February 2009

Welcome to seasnews@columbia.edu, the monthly electronic newsletter for alumni, parents, and friends of Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. We hope you enjoy the digest of news, research and information about the School that is contained below and we invite you to The faculty and administrators at Columbia's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science wish you all the best for the New Year. We hope you enjoy the digest of news, research and information about the School that is contained below and we invite you to send us your comments. send us your comments.

THE INAUGURATION FROM LOW STEPS

Several thousand alumni, students, administrators and community members gathered on the steps of Low Library to watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the first Columbia graduate to be elected president of the United States. "Every now and then in life, you get the opportunity to be part of something you can be certain will be remembered for ages to come," Columbia's president, Lee C. Bollinger, said to the crowd. Read the story and watch the video.

FEATURED VIDEO

Using computer graphics and an augmented reality interface, graduate student Sean White develops tools for botanists from the Smithsonian Institution and other universities to rapidly identify plant species in the field. See how it works.

NEWS

Chen Receives Presidential Award
Associate Professor Xi Chen of the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics was honored at special White House ceremonies as a recipient of the highest honor that any young scientist or engineer can receive in the United States, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Read more.

New Global Initiatives Post Created
As part of SEAS's long-range plan to become a global engineering school, the School has taken a first step by hiring Régine Lambrech to the newly created position of director of global initiatives and education. Lambrech, who holds a PhD in French literature, was head of international relations at Ecole Centrale de Lyon, a French engineering university, for more than 15 years before returning to the U.S. to take a position as director of international education at Quinnipiac University. Read more.

Elmer Gaden Receives Russ Prize
Former SEAS professor and alumnus Elmer L. Gaden '44,'47,'49 has been named the 2009 winner of the Russ Prize for his development of technology that made possible the mass production of antibiotics. Read more.

RESEARCH

Predicting Black Swan Events
Jose Blanchet, assistant professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER grant that will support research to provide new tools for risk assessment. "Events such as environmental or natural disasters, major market crashes, pension and insurance breakdowns and terrorist attacks are rare but consequential events," says Blanchet. "I hope to develop new and efficient computational tools for risk assessment of rare events that exhibit features such as heavy-tails, complex dependence and incorporation of combinatorial objects." Read more.

How Ice and Snow Affect Climate Change
V. Faye McNeill, assistant professor of chemical engineering, has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER award to research a deeper understanding of the influence of ice and snow on atmospheric composition and climate. "Ice in the environment, in the form of ice particles in clouds, or sea ice and snow at the Earth's surface, has a profound influence on atmospheric composition and climate," says McNeill. Read more.

ALUMNI EVENTS IN CALIFORNIA

SEAS alumni, parents and members of the incoming Class of 2013 will be welcomed by the School at receptions in San Francisco and Beverly Hills on Feb. 7 and 8. Interim Dean Gerald Navratil will speak about plans for the School and Professor Patricia Culligan of the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics will talk about urban sustainability. Read more and RSVP.

ALUMNI EVENTS IN NEW YORK

Panel: Financial Engineering. . . What Is the Future?
Nobel Laureate Robert Merton '66 joins Armen Avanessians '83MS, Goldman Sachs partner and managing director, and Emanuel Derman '73 PhD GSAS, director of the SEAS Financial Engineering Program and former Goldman Sachs managing director, in discussing the future of financial engineering. Sanjay Verma '90, managing director at Morgan Stanley, will be the panel moderator. The discussion will be on Fri., Feb. 20 from 6 - 7:30 p.m. in the C.P. Davis Auditorium in the Schapiro Center for Engineering and Physical Science Research on the Morningside Campus. Seating is limited. RSVP now.

Dance Party for Young Alumni and the Class of 2009
Interim Dean Gerald Navratil is hosting a party for the graduating class on Thurs., Feb. 26 from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Touch, 240 West 52nd Street. Young alumni are invited to join with him in celebrating the Class of 2009. Admission is free. Watch for more details in upcoming e-mail announcements.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Join ARC!
The Alumni Representative Committee is still looking for SEAS alumni to volunteer to be part of its network of 5,000 loyal Columbians worldwide who support the outreach and recruitment efforts of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by interviewing applicants, representing Columbia at local college fairs, and hosting regional programs for admitted students. Young alumni and international alumni are especially needed. For more information or to volunteer, visit The Office of Undergraduate Admissions Website.

Invitation to Special Anniversary Classes
If you are in the Class of 1959, 1984, 1999, 2004, or 2008, you are invited to carry your class banner and march in the annual Parade of Classes at Engineering Class Day on the morning of Mon., May 18. The Class of 2009 and the School would like to welcome you back to campus to help celebrate this special occasion. A breakfast reception for alumni will precede the ceremony. To RSVP or find out further details, contact Scott Kelly at 212-854-4472 or by e-mail at stk2110@columbia.edu.

CAREER CONNECTIONS

TELE-SEMINAR SERIES (access by phone)
Recession-Proof Your Job
Thursday, Feb. 19, 1-2 p.m. (ET)
Speaker: Caroline Ceniza-Levine, Career Coach
The current economy has many professionals nervous about the stability of their current jobs and employers, but there are steps you can take to secure your skills. Join this tele-seminar to learn how to look for changes that often precede layoffs, manage your current job to mitigate your chances of being laid off, stay open to outside opportunities without actually looking, and prepare for a layoff just in case something should happen. Sign up.

How to Effectively Handle a Job Layoff
Wednesday, Feb. 25, 12-1 p.m. (ET)
Speaker: Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio, Career Coach
Losing your job due to the current economic conditions can be overwhelming, frightening, frustrating, and a long list of other adjectives. What do you do? Where do you begin? In this tele-seminar, learn how it is possible to "control what you can control" when you are being laid off. What should you do after you've been told and how do you tell others? How do you navigate the termination meeting, negotiate cash and non-cash items, organize your current finances, and stay positive and start looking for a new opportunity? Actionable next steps will be discussed. Sign up.

WORKSHOPS ON CAMPUS
Utilizing Career Tools to Facilitate Career Change
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 6-9 p.m.
Center for Career Education, East Campus, Lower Level Conference Room
If you feel it may be time for a career change but you are not sure what you would do, this workshop should help. You will have a chance to assess your values, skills, interests, talents, and personality traits through helpful discussions, exercises, and career tools and consider how results apply to the working world. Alumni will leave with a clearer sense of their career options. Participants must register at least three days prior to the workshop and will receive a packet of career assessments and exercises to complete by Feb. 16. Fee is $55 for food, drinks, and materials. Cancellations must be made by 9am on Mon., Feb. 16 to receive a refund. Sign up.

New Strategies for Managing the "Fit" Between Your Career, Work and Family
Wednesday, Feb. 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Center for Career Education, East Campus, Lower Level Conference Room
Join CCE for an evening with author and work+life flexibility expert Cali Williams Yost ‘95BUS who will focus on the topic of how parents can actively manage the "fit" between their work and family day-to-day and throughout their careers. Following the presentation, there will be time to connect with other Columbia University parents. Sign up.

Join COLUMBIA CAREER CONNECTIONS, Columbia University's online career network. Create a profile.

REUNION 2009 IS JUNE 4 - 7

Celebrating Years Ending in '4 or '9 and All Golden Lions
Reunion activities are being planned for all SEAS and College alumni whose graduation years end in '4 or '9 and for all SEAS Golden Lions--alums who have celebrated the 50th anniversary of graduation from Columbia. All SEAS alumni are invited to join in academic and social events scheduled for Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6. Golden Lions will be guests of the School for the Saturday Dean's Day Luncheon and will have programming options especially for them. Individual classes with graduation years ending in ‘4 or ‘9 are planning special events.

Bob Bakish '85, '89BUS, president of MTV Networks International, will deliver the Magill Lecture in Science, Technology and the Arts on Sat., June 6.

To volunteer for your class committee, contact Elizabeth Sparkman by e-mail at es2867@columbia.edu.

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We want to hear from you. Please send your comments or questions to: Margaret Kelly, Associate Director of Communications, at mk321@columbia.edu.