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SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING & APPLIED SCIENCE
Princeton Engineering News
 December 2006
Photo of H. Vincent Poor When I am asked to characterize the research we do here at Princeton Engineering, I focus on two things: fundamentals and societal impact. On the one hand, our work grows out of Princeton's rich tradition of basic mathematics and physical sciences. We investigate and discover fundamental principles that underlie many forms of technology. On the other hand, we are closely connected to the humanities and social sciences at Princeton and to industry. This is a very powerful combination, which allows us to address critical societal challenges at their root level. I believe this ability to build bridges between fundamentals and societal relevance is a major reason why Princeton was recently ranked third among all U.S. universities for "patent power" by IEEE Spectrum magazine (see story below). I am very proud of the role that Princeton Engineering has played in the societal impact that is signified by this recognition.

I wish you all the best for the holidays and the New Year.

-- H. Vincent Poor *77
Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Michael Henry Strater University Professor of Electrical Engineering

Princeton team is top finisher in ‘genetic machines’ competition

A Princeton-led team of students who are programming stem cells to treat diabetes ranked third in the world in a recent competition to build working “genetic machines” out of DNA building blocks.

Team Princeton placed first among all 19 U.S. participants and third among all 33 teams internationally at the third annual Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) Jamboree, held on Nov. 4 and 5 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The team also won second place honors in the “Best Real World Application” category.

Full story		 iGEM photo

Princeton’s patent value ranked third among universities

IEEE Spectrum ranked Princeton third among universities in its assessment of “the world’s most valuable patent portfolios.” The ranking was published in the magazine’s November issue.

“This reflects the strength of patents in the Engineering School and the greater University,” said John Ritter, director of the Office of Technology Licensing and Intellectual Property at Princeton.

Full story

Seeing culture through technology and technology through culture

“Technology in Art and Cultural Heritage,” a freshman seminar taught by Szymon Rusinkiewicz, assistant professor of computer science, is no simple course in digital art. It explores how developments in science, technology and mathematics not only influence artistic styles but also shape our cultural heritage.

In a recent session, a critique of student projects was followed by a lecture on the physics of light, an art history lesson and a mini-tutorial on Rusinkiewicz’s own cutting-edge digital imaging research.

Full story		 Szymon-Jing hallway photo

Job Fair ’06 catalyzes career matchmaking

The 2006 Science and Technology Job Fair on Oct. 13 brought to campus a number of new and long-time exhibitors in industries including aerospace engineering, financial services and pharmaceutical development.

“The fair is a great opportunity for companies and students to get to know each other,” said Peter Bogucki, associate dean for undergraduate affairs. “But of course students have opportunities throughout the year as companies continue to visit campus to recruit or do ‘virtual’ recruiting through their websites.”

Full story		 Job fair photo

Society of Women Engineers hosts annual colloquium for high school girls

The Society of Women Engineers hosted about 60 high-school girls Nov. 18 for its always-popular annual colloquium on the Princeton campus. The students toured E-Quad labs, engaged in a Lego car competition, built spaghetti-and-gumdrop towers and heard from keynote speaker Suzanne Jeniches, vice president of Northrop Grumman.

Full story		 SWE photo

Leadership in action: Augustine shares insights from pioneering career

Great leaders help create other great leaders, Norman Augustine ’57 *59 told a Princeton audience Oct. 19 as he did just that, sharing his insights on leadership to inaugurate the engineering school’s “Leadership in a Technological World” lecture series.

Calling him a leader who embodies Princeton’s informal motto, “in the nation’s service and the service of all nations,” Dean of Engineering H. Vincent Poor said Augustine was the perfect choice to kick-off the new series, which is sponsored by the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education.

Full story

Go East, say entrepreneurs at panel on India

American entrepreneurs and venture capitalists should cast their eyes toward India, Princeton graduates Randolph Altschuler ’93 and Sumir Chadha ’93 said in a panel discussion Oct. 25.

The event, “Creating New Ventures in India: Experiences, Opportunities and Challenges,” was part of a Technology Entrepreneurship Series co-sponsored by Princeton’s Center for Innovation in Engineering Education and the Jumpstart New Jersey Angel Network. It was moderated by engineering professor Ed Zschau ’61, who teaches the University’s popular high-tech entrepreneurship course.

Full story

Photos by: Denise Applewhite, John Jameson and Frank Wojciechowski

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