosperity in Southern California.
However, the most significant initiative of the 2008-09 academic year was the beginning of a School-wide strategic planning exercise. I cannot think of anything more important, particularly as we face the financial challenges of today. Wonderful new ideas have emerged. Enthusiasm about the future is palpable, even as we struggle with the financial vagaries of the future.
I am pleased to share the School’s new mission statement with you:
Our mission is to educate students, at all levels, to be the best engineers and leaders in the nation and world by engaging them in a stimulating community dedicated to the discovery of knowledge, creation of new technologies, and service to society.
The emphasis is on education, in the broadest sense.
This coming year will be a challenging one. We will need to do more with less and propel the School forward against all odds. There will be challenges and necessary adjustments, but I am confident that faculty and staff will work hard to successfully implement changes.
I look forward to a new year working with this very stimulating community. Thank you again for the opportunity.
Sincerely,
Rafael L. Bras, Sc.D.
Distinguished Professor and Dean
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering
Dear Friends,
It has been a little more than a year since my wife Pat and I relocated to Irvine, and it has certainly been an adventure! It seems like just yesterday we arrived - we simply have had little time to look back. Before I embark on a summary of the past 12 months, it is important that I express my gratitude to all of you who have welcomed me and Pat, helped us in our transition, and exhibited extraordinary patience as we navigated new waters in sometimes unchartered directions. All said and done, this challenging ride has ultimately been good for The Henry Samueli School of Engineering.To be among the very best schools, to attract the very best students, and to provide the best education immersed in frontier research, we must not only grow, but also maintain our foundation by hiring the best young minds to join our faculty. Despite the difficult financial constraints and recent campus hiring freeze, our School was successful in hiring five of the best new professors the country has to offer.
- Michelle Khine is a graduate of UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley, and joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering in July.
- Hung Nguyen joined the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science in July, as well. He has a Ph.D. degree from North Carolina State University in chemical and biomolecular engineering
- Jasper Vrugt comes to UC Irvine from Los Alamos National Laboratories, and starts at the beginning of 2010. He is a graduate from the University of Amsterdam, and is the first hire at UC Irvine for the new Environmental Institute initiative. He will join the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
- Animashree Anandkumar is finishing a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT. A graduate from Cornell University, she will join the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in July 2010.
- Wendy Liu is also completing a postdoctoral program at MIT, and will join the Department of Biomedical Engineering in July 2010. Liu is a Johns Hopkins graduate.
Steven C. George, M.D., Ph.D., formally The William J. Link Chair and Professor of BME, was appointed the founding director of The Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology in July 2009 - one of our top biomedical engineering initiatives. The Edwards Lifesciences Center is housed in the brand new Engineering Hall building, which opened for occupancy in June, and is a multidisciplinary center that focuses on heart and vascular diseases and advanced cardiovascular device technology, with strong collaboration among students, faculty, and experts in the cardiovascular field.
We are focused on attracting the best and the brightest students, and this admission cycle was very successful. This fall, we anticipate nearly 700 first-year and transfer students, a large class and one of the best ever, and more than 250 new graduate students. These students are drawn to a school “on the move,” with increasing national and international recognition. U.S. News and World Report ranks The Henry Samueli School of Engineering 35th in the annual rankings of the nation's public and private graduate programs, tying our School with Duke University for graduate studies, up two positions from last year. At the undergraduate level, the School went from 51st to 45th in national rankings. Although these are all impressive numbers, we can, and will, do better.
One of the real pleasures of this past year has been to meet and engage the members of the community who so generously offer their support to the School. I have been extraordinarily impressed with the accessibility of these individuals, their kindness, and the honest desire to make the School the very best. In summary, they know that a great community and a great Orange County - as a place to live and do business - are dependent on a great university. Furthermore, they know that science and engineering are at the heart of the development, wealth and growth of the nation, the state of California, and Orange County. We are willing partners and will work to make UC Irvine the center of innovation, ideas, and creation of wealth and prosperity in Southern California.
However, the most significant initiative of the 2008-09 academic year was the beginning of a School-wide strategic planning exercise. I cannot think of anything more important, particularly as we face the financial challenges of today. Wonderful new ideas have emerged. Enthusiasm about the future is palpable, even as we struggle with the financial vagaries of the future.
I am pleased to share the School’s new mission statement with you:
Our mission is to educate students, at all levels, to be the best engineers and leaders in the nation and world by engaging them in a stimulating community dedicated to the discovery of knowledge, creation of new technologies, and service to society.
The emphasis is on education, in the broadest sense.
This coming year will be a challenging one. We will need to do more with less and propel the School forward against all odds. There will be challenges and necessary adjustments, but I am confident that faculty and staff will work hard to successfully implement changes.
I look forward to a new year working with this very stimulating community. Thank you again for the opportunity.
Sincerely,
Rafael L. Bras, Sc.D.
Distinguished Professor and Dean
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering
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