Dean Cherry Murray
John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Professor of Physics
Academic Year 2009-2010 

Arrival of Dean Cherry A. Murray

In July 2009, Cherry A. Murray began her tenure as dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Before coming to Harvard, Dean Murray served as the principal associate director for science and technology at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which specializes in research and development of national-security science and technology. From 1978 until 2004, she worked at various positions in Bell Laboratories at AT&T and Lucent Technologies, where she was hired originally as a staff scientist and eventually ended her service as senior vice president for physical sciences and wireless research.

Dean Murray’s research focuses on experimental soft condensed matter physics. She is also well known for her scientific accomplishments using light scattering, and for management of high technology research and development.

Murray replaced interim dean Frans Spaepen, Franklin professor of applied physics, who led SEAS since Venkatesh Narayanamurti stepped down in September 2009, after 10 years of service that included overseeing its transition from a division to a full-fledged school.

Murray holds a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in physics from MIT.   She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is also the past president of the American Physical Society.

Strategic Planning

Dean Murray launched a yearlong strategic planning process in AY2009-2010, engaging all SEAS faculty and many outside of SEAS, with a goal of developing a ten-year vision for the school and identifying critical short-term needs.  Discipline-specific task forces were asked to focus on the undergraduate curriculum, both to provide analysis of its strengths and weaknesses, and to develop a ten-year hiring plan to attain critical mass for teaching and research. Two faculty retreats were held to read out the results of this planning effort, on Jan 22 and on May 21, 2010.  Clear short-term priorities were identified for faculty hiring, the creation of new concentrations, and enhancements to the curriculum.  As of July 1, 2010: SEAS is now organized, academically, around key teaching and learning areas: Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Applied Physics, Bioengineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering.

Major Events at SEAS

• Kit Parker talk, Lessons from Afghanistan (November 2009)
  Bioengineering professor Kit Parker shared his “ground-truth” experiences from the front lines with a packed audience of staff, faculty, students, and uniformed ROTC trainees. Parker, a U.S. Army major who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, said that fostering long-term friendships, not creating novel weapons or unleashing mighty military force, will ultimately stabilize the Middle East.
• Chef Jose Andres’ visit to SEAS (February 2010)
  Famed chef Jose Andres’, who is involved in the new, Fall 2010 General Education science course, “Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to the Science of Soft Matter,” visited labs, gave a guest talk on innovation and cooking to undergraduates, and interacted with students and faculty---all with a crew from 60 Minutes in tow.
• The TECH I^3 Innovation Challenge (April 2010)
  Winners of the Harvard College Innovation Challenge (I3), organized by the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard (TECH), Harvard Student Agencies and the Harvard College Entrepreneurship Forum, were announced in April. 108 Harvard students, representing 27 different concentrations and all 12 Harvard houses, participated in the annual competition that showcases and rewards innovative student ventures (both commercial and social startups).
• Industry Partnerships Workshop on Nanophotonics (May 2010)
  The annual meeting brought together research leaders with members of industry to collaborate on the rich field of nanophotonics. Possible applications range from next generation chip technology to novel solar panels to enhanced chemical sensing to greener and cleaner forms of energy.
• NETworks SEAS alumni event (May 2010)
  The popular Networks reception series was re-launched at SEAS on May 19^th. The original series, which ran from 2000–2004 brought together alumni from different Harvard schools who worked in technology fields. The latest incarnation invites SEAS alumni from all fields and professions to reconnect with their former classmates, friends, and professors. In addition to catching up and networking, attendees were treated to a talk by Stuart Shieber, James O. Welch, Jr. and Virginia B. Welch Professor of Computer Science. Shieber, one of the thought leaders in the open source publishing movement, gave an interactive and engaging overview of the often counterintuitive economics of journal publishing, entitled, "Apples at $25 a Pound: a Scholarly Enigma."

Curriculum

Biomedical Engineering Concentration

At the March 2, 2010 meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), the faculty voted unanimously to approve a new, dedicated undergraduate concentration in Biomedical Engineering. The new concentration will be offered starting in the fall of 2010. The program will be separate from, yet complement, the subject-specific tracks in the broader, existing Engineering Sciences concentration. Focused on biology, chemistry, and engineering, the Biomedical Engineering concentration will cater in particular to premedical students and will serve as a template for other future interdisciplinary programs.

ABET Review

The Engineering Science S.B. program underwent a general review by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in September 2010.  

The review committee affirmed the excellent reputation of the SEAS faculty and applauded the generous financial support the program receives. In response to the committee’s recommendations, SEAS is implementing “design-across-the-curriculum,” new design experiences in a broad range of engineering courses. This will expand the number of available courses offering substantial design exercises. The enhancements will supplement the current junior-year and senior-year design courses, ES 96 and ES 100. In addition, the program requirements have been modified to ensure coverage of key topics across the full range of engineering and applied sciences.

Also, SEAS Education Advisory Committee will be formed with a formal charge. Beginning in the 2010-2011 academic year, Dean Murray will convene this advisory board of alumni, representatives from higher education, and from industry to provide ongoing feedback and assessments of the program.

New Courses, Enhanced Courses, and Courses in Development

ES 96, Engineering Design

Barry Griffin ’72, owner of Griffin Associates, a successful mechanical engineering consulting firm, participated in the course along with faculty members Robert Howe and Woody Yang. The students in ES 96 examined complex issues related to the renovation of the Harvard River Houses, such as the original motivations and objectives for Harvard to establish a residential house system as opposed to simple dormitories; a detailed computer model of the energy consumption of Winthrop house; a comparison and feasibility study of various technologies for providing thermal comfort and good indoor air quality; and an examination of various techniques for enabling and encouraging student residents to reduce their energy consumption and resulting greenhouse gas emissions. Griffin’s practical insight brought an additional dimension to the classroom experience.

“Science and Cooking” Gen Ed Course

A collaboration with the Foundation Alícia (Alimentació i Ciència), headed by internationally acclaimed chef Ferran Adrià of El Bulli fame, has led to the creation of a new undergraduate course on science and cooking. Debuting in the fall of 2010, “Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to the Science of Soft Matter,” will be part of the new program in General Education at Harvard College. The course will bring together eminent Harvard researchers and world-class chefs, including Wylie Dufresne of wd-50 and Dan Barber of Blue Hill, as well as food scholar and writer Harold McGee, one of the leading authorities on kitchen science.

New and Enhanced Programs for Students

Evolution of the Sophomore Forum

The Sophomore Forum, designed to build community among engineering concentrators, featured talks from industry professionals, including three SEAS alumni.

• February 1, Marie Dahleh
• February 4, Special event, Raj Bhattacharyya, Deutsche Bank
• February 8, Frans Spaepen, Professor of Applied Physics
• February 22, Gu-Yeon Wei, Professor of Electrical Engineering
• March 1, Michael Vance, Technical Director, Activision
• March 8, David Black, Senior Project Manager, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin
• March 29, Stephanie Kladakis ’96, NMT Medical
• April 5, Sam Yagan ’99, OK Cupid
• April 12, Round table with Professors Rob Howe, Greg Morrisett, Scot Martin, Joost Vlassek, David Mooney
• April 19, Kim Smith, VP, Construction and O&M Services, Acciona Energy North America Corporation

Fairs (to highlight student projects and research)

• CS50 Fair (December 2009)
  More than 300 computer applications and websites that would delight both super-geeks and casual computer users were showcased in the second CS50 Fair. The event attracted over 1,000 members of the Harvard community.
• AM50 Fair (May 2010)
  The AM 50 Fair highlighted cumulative projects created by members of the class and was open to the entire SEAS community.
• Bioengineering Fair (April 2010)
  Orchestrated by new faculty member Neel Joshi, the Bioengineering Fair was an opportunity for students to present their latest research and win prizes for their efforts. 

Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories

Anas Chalah, Director of Institutional Technology, searches out everything from trashcans to cutting-edge laser devices to build creative, hands-on experiments for undergraduates in SEAS.

Located in the ground floor of Pierce Hall, the undergraduate teaching labs at SEAS host a wide range of experiments that give students the chance to work with rapid prototyping and tissue engineering. These tools help students take concept to reality, as in the case of Jason Miller ’09, who designed components of a robotic arm and then used a 3D-printer to model them in plastic.

Over the past four years the undergraduate teaching program has grown from basic instructional labs to modern hands-on teaching labs representing the following five disciplines: Mechanical, Electrical, Biological, Environmental engineering and Computer Science. In AY2009-2010, new teaching labs were created in each of these disciplines, covering topics from fluid mechanics to environmental engineering.

Innovation & Translation

• Launched in November of 2009, The Lab at Harvard is a new forum and platform for idea experimentation in the arts and sciences at Harvard University, directed by David A. Edwards, Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice in Biomedical Engineering (SEAS) and a core member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. A three-year experiment, The Lab works to break down boundaries between the arts and sciences to accelerate learning. The Lab catalyzes the development of Harvard student and faculty ideas through work-in-progress exhibits, monthly Idea Nights, and annual experiments between leading international artists and Harvard University scientists.
• Recent student-based innovations include …
  • The sOccket is a soccer ball that captures the energy during game play to charge LEDs and batteries. After playing with the ball, the child can return home and use the ball to connect a LED lamp to read, study, or illuminate the home. The ball uses an inductive coil mechanism to generate energy. Created by a team of Harvard undergraduate students (all non-engineers). More info: http://www.soccket.com/
  • VertiGrow aims to improve the health and agency of people in slums and crowded urban areas around the world, while cultivating community empowerment and entrepreneurship.  It addresses two global problems: rapid urbanization and malnutrition. The vertical farming device allows families to grow their own nutritious food on the sides of their homes, walls, or roofs, and is designed to conserve water, reinforce unstable house structures, and maximize growing space. More info: http://www.vertigrow.org/
  • Rover is a platform for connecting students with each other, their school and their community. Rover puts students in touch with what is happening on the campus microenvironment through local deals, events, news and transportation. Rover was the winner in the ATT&T Network challenge and made the cover of the Wall Street Journal. For more info: http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/rover/