UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING | SPRING 2017 IPOD, IPHONE, NEST. TONY FADELL ON HOW TO DISRUPT. 24 HALDERMAN: WHITE HAT HACKER 40 ARE WE FIGHTING CANCER WRONG? 19 GO BLUE IN CUBA VISUAL ADVENTURES DANCING ON THE SIDE OF LURIE TOWER It was part athletic prowess, part ballet, part trapeze act 167 feet off the ground. Members of BANDALOOP performed – vertically – on the sides of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Tower. The performance was part of the 20th Anniversary celebration of a tower dedicated to the memory of Michigan alumnus Robert H. Lurie (BSE ’64, MSE ’66) from his wife, Ann, in 1996. It houses a 60-bell grand carillon, one of two grand carillons at the University of Michigan (the other is in Burton Tower on central campus). PHOTO: Evan Dougherty SPRING 2017 VOLUME XXXIV, NUMBER 1 PUBLISHER Alec D. Gallimore Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering Richard F. and Eleanor A. Towner Professor Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Aerospace Engineering EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dan Kim SENIOR DIRECTOR Jennifer Judge Hensel EDITOR Brad Whitehouse SENIOR CREATIVE DESIGN LEAD 24 | WHITE HAT HACKER Mathias-Philippe Badin Professor Alex J. Halderman hacks for good RANDOM ACCESS EDITOR Nicole Casal Moore FEATURE EDITOR Kate McAlpine DEPARTMENTS EDITOR Gabe Cherry CONTENT CREATORS AND CONTRIBUTORS Stephen Alvey, Charles Amyx, George Blichar, Alexandra Cabadas, Ben Collins, Robert Coelius, Evan Dougherty, Esther Eppele, Cara Gonzalez, Sandra Hines, Ben Logan, Tonya Marion, Randy Milgrom, Steve Nagle, Kelly O’Sullivan, Marcin Szczepanski, December Therrien, Josh Walker, Alison Wells, Amy Whitesall, Joseph Xu 56 | LESSONS FROM A TECH VISIONARY 40 | ARE WE FIGHTING CANCER WRONG? ADVISORY COUNCIL Alum Tony Fadell shares his insights It’s not the initial tumor; it’s the way it spreads John Balbach (BS ’95), Steven Crang, Greg Ewing (BSE CEE ’13, MSE ’15), Kristin Finn (BSE NAME ’01, MSE ’02), Grace Hsia (BSE MSE ’12, M. Entrep ’13), Clare Hyde, Mitch Rohde (BSE EE ’94, MS ’96, MS BME ’97, PhD ’00), Ken Snodgrass (BSE ME ’69, MSE ’72), Jen Wegner, Brad Whitehouse (ex officio) MISSION STATEMENT The Michigan Engineer is a magazine for the University of Michigan College of Engineering community, and especially alumni. Its main mission is to engage the College’s alumni through content that is thought-provoking, by covering the intersection of 32 | CONSTELLATION OF 70 | LASERS, PHOTOSHOP engineering, the world and their alma mater. SATELLITES AND MUSTACHES 19 | ENGINEERS IN CUBA The Michigan Engineer magazine is published Made in Michigan; launched into space Bicentennial, engineering-style Establishing relations twice a year by the University of Michigan College of Engineering and is the winner of Pride of CASE V awards. The Michigan Engineer magazine offices are located at: Communications & Marketing CONTENTS 3214 SI North 1075 Beal Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2112 Phone: 734-647-7085 1 Visual Adventures 22 View from Ann Arbor 76 In Memoriam Email: [email protected] Vertical performance art What’s showing at the State? Website: engin.umich.edu Send address changes to the above address or 4 Focal Point 64 Victors for Engineering 79 Brain Hacks email address A new strategic vision for What will it take to achieve What did this 1980s machine do? Postage paid at Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Engineering preeminence? 80 Parting Shot THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 6 Comments, Tweets & Letters 68 Throwback Wet work for robots Michael J. Behm, Grand Blanc A story from the 1940s and other Hats were definitely in back then Mark J. Bernstein, Ann Arbor Shauna Ryder Diggs, Grosse Pointe reader reactions 70 Bicentennial Denise Ilitch, Bingham Farms Andrea Fischer Newman, Ann Arbor 12 Random Access Always innovating 48 | SAILING/FLYING Andrew C. Richner, Grosse Pointe Park Driverless cars, see-through batteries 74 Alumni Notes Michigan Engineers tackle America’s Cup Ronald Weiser, Ann Arbor Katherine E. White, Ann Arbor What it means to be a Wolverine Mark S. Schlissel, ex officio FOCAL POINT GREAT TO BEST 4 PHOTO: Joseph Xu Joseph PHOTO: With that as a framework, the additions of improving the quality of life, developing intellectually curious and socially conscious minds, creating collaborative solutions to societal problems, and promoting an inclusive UNVEILING A and innovative community of service flowed naturally. “It all comes together,” said Gallimore. “And we’re pushing to be the best because I think it’s within reach. We are in a great place in terms of finances, our reputation and having an amazing resource with the larger University. The University itself is doing really well. And our mission of serving the people and broad interdisciplinary solutions is a timely theme in my opinion. NEW VISION “Frankly, there is no other place than Michigan that can tackle that at scale.” One of the first steps, Gallimore believes, is refining the collaborative process. “We focus on collaborative processes because, for the kind of complex and wicked problems we want to address, it depends on hen Alec D. Gallimore, the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of a group of people coming together. We’d like to identify the grand Engineering, took office in July 2016, he was already challenges that we feel we are best in a position to tackle, that take full MICHIGAN ENGINEERING well on his way to thinking big for the College. advantage of our relationship with the rest of the campus and our ability As a faculty member and associate dean, Gallimore W to work at scale.” had experienced first-hand the changes at the College over the past 25 But it must be done in a way that is structured for success, said ASPIRES TO BE THE WORLD’S years. While preparing for his candidacy as Dean, he deepened that Gallimore. Simply getting the right people into a room or on a knowledge with additional research that included benchmarking other project doesn’t ensure that they won’t fall short of their potential. An MISSION institutions. infrastructure for collaboration with the right tools – whether they be Michigan Engineering provides scientific and technological His conclusion? systems, resources or facilities – will ensure the best possible outcomes. “We had a ship that was heading in the right direction,” said leadership to the people of the world. We seek to improve Even day-to-day tactics for how staff, faculty and students operate PREEMINENT Gallimore. “We were already really good at developing an entrepreneurial the quality of life by developing intellectually curious and together will contribute to a better result. mindset, not looking at department or research boundaries and being “We’re thinking very creatively,” said Gallimore. “Essentially starting socially conscious minds, creating collaborative solutions able to collaborate. And we’ve always provided students really excellent from scratch to see what a collaborative environment of the 21st century to societal problems, and promoting an inclusive and experiential learning and instruction.” looks like, and how can we create it to tackle research, education and But Gallimore identified a missing element. innovative community of service for the common good. COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING learning challenges.” “What we weren’t doing, in my opinion, was defining a reason for our Another piece of the puzzle lies in setting the stage for students to work at a high level. We didn’t have guiding principles for why we were – succeed and fostering an inclusive environment to help them achieve Read more about our mission, vision & values or weren’t – focusing on specific areas.” their goals. That’s what Gallimore set out to do in his first term as dean. Through strategicvision.engin.umich.edu “There are segments of our society who, through no fault of their own, large-scale work sessions among faculty and College leadership, speaking have experienced an educational background or socioeconomic status that with deans of other institutions and learning from alumni and investors Or scan this page with the Decoder. Details on pg. 10. puts them at a disadvantage,” said Gallimore. “It’s acknowledging that we at top companies, Gallimore and his team sought not only to define the have different types of people and different styles of learning. The question SERVING THE strengths and values of Michigan Engineering but to create a vision and is, what role do we play at the College in working to close the gap by the also a shift in the quality of people the College is able to recruit – and to mission statement that would lead the College to the next level. time they graduate?” an enhanced public perception of Michigan. In January, Gallimore rolled out the new strategic vision, along with And, said Gallimore, we need to reinforce these goals with our culture “Once we reach that level, there will be some telltale signs,” said a mission to serve the greater good – and to strive for preeminence. All and values. Things like removing administrative barriers, empowering Gallimore. “We will be on a more level playing field with the top two or involved agreed that we were doing a lot of the right things, but that COMMON faculty and staff to fully engage, and equipping them with resources three institutions that often beat us for top talent. Other institutions and we needed a defining mission that sets a clear path for the College and and incentives to ensure they are striving for the best are critical. Not the public will turn to us for matters of technology and social change, to explains ourselves to the world. addressing these subtle administrative issues could result in inadvertently be an honest broker of information and a place where new ideas incubate “The concept that really seemed to resonate with everyone was the idea communicating that something isn’t important.