Two honors for Professor Stengel Robert Stengel *65 *66 *68, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, received the 2002 John R. Ragazzini Education Award, which is given for outstanding contributions to control education. The award is given by the American Automatic Control Council, an association of the control systems divisions of eight member societies: the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; the American Institute of Chemical Engineers; the American Society of Civil Engineers; the American Society of Mechanical Engineers; the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers; the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society; and the Society for Computer Simulation. In evaluating a nominee for the Ragazzini Award, the committee seeks evidence beyond what is provided in the nomination, such as searching the citation index, or considering the leadership positions assumed by graduate students, or evaluating key research results of former graduate students. Education is viewed as a process that extends beyond the classroom or the advising functions of a particular faculty member. Sloan grant In addition, Professor Stengel received a one-year grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support his research project titled “Optimal Control of Disease Processes.” The goal of Professor Stengel’s research is to develop a model of therapeutic protocols that maximize the efficacy of treatment while minimizing the harmful side effects of treatment. For this research, Professor Stengel’s research group is mathematically analyzing the disease processes of AIDS and Hepatitis C. The researchers will combine all the information known without error about immune system dynamics, and the nature of pathogenic attack, and the efficacy of drugs, and apply it to a simple model of the immune system in order to calculate the optimal treatment protocol. The Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit institution established in 1934. The foundation specializes in science and technology, standard of living, economic performance, scientific education, and various other national issues. Sahai named Sloan Fellow Amit Sahai, assistant professor of computer science, has been named a Sloan Foundation research fellow and will receive $40,000 in funding over two years. He is among 104 recipients of the annual awards, which are given in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, neuroscience, computer science and economics. Professor Sahai is conducting theoretical research in the field of cryptography, which is used to protect the privacy of electronic communications. He is particularly interested in the effects of using many cryptographic techniques in the same system. He said that interference between different cryptographic schemes can open windows for intrusion, and his research is aimed at fixing such problems. Director’s Awards recognize connection between research and teaching Professor of Electrical Engineering H. Vincent Poor *77 is one of six University faculty members to receive this year’s National Science Foundation (NSF) Director’s Awards for Distinguished Teaching Scholars (DTS) for imaginative teaching applications in areas such as multimedia visualization, on-line resources for the study of fractal geometry, and spectroscopy and photochemistry to teach chemistry. Professor Poor was recognized for his outstanding contributions to research and for using his knowledge to contribute to the enhanced education of undergraduates. He will receive $300,000 over four years to continue and expand his work beyond Princeton University. The DTS awards were established last year by NSF Director Rita Colwell. The awards are part of NSF’s efforts to promote an interest among academics for both disciplinary scholarship and the education of undergraduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education—including students not majoring in those fields. [ contents ]   [ previous story ]  [ next story ]   [ top of page ]