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Equad News Fall 2019 Volume 31, Number 1 School of Engineering and Applied Science Princeton, NJ 08544-5263

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Equad News Fall 2019 Volume 31, Number 1 School of Engineering and Applied Science Princeton, NJ 08544-5263 EQuad News Fall 2019 Volume 31, Number 1 School of Engineering and Applied Science Princeton, NJ 08544-5263 www.princeton.edu/engineering [email protected] 4 EQuad News DEAN’S Fall 2019 NOTE Volume 31, Number 1 Interim Dean H. Vincent Poor *77 Vice Dean Shaping Cities for People and the Planet Antoine Kahn *78 Associate Dean, As Professor Elie Bou-Zeid eloquently explains on page 14 of this magazine, the Undergraduate Affairs way we build and reshape urban areas over the coming decades will determine a lot Peter Bogucki Associate Dean, about the long-term health of society and this planet. Development Jane Maggard No small task, but Princeton excels at this kind of grand challenge. The future of Associate Dean, Diversity and Inclusion cities is a complex mix of societal, technological, environmental, economic, and Julie Yun ethical questions, and Princeton is well equipped to knit creative, effective solutions. Director of Engineering Communications More generally, the Metropolis Project that Elie introduces is just one example of Steven Schultz the high-impact work and focus on societal benefit at the School of Engineering and Senior Editor Applied Science. We have tremendous momentum and growth in data science, John Sullivan Digital Media Editor bioengineering, and robotics and cyber- Aaron Nathans physical systems, as well as in advancing Writer the overall diversity and inclusion of Molly Sharlach Communications Specialist the school. Scott Lyon Science Communication Associate All this work brings together two distinctive Amelia Herb strengths of Princeton engineers: a culture Contributors Liz Fuller-Wright of fluidly integrating diverse viewpoints Adam Hadhazy and disciplines, and the ability to distill Bennett McIntosh Melissa Moss problems to their core constraints, then Molly Seltzer develop solutions with widespread impacts. Denise Valenti Additional Editing Karin Dienst I welcome your comments, questions, and Graphic Designer personal stories of engineering in the service Matilda Luk Web Designer of society. Neil Adelantar EQuad News is published twice a year by the Office of H. Vincent Poor *77 Engineering Communications Interim Dean in collaboration with the Princeton University Office of Michael Henry Strater University Communications. Professor of Electrical Engineering Note on alumni class years Following Princeton University convention, undergraduate alumni are indicated by an apostrophe and class year; graduate alumni, whether Photo by Sameer A. Khan/Fotobuddy master’s or doctoral, are indicated with a star and class year. EQuad News C-222, EQuad, Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544 T 609 258 4597 1 14 23 26 29 32 F 609 258 6744 News Cities Faculty Undergraduate Graduate Alumni [email protected] engineering.princeton.edu/ News News News News news/e-quad-news Copyright © 2019 by The Trustees of Princeton University In the Nation’s Service and the 250019 Service of Humanity Photo by David Kelly Crow Kelly David Photo by NEWS CARTER NAMED EXECUTIVE VICE CHANCELLOR AND PROVOST AT UCLA Emily A. Carter, dean of Princeton University’s Eisgruber, president of Princeton University. Emily Carter School of Engineering and Applied Science, “She is a distinguished leader and brilliant became the executive vice chancellor and scholar with heartfelt commitments to aca- provost of the University of California, Los demic excellence, diversity, and the environ- Angeles, on Sept. 1, 2019. ment. Though we will miss having Emily as H. Vincent Poor, the Michael Henry Strater our colleague at Princeton, we look forward University Professor of Electrical Engineer- to applauding her accomplishments as she ing who served as dean from 2006 to 2016, returns to UCLA.” is serving as interim dean as a search for At UCLA, where she was a faculty mem- Carter’s successor proceeds. ber for 16 years before joining the Princeton Carter, who was the founding director of faculty in 2004, Carter serves as the univer- the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Envi- sity’s second-ranking officer and as the chief ronment for six years before becoming dean of operating and academic officer. The position engineering in July 2016, championed an calls for “bringing broad vision and executive important set of initiatives, including planning leadership to campus-wide policy, planning, for a new campus neighborhood for engineer- initiatives, and operations.” ing; a new first-year curriculum; growth of “Working with so many dedicated and ex- research and teaching in data science, bio- traordinarily talented colleagues at Princeton, engineering, robotics, and the future of cities; as well as passionately supportive alumni, and multiple resources to strengthen has been an honor and privilege,” Carter said. diversity and inclusion across faculty, staff, “With their shared vision and momentum, the and students. School of Engineering and Applied Science will “Emily Carter has made extraordinary con- continue to grow in serving humanity through tributions to Princeton as a scientist, mentor, innovation and generations of amazing center director, and dean,” said Christopher L. students.” –Steven Schultz 1 GIFT FROM ERIC AND WENDY SCHMIDT TO CREATE 3 2 A NEW HOME FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE NEWS NEWS Historic Guyot Hall will be substantially rebuilt educate, train, convene, and support a broad will have 44 tenure-track computer science with proceeds from gifts made to Princeton by and expanded to create a new home for data science community at the University. faculty members in the fall semester of 2019. Cleveland H. Dodge 1879 and his mother to Princeton’s Department of Computer Science, Additionally, in 2009 the Schmidts established More than 36% of the department’s under- benefi t the University’s programs in geology thanks to a gift from Eric Schmidt ’76 and his the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative graduate majors are women, about double the and biology. wife, Wendy Schmidt. Planned for completion Technology Fund, an endowment which sup- national average. Renovations will preserve the original in 2026, the building will be renamed as the ports the invention, development, and utiliza- “Princeton recognizes that computational collegiate Gothic architectural details of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Hall and will consoli- tion of cutting-edge technology that has the thinking as a mode of scholarship, inquiry, and building’s exterior, and the Guyot name will date the computer science department — capacity to transform research in the natural critical thinking is essential across campus,” be recognized in a new built space located which is currently spread out over nine differ- sciences and engineering at Princeton. said Jennifer Rexford ’91, the Gordon S. elsewhere on campus which will be associ- ent buildings — into one purpose-built space. Eric Schmidt was formerly chief executive Wu Professor of Engineering and chair of ated with Princeton’s environmental science “Eric Schmidt’s brilliant career as a com- offi cer of Google from 2001 to 2011 and then Princeton’s computer science department. programs. The Schmidts’ gift will come to puter scientist makes the Schmidt name es- served as executive chairman of Alphabet Inc, “We are deeply grateful for Eric and Wendy Princeton from the Schwab Charitable Fund. pecially fi tting for the new home of Princeton’s Google’s parent company. He has also previ- Schmidt’s gift, which makes it possible to The renovation of Guyot Hall will increase world-class Department of Computer Science,” ously served as a trustee of the University. have a central location for computer science the square feet assigned to the computer sci- said President Christopher L. Eisgruber. “We Wendy Schmidt is a businesswoman and in which we can create intellectual collisions ence department and will also build in capac- are deeply grateful to Eric Schmidt ’76, his philanthropist. She is the president of The and serendipitous encounters between faculty ity for future growth of the department’s faculty wife, Wendy Schmidt, and Schmidt Futures Schmidt Family Foundation and co-founder of and among students, creating human connec- and student body. During renovation of Guyot, for their spectacular vision and generosity. Schmidt Ocean Institute. tions that spark new ideas across campus and the University will provide additional interim Their extraordinary commitments to this new Eric Schmidt noted that when he earned beyond.” space in the Friend Center for the depart- facility, to the Schmidt DataX Fund, and to the his undergraduate degree from Princeton in Guyot Hall was built in 1909, and was ment. Construction is planned to begin in early Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund have 1976, “I majored in electrical engineering, be- named for Princeton’s fi rst professor of 2024, with the computer science department powerfully enhanced Princeton’s capacity for cause computer science was barely an option. geology and geography, Arnold Guyot, a projected to move into the renovated building teaching, innovation, and collaboration that Now it’s the largest department at Princeton member of the faculty from 1854 to 1884. in mid-2026. open new frontiers of learning and improve and data science has the potential to trans- The building’s construction was supported the world.” form every discipline, and fi nd solutions to Earlier this year, the University announced profound societal problems. Wendy and I are Photo by David Kelly Crow the gift establishing the Schmidt DataX Fund, excited to think about what will be possible COMPUTER SCIENTIST KERNIGHAN *69 ELECTED TO
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