Friday, July 16, 2010 • Volume 96, Issue 4 • nique.net Simon does Simon, a socially perceptive robot, shows promise to make new friends.47 TechniqueThe South’s Liveliest College Newspaper In Memoriam Bras named new Provost By Matt Hoffman News Editor Former Tech On Wednesday, July 7, the Institute announced Rafael L. Bras as the new Provost and President Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. He will be- gin his tenure on Sept. 1. Bras comes from the University of Hansen dies California-Irvine, where he was Dean of the Henry Samu- eli School of Engineering. “It is with great pleasure that I announce Rafael Bras will join Georgia Tech as its next provost. Over the course of his career, he has developed an international reputation centered on service, teaching and learning,” said Institute President G. P. “Bud” Peterson in a release. “As a full spectrum univer- sity centered in engineering and science, Georgia Tech is in an excellent position to lead higher education in the 21st century. I am honored to be- come part of an extraordinary team that builds on a tradition of great institutional leader- ship. More importantly, my Photo courtesy of Communications and Marketing wife Pat and I are thankful for By Matt Hoffman the welcoming offered by...a News Editor great family of students, staff, faculty and alumni(ae),” Bras Photo courtesy of Communications and Marketing Arthur G. Hansen, Tech’s seventh said in the release. Rafael Bras was named the new Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic President, died on Monday, July 5 due Before his tenure at UC- Affairs. Bras comes from UC-Irvine where he served as dean of the school of engineering. to complications from surgery at the age Irvine, Bras was a professor in of 85. He served as President from 1969- the department of Civil and ing from MIT. President Alina Staskevicius, provided their comments on 1971 before leaving to become the Presi- Environmental Engineering at “Dr. Bras was a standout who also served as a student our finalists. Participation dent of his alma mater, Purdue University. MIT for 32 years, the last nine candidate for Provost and we representative on the search of this kind is vital to main- Hansen initially came from the Uni- of which he was head of the are very lucky that he will serve committee. taining a healthy campus dis- versity of Michigan to become the dean of department. Bras also served as our Chief Academic Officer. Dean of Management Steve course, ensuring that all have Engineering in 1966 but asked to replace a stint as the Chair of MIT He brings with him a wealth of Salbu headed the search for an opportunity to be heard on Edwin D. Harrison after he decided to re- Faculty. experience and an exceptional- the new Provost, which was what makes sense for the fu- tire in 1968. Among his many achieve- ly strong commitment to qual- initiated after current Provost ture of Georgia Tech,” Peter- In 1982, Hansen left Purdue to be- ments, Bras was elected to the ity teaching—one I think stu- Gary Schuster announced his son said in a release. come the Chancellor of the Texas A&M National Academy of Engi- dents will be very happy with. intentions to return to the fac- The search involved three University system. neering in 2001 and the Na- I am confident that he is going ulty in October. finalists, all of whom made “[Hansen] has maintained contacts tional Academy of Arts and to make education (especially “I want to thank the mem- presentations to campus dis- with student leaders and non-leaders in a Sciences of Puerto Rico in at the undergraduate level) bers of the search committee, cussing their philosophies in a fashion which resulted in a degree of mu- 2009. Bras received all three of a clear priority,” said former led by Steve Salbu, as well as Bras tual respect of the highest order,” said in a his degrees in Civil Engineer- Undergraduate Student Body those in our community who See , page 3 piece titled “Hansen’s Credo: A President must be visible and vulnerable” in April 30, 1971 edition of the Technique. “It can be said without qualification, Dr. Hansen has been the spokesman of MSE, PTFE combine into oneBy Andrew school Zoorob the students,” the piece went on to say. Contributing Writer Even though his tenure was short, many notable events took place at Tech On Thursday, July 1, the schools of Polymer, under his watch. The Student Center Textile, and Fiber Engineering (PTFE) and Ma- opened its door for the first time on Aug. terials Science Engineering (MSE) merged to 3, 1970. Hansen also spearheaded the ef- create the largest program in the country. The fort to get funding from the state for the programs will continue under the name Mate- Student Athletic Center, which would rials Science and Engineering and command later be renovated into what is now the more than 55 thesis-granting faculty, 11 more CRC. than the next largest school, MIT. Hansen also shepherded the campus Prior to the merger, the MSE department through the Kent State incident. Some conducted all polymer research jointly through members of the community at the time the school of Polymer Engineering. The newly of the occurrence questioned the need to merged school will streamline and expedite in- have the military on campus in the form terdisciplinary research activities. of the ROTC program, but Hansen was “Goals of the merger include becoming a able to preserve the historic program. top-five MSE school in three years, and the No. “I am glad that I chose Georgia Tech. 1 school in five,” said Dr. Robert Snyder, the It has filled my life. We shall go our sepa- current chair of the MSE department. rate ways, but a part of me shall always be Talks of consolidation began in January here. My thanks to all of you for being of this year, as Institute President G.P. “Bud” [so] wonderful to me,” Hansen said, in his Peterson questioned the existence of separate farewell speech to the Tech student body schools for Materials Science and Polymer En- in 1971. Photo by Kellie Kosiba / Student Publications gineering. According to Snyder, “outsourcing of The J. Erskine Love Building is the home of the MSE School, which recently merged with the PTFE School to form the largest MSE faculty in the nation. See Merger, page 3 2 • July 16, 2010 • Technique NEWS From the files of the GTPD... ue of the vehicle is estimated to be Technique about $9,000. The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper Campus Crime Who started the fire? On the morning of July 7, By Hahnming Lee Founded in 1911, the Technique is the student newspaper of the GTPD was called to the Mason Editor-in-Chief Georgia Institute of Technology, and is an official publication of the Building after a report of a fire. Georgia Tech Board of Student Publications. The Technique publishes The officer was directed to a -por Like royalty on Fridays weekly during the fall and spring and biweekly during the len on the morning of July 12. table oven with a “poignant” odor. A victim called GTPD to re- The victim’s car contained several Upon opening the oven and look- summer. port a suspicious email. The email person items which added value ing for its content, the burnt ma- ADVERTISING: Information and rate cards can be found online at stated that the sender was in a to the amount stolen, including terial appeared to be a deformed nique.net/ads. The deadline for reserving ad space is Friday at 5 p.m. “dire situation” and needed some a purse with the driver’s license, and melted white plastic bucket. one week before publication. To place a reservation, for billing infor- money to “donate through you for bank card and check book. There The bucket had caught fire in the mation, or for any other questions please e-mail us at [email protected]. charity.” It asked for a reply from was no broken glass or sign of a oven and was extinguished using You may reach us by telephone at (404) 894-2830, Monday through the receiver and signed the email. break-in at the scene of the sus- water. The student who put out Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The email was sent to the victim’s pected theft. The last time the the fire stated that the most likely COVERAGE REQUESTS: Requests for coverage and tips should be personal account from a Tech victim saw the car was the night cause of the fire would be either submitted to the Editor-in-Chief and/or the relevant section editor. mailing address. GTPD suspects before in the parking lot near the that the temperature in the oven there may be a connection to a sorority house. was too high or the bucket was left OFFICE: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: previous report of a suspected e- Parking and Transportation in there for too long. 353 Ferst Dr., Room 137 Hahnming Lee mail scam. as well as the company owning Later, the Atlanta Fire Depart- Atlanta, GA 30332-0290 [email protected] a dumpster by the parking spot ment arrived and determined that Telephone: (404) 894-2830 Telephone: (404) 894-2831 My car! were contacted to see if the car the bucket and the oven were ex- Fax: (404) 894-1650 Outside of the Alpha Delta Pi had been towed; both said it had tinguished and did not pose a fur- sorority, a car was suspected sto- not been towed by them.