As a mom, I have had the joy of watching my son constantly learn about, appreciate, and marvel at the world around us. It has made me aware that at some point in my life I stopped asking the “why” questions and started focusing on my very practical “to-do” list.
But having a 5-year-old has given me a reason to look at things from a new perspective. I’ve begun to appreciate all that I have yet to learn and have realized how much I can teach others around me. This new perspective has helped me to see that we all need to be more like 5-year-olds—wonder out loud how things work and then excitedly share what we’ve learned with others. The Institute of Technology Alumni Society (ITAS) can help you do just that.
Reaching out to younger students is a fun and rewarding way to share your excitement about science and engineering. Providing opportunities for children to experience science and engineering at a young age is essential if we want them to consider a career in these areas.
The ITAS K-12 Outreach Committee sponsors award-winning programs for children. Get involved and watch the magic unfold. Volunteer as a mentor or coach to work with middle school kids participating in the FIRST LEGO League robotics competition. Bring your children or grandchildren to the ITAS-sponsored TechFest at The Works, a nonprofit hands-on science and technology museum. You’ll be amazed at how much fun learning and experiencing science and engineering can be when you see it through the eyes of a child.
Even when these young people graduate from high school and enter the University, our work needs to continue. The ITAS Student Relations Committee is leading one of the University’s top mentor programs with about 300 mentors and students involved. This program could not be successful without the dedicated volunteers who reach out and support our students, and the many students who teach their mentors a thing or two.
It is also important that we do not lose the passion for learning in ourselves. ITAS provides many learning opportunities just for you. The Public Lecture Series, coordinated by our Alumni Relations Committee, features top Institute of Technology faculty sharing their research on today’s relevant issues. This year we sponsored lectures on renewable energy in Minnesota and new research in fluid power.
Our Corporate Relations Committee coordinates the ITAS premier event of the year—the Science and Technology Banquet. The banquet not only provides an opportunity for you to hear from world-renowned leaders in technology, but the funds raised through this event provide scholarships to our students.
If you’re still looking for another way to learn and share, you can become involved on the ITAS board. As a board member, you can help us enhance our activities, reach out to students and alumni, and work with the Institute of Technology leadership, faculty, and students. Just contact us, and we’ll find a place for you.
ITAS is working hard to coordinate many opportunities for you, but you don’t have to stop there. The Institute of Technology and the University of Minnesota have a variety of opportunities for you to consider. Take advantage of the breadth and depth of knowledge at the University to expand your understanding of the world around you. Check out the IT Web site at www.it.umn.edu for news and events and sign up for mailing lists announcing activities in areas that interest you. Learn what students are doing and where you can use your expertise to help.
There’s never a better time than now to put down your “to-do” list and make your “to-learn” list. See you at the next event!
IT public lecture in May focuses on rebuilding New Orleans
Rebuilding the hurricane protection system in New Orleans and restoring the public’s trust in the infrastructure is the focus of an upcoming Institute of Technololgy Public Lecture. “Rebuilding After Katrina” is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, at the University of Minnesota’s Coffman Memorial Union Theater, 300 Washington Ave. SE. The event, sponsored by the Institute of Technology Alumni Society, is free and open to the public.
The event features Institute of Technology alumnus Craig Johnson (M.S. CivE ’79), vice president of Stanley Consultants and the senior project manager for Task Force Guardian.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers formed Task Force Guardian (TFG) to restore New Orleans’ hurricane protection system to pre-Katrina protection levels by June 1, 2006, the beginning of the next hurricane season. Under national and international media scrutiny, TFG managed 59 construction projects by 26 contractors in just eight months. The $800 million effort included miles of new floodwall, levees, scour repair, and several gated closure structures.
After the lecture, a panel of Institute of Technology faculty and alumni who have been involved in hurricane protection and recovery from Katrina will answer questions from the audience.
For more information, call 612-626-9354 or visit http://it.umn.edu/katrina.
TechFest draws 450 visitors
Institute of Technology alumnus Philip Anderson (CivE ’77) and his grandson Austin Palmer share some laughs with Goldy Gopher at TechFest 2007, an event that celebrated National Engineers Week. More than 450 children and family members visited The Works museum for the event. The day’s activities focused on an electrical engineering theme. TechFest 2007 was sponsored by the Institute of Technology Alumni Society, the Society of Women Engineers, and corporate sponsors Digital River, Faegre and Benson, Hutchinson Technology, General Mills, Malt-O-Meal Co., and McDo
Alumni Honors
John Franz (Chem Ph.D. ‘55) recently was named a 2007 inductee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his discovery of the non-toxic popular weed killer Roundup®. He will be honored at a special ceremony in May. This year’s inductees also include the inventor of the automotive airbag, the developer of vaccines for childhood diseases in developed countries, and the creator of the Ethernet.
Robert P. Hammer (Chem Ph.D. ‘90), a Professor of Chemistry at Louisiana State University, has been named by Scientific American magazine as one of the 2006 Scientific American 50, the magazine’s prestigious annual list of research leaders. Hammer made the list because of his research in the basic science of Alzheimer’s Disease published recently in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Jay Knutson (Physics ’73, M.S.’75, Ph.D. ’78), chief of the Optical Spectroscopy Section of the Laboratory of Biophysical Chemistry of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health, has been elected to The Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars. Knutson is a leader in the development of laser-driven high-speed optical instruments and techniques that have allowed researchers to make advances in the fields of biology and medicine.
E. Dianne Rekow (Math, Physical Science ’66, ME ’70, ME M.S. ’82, D.D.S. ’83, BME Ph.D. ’88) has been elected president of the American Association for Dental Research. She is currently chair of the Department of Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology and director of Translational Research at New York University College of Dentistry.
