Harvard SEAS, Newsletter, Spring 2004

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V o l u m e I I I • I s s u e 1 • S p r i n g 2 0 0 4

What’s inside

Dean’ sMessage

In this issue of the newsletter you will

see how members of the Division

of Engineering and Applied Sciences

reach out to solve tough problems,

collaborate with industry, enlighten

students, and serve our society and the

world. I am proud not only of this work,

but how we do it – without walls, with-

out departments, and without limits.

The work we do …

Fundamental researchInnovative research is one of the cor-

nerstones of the Division. As you read

about Zhigang Suo’s molecular car, you

might imagine how his insights could

radically change manufacturing.

Industrial collaboration

We connect with companies and they

with us to share knowledge and know-

how. An award from IBM with support

from Intel will allow the Division to

develop the Crimson Grid, a computer

network designed to solve a varietyof complex problems right from a re-

searcher’s (and perhaps one day, your)

desktop.

Education and mentoring

Teaching makes a profound connec-

tion, as students take what they’ve

learned and apply it to everything they

do. The GK-12 program, TECH-sup-

ported courses in bioinnovation, and

Crosscurrents 2

Mahadevan nds the profound in

the mundane, Parkes negotiates

and navigates, Suo takes a drive,

and Wofsy works in the wild.

FacultyNews 6

Mitchell protects our past,

Morrisett lands at EECS, Grosz

and Vadhan create a cluster,and Division members in the news.

InMediasRes 10

An innovator returns home,

researchers give the common tap

a new angle, scientists poke

holes in the ozone debate, and

a grid is born.

StudentNews 12

A Bioinnovation course offers

an amusing assignment, a

selection of recent awards,

and ES 51 students go off-road.

InProle 14

Khaneja looks for the right

path and Ehrenreich shares four

decades of wit and wisdom.

OutsidetheQuad 16

The GK-12 program lights up

teachers, Unilever provides

food for thought, a list of recent

industry collaborations, and

faculty-student patents.

AlumniNotes 18

Iansiti explains the physics of business, grads share memories,

and a calendar of upcoming

events hosted by the Division.

Connections 20

Snapshots of collaborative

science in action, and how to

keep in touch.

Reaching out

faculty members like Henry Ehrenreich

may bring to mind those who inspired

you to work (and play) hard at Harvard.

Be sure to take a look at the quotes from

our graduates that appear in the alumni

section.

Serving society

Our people and discoveries travel the

globe. Ralph Mitchell’s quest to preserve

the U.S.S. Arizona and Steve Wofsy’s

efforts to understand our forests, both

throughout the Northeast as well as in

places as far away as Bhutan, are only

two examples of the many ways we

extend beyond Cambridge.

And how we do it …

As you know, what we do is not de-

ned or constrained by independent

disciplines. We tackle tough problems,

developing and using whatever knowl-

edge and tools are needed to get the job

done. That means an applied mathema-

tician studying insects (p. 2), a computer

scientist inuencing economics (p. 4),and an electrical engineer changing

medicine (p. 14).

I was struck at our recent faculty retreat

by how important this open structure

and culture is to the way we work.

While we’ve expanded, we can all still

meet in one place to discuss everything

from our academic program to the

interplay of technology and society.

Such interaction is not possible at many

other institutions and highlights the

importance of our size and spirit.Ultimately, through the work we do

and by the way we do it, our goal is to

use what we discover, learn, and cre-

ate to make the world a better place. I

hope you will let me know how your

experiences here – in ways great and

small – may have helped you reach

out and connect with other people and

society. F

DEAS Spring 2004 I 1



Crosscurrent s

By paying attention to how a

ower unfolds its petals, a nature

lover also learns to appreciate

fundamental issues in physics and

applied mathematics.

L ike a slow-motion release of a rework, a ower’s bud

bursts forth into a delicate display. Looking at a bouquet at

the orist, you might never ask how the intricate petals, stems,

and stigmas, each contained in a green orb the size of a gob-

stopper, emerged perfectly unfolded without the slightest rip.

The Division’s Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan (Maha for

short), Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Mathematics

and Mechanics, has not only posed the question, but is

trying to solve countless others like it. Using mathematics

to understand how materials move and behave, he places

particular emphasis on phenomena visible to the naked eye

and closely tied to experiments or experience. He’s explored

the way honey coils (important for geologists who study the

ow of molten rock within the Earth), why insects can adhere

to surfaces (leading to the creation of

new types of adhesives), how hair coils

on water (helpful in understanding the

principles of self-assembly), and the

way fabrics fold and wrinkle (providing

insight about the spiky surface of a dis-

eased red blood cell).“I nd joy in discovering the sublime in the mundane,” says

Maha, who recently relocated from one Cambridge (England)

to another (Massachusetts). “I try to uncover explanations

for everyday events that are easily seen but not well under-

stood. They typically turn out to be more relevant than I rst

imagined.”

Think again about the complexity of the ower as you recall

how you’ve struggled to fold a map without tearing, or at least

swearing. Within the blooming process lies what Maha calls

a theory for “self-assembled origami.” The bud can unpack its

suitcase and iron its clothes without the help of even a nger.

“Natural systems offer a rich arena to learn about the interplay

between geometry and physics in the real world. Folding is not

just for owers, but critical to our very existence. It happens in

our tightly bound-up DNA,” Maha points out.

Moreover, stopping to smell (and study) the roses might

someday help with creating self-assembling nanostructures,

one of the most critical components of the emerging eld of

nanotechnology.

Maha’s dark, vibrant eyes it behind large round glasses that

reect the light in his sizable, but test tube–free third oor

ofce of Pierce Hall. In his experience, you don’t necessarily

need a lab or complicated devices to do meaningful experi-

ments and research. “Why struggle to

nd something worth studying when

you have quick access to rich events,

like how a ag utters, that you can

easily play with? Being able to radically

change parameters – a light breeze ver-

sus a strong wind – without losing theeffect is ideal for experimentation.”

With today’s emphasis on rapid innovation, supermarket

science (creating volcanoes with baking soda) and everyday

experimentation (looking out the window rather than at an

LCD monitor) may seem passé. Yet Maha’s hands-on experi-

mentation, most of which could have been done by true re-

naissance engineers, does not imply that such research is any

less difcult or fruitful. Rather, he acknowledges that good

science can arise from simple observation. Not surprisingly,

Maha’s “mundane” investigations cross – if not leap – over

traditional boundaries in physics, math, engineering, and bi-

“Natural systems offer a rich

arena to learn about the

interplay between geometry

and physics in the real world.”

2 I DEAS Spring 2004



Plumbing for pests

Some sap-loving aphids

live their entire lives

deep inside galls, or the

abnormal swellings of

plant tissue. Since what

goes in (what they eat)

must go out (as waste),

these aphids could easily

drown inside the enclosed

spaces. Mahadevan and his

colleagues discovered that

these snug bugs secrete

powdery water-repellent

wax on the surface of their

homes and on their waste

products. The wax-on-wax

formula turns the excre-

ment droplets into “liquid

marbles” that the critterscan then roll clean away.

Mahadevan hopes to learn

from these tiny engineers

how to improve attempts

at efciently manipulating

minute volumes of liquid on

small surfaces.

Getting gell-o to jog

One of Mahadevan’s

research teams has created

an “articial animal” from

a lament of cylindrical

hydrogel (cut with smallscales on the bottom) that,

when vibrated atop a sheet

of glass, can mimic – and

hence, help explain – the

movement of snakes,

snails, and other creatures.

By varying the angle,

scales, and direction of the

vibration, the team derived

different patterns of

motion. “A simple experi-

ment can explain a wide

ology. In fact, guring out what comes naturally requires con-

tinuous collaboration with scientists from many disciplines

at Harvard, MIT, and throughout the world. Maha emphasizes

that his dedicated students – “the lifeblood of my enterprise” –

deserve as much credit as he does for illuminating the physics

of everyday life.

“Ultimately, any robust event is likely to be interesting for its

own sake, since it explains something essential about how the

world works,” observes Maha. And he’s not alone in appreciat-

ing such rough magic. In regard to Maha and his colleagues’

celebrated theory of how wrinkles form, Nature editor Philip

Ball wrote, “It is humbling to nd in a high-powered journal

like Physical Review Letters that we have limped along for years

without an understanding of what controls the wavelength

and amplitude of wrinkling in a sheet. There’s plenty still to

be learned from the $20 experiment.”

Maha explains his passion for research by referencing a classic

tale about the young Krishna, from the Bhagavata Purana. The

child, an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu but broughtup incognito by foster parents, had a reputation for mischief.

One day, friends accused Krishna of eating dirt. Dismayed, his

mother demanded an explanation. Krishna denied the charge,

saying “I have not eaten dirt. They are all lying!”

To force a confession, his mother told him to open wide. But

Krishna, to avoid being caught in a lie, played a trick. Instead

of muddy teeth, he revealed the entire universe to her – the

earth, the stars, and the elements of all creation. And then, to

keep his cover, Krishna quickly cast a spell of forgetfulness

over her to clear her memory.

“One way to look at the story,” Maha explains, “is to understand

that meaning and the answers to the deepest questions can befound in the stuff all around us. Science is about looking for

connections and nding joy in discovery itself.”

Lucky for us, Maha – unlike Krishna’s mother – has not forgot-

ten where the universe lies, but continues to look deep inside

simple things, like owers or dirt, to pull out the profound. F

To read more about Mahadevan’s research, visit

www.deas.harvard.edu/softmat/

and see the following recent articles:

“The Physics of … Wrinkles: Lines of Least Resistance,” in the

November 2003 issue of Discover Magazine

“Gel gains lifelike motion” in the December 31, 2003/January 4,

2004 issue of Technology Research News

“Envelope physics sheds light on ice sheets” and “The physics

of haute couture” in the December 2, 2003 and February 4,

2004 editions of Nature Science Update , respectively

Ordinary Research with Extraordinary Results

Since all the world’s his lab, Mahadevan studies a wide

variety of problems using lessons from every discipline at

his disposal. Françoise Brochard-Wyart and Nobel laureate

Pierre-Gilles de Gennes captured the interdisciplinary spirit

that pervades all his work when discussing his and E. Cer-

da’s groundbreaking research on the geometry and physics

of wrinkling. They said, “The paper provides a beautiful and

simple understanding of many natural phenomena – bridg-

ing geometry, mechanics, physics, and even biology.”

range of locomotion for

radically different animals,”

says Mahadevan, “and

also hints that there’s an

underlying, similar process

for how all of them move.” This discovery might lead

to new motion techniques

for tiny machines, robots,

or for use in manufacturing

processes that involve

moving substances across

surfaces.

Uncovering wrinkles

Mahadevan and his col-

leagues from Cambridge,

England, proposed a

now-famous general theory

about an everyday botherthat keeps dry cleaners

happy – the wrinkling of

fabrics and other materials.

When you press down on a

spring you crush it, and in

so doing, the spring stores

elastic energy. Likewise,

a sheet can either stretch

or bend; the resulting

deformed sheet adopts

the shape that minimizes

its total bending energy.

Mahadevan’s laws of

wrinkling predict theamplitude and wavelength

of the resulting wrinkles,

and work for a variety

of materials – plastics,

fabrics, and even human

skin. Understanding how

a cape falls over you or

how our sheets look after

a restless sleep could lead

to more realistic computer

animations or better-tting

clothes.




Crosscurr

ent s

A lmost two decades before the iPod

and a decade before the Internet,

Apple quietly introduced a prototype

called the Knowledge Navigator. Thetablet-shaped device featured a soft-

ware agent, a talking digital butler, who

helped the user access an information

network, manage messages and a sched-

ule, and even take phone calls.

We aren’t there yet, but David Parkes,

an Assistant Professor of Computer

Science on the Gordon McKay endow-

ment, is working on it. He is developing

the technology and protocols to enable

software agents to help us navigate and,

more important, negotiate through

our daily economic and informationallives. In the near future “you will have

a software agent that is helping you ne-

gotiate with other agents and managing

your computational and informational

needs,” says Parkes. Common examples

of agents include passive software that

suggests songs or movies based upon

your past purchase and preference pat-

terns and active code that automatically

bids (within dened limits) on an item

at an online auction site.

“My overall research agenda is to designdistributed systems where you need

to get the economic incentives right.

There is often a beautiful tension to

resolve between optimal economic

properties and optimal computational

properties,” says Parkes. Consider peer-

to-peer systems (P2P) like the original

Napster. “How do you get a P2P sys-

tem to be well running despite the

self-interested nature of participants?”

he asks. Even the most well-designed

e-commerce site will have little value

if it allows cheating, harms the buyer(fraud), or harms the seller (like illegal

le swapping). If done right, “[even] if

everyone behaves in a self-interested

way, you can still drive toward a goal,

whether it be efciency, fairness, or the

best price,” Parkes explains. You also

need robust computation to back it all

up – from the interface to the behind-

the-scenes algorithms to clear expres-

sive markets – and to keep things run-

ning smoothly and quickly. Similarly, if

a user must enter detailed information

to set his/her preferences, constantly

adjust the agent, or remains worried

about privacy and security, then desir-

able properties could unravel.

Creating better software agents is, of

course, about more than just getting

the best price on eBay. “We are mov-

ing away from a computational model

where you buy a computer and put it

on your desk. Instead, companies buy

computational time, in what’s called

on-demand computing ,” Parkes says. In

other words, a company may only need

to buy a few hours’ use of a software

product or only need extra server power

during peak times. Amazon and eBay

might compete for those limited server

resources during the busy holiday

shopping season. A trusted agent – one

that knows the rules and knows what a

company wants – will be essential for

good business.

Parkes sees a great opportunity to build

both the computational and economic

tools necessary to drive the future of

e-commerce and automated negotia-

tion. For him, the real action – and the

software agents – lie at the interface.

The butler, however well spoken, is

likely to remain virtual (even in the vir-

tual world) for some time to come. F

For more on Parkes’ work, visit

www.eecs.harvard.edu/~parkes/

www.eecs.harvard.edu/p2pecon/

I want a cool

collection of dance

songs for my

party, but I don‘t

want to pay more

than $20.00.

John Doe

John‘s Agent

I know John likes

dance tracks by

Outkast and

Madonna since over

the past few weeks

he’s purchased

their songs and has

both artists on his

favorites list. I’ll go

check out what

some leading online

retailers suggest

based on John’s

profile.

I think John might enjoy songs

by Fountains of Wayne and Duran

Duran. Our other members have said

both are great for dance parties. I

will sell you songs for $1.00 a piece.

Based on what John’s bought in the

past, we’d recommend tracks by

NERD and Kylie Minogue. I will sell

you songs for $1.50 each.

John Doe

John‘s Agent

To create a great

party mix for John, I’ll

purchase 3 songs by

Fountains of Wayne

and 4 by Duran Duran

from iTunes at $1.00

a track. I’ll buy

4 tracks by NERD and

4 by Kylie Minogue

from BMG for $1.50

each. While pricey, I

think they’re closer

to his profile. That’s

$19.00 total and in

budget. Let’s deliver

these and dance!

Great selections!

My friends danced

till dawn! For

future reference,

however, I’d steer

clear of Fountains

of Wayne.


The above diagram shows how an agent might “negotiate and navigate” on behalf of JohnDoe to create a dance party mix. Based on John’s past purchases, preferences, and budget,his agent negotiates with various vendors such as iTunes and BMG. In turn, the sellers sug-gest options by using the data (what John likes and wants) the agent has provided. Thesee-retailers might recommend songs by comparing John’s prole with thousands of other us-

ers with similar tastes. After the agent makes the purchases, John can evaluate its perfor-mance. Over time, as the agent gains more information, it will become better and better atmaking the “right” decisions.



Into the woods

Some research at the Division requiresa bit of a hike. Abbott Lawrence Rotch

Professor of Atmospheric and Environ-

mental Science Steven Wofsy knows

this from experience. Under Wofsy’s

guidance, the Division hosts the North-

eastern Regional Center (NERC) of the

National Institute for Global Environ-

mental Change (NIGEC), funded by the

U.S. Department of Energy. Recently,

Steven Wofsy described what it’s like

to do research in the wild.

What research are you most excited

about?

We have an integrated long-term study,

which means that we looked at the

changes in the ecosystem over time. The

University of New Hampshire looked

at how the ecosystem is responding to

air pollution, and a group from Woods

Hole Marine Biological Lab is investigat-

ing how the system responds to heating

the soil. I am very excited about the

Driving for answers

While some strive to move mountains,

Gordon McKay Professor of Mechanics

and Materials Zhigang Suo wants to

move a molecule. Suo and his team at

DEAS have envisioned a new technol-

ogy, the molecular car, designed to shut-

tle target molecules like passengers.

Imagine if you could operate a tiny

vehicle that species and positions indi-

vidual molecules to inuence a chemi-

cal or biological process. The level of

control, like commanding grains of

sand to march to their proper place to

create the ultimate castle, would be

unprecedented.

What would a molecular car look like?

Consider a short-chain molecule with

three features (see diagram). One end

adsorbs – attracts and holds molecules

to the surface of its molecules – to a

solid, its middle has a group with an

electric dipole moment normal to the

solid surface, and its other end is a pas-

senger receptor for the molecule.

To move the “car,” Suo imagines

constructing an array of electrodes

underneath the substrate. When the

electrodes are charged sequentially, the

resulting moving electric eld makes

the car move. Because the electric eld

pattern is programmable (the individ-

ual electrodes can be turned on and off

at will), the car can move forward or

backward, make a sharp turn, and park.

For passenger pickup and drop-off, the

car would attract a molecule on board

in one area with favorable conditions,

such as the right pH and temperature

levels, move on the highway, and then

release the passenger in another area

using the reverse method, altering

conditions to make the molecule want

to hop off.

Suo admits that the concept of the

molecular car raises as many ques-

tions as potential solutions. How could

the car be controlled or account for

difcult conditions such as thermal

uctuation, akin to being in a perpetual

earthquake? What would happen if

two cars bump into each other? At

present, the molecular car only exists incomputer simulations. Suo and his re-

search colleagues are looking for ways

to overcome the technical challenges

required to go from the drawing board

to the showroom. It may turn out that

moving a molecule will be a mountain-

sized challenge, but the drive is likely to

be exciting. F

fact that all of these things are beingbrought together.

Do you act differently (what you drive,

eat, wear) due to your research?

I think I have become more respectful

of the complexity of the environment

than I was when I was more of an ad-

vocate. You never know everything you

need to know – and that’s true of stock

investing right on to the environment.

What are the challenges of conduct-

ing research in the wild?

Our sites get hit by lightning maybe two

or three times a year. And then there are

the snakes, mosquitoes, airplane sched-

ules, customs, permission to work in a

particular location, and politics. Do you

need any more? But it’s exciting. F

For more information about NIGEC

and NERC, visit

http://nigec.ucdavis.edu/

Molecule (passenger)

Receptor (seat)

Dipole (engine)

Binder (wheel)

Substrate (pavement)

On-chip infrastructure

A conceptual model

of Suo’s molecular car.


Steven Wofsy conducts a eld study in Bhu-tan. “We met someone at Harvard who wasa botanist in Bhutan who invited us to gothere and help them with their forest inven-tory. So we spent a month learning abouthow they do things and showing them howwe do things.”



Gordon McKay Professor of Applied

Biology Ralph Mitchell watches

his mail like a teenager expecting

a bulky college acceptance envelope.

“This week we are getting archival

metal that came off the ship. And weare getting oil. We already have micro-

organisms …” he says with the trace of

an Irish accent, hinting at his

undergraduate days at Trin-

ity College, Dublin, where he

studied microbiology.

The deliveries, looking like

props for an episode of the

hard-hitting, but often less

than hard science, television

drama “CSI,” actually add up to an act of

conservation. Mitchell is collaborating

with a team of marine archeologists

and microbiologists, led by the National

Park Service. Their task: to preserve and

protect one of the United States’ most

sacred national monuments, the U.S.S.

Arizona.

The submerged remains of the 608-

foot-long, 31,000-ton naval battleship

lie off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Arizona literally embodies not

only the “day of infamy” at Pearl Harbor

– December 7, 1941, when a surprise air

attack by the Japanese crippled the U.S.

Pacic Fleet and left 2,390 dead – but,

through its bent metal and lost heroes,

the turmoil of the entire war.

During the attack, a 1,760-lb. armor-

piercing bomb blew up half the ship,

causing the rest to sink to the shallowbottom, forty feet down. Today, a bowed

white walkway lies like a silk ribbon

over the remaining hull. After taking

a short boat ride to the memorial, the

1.4 million annual visitors can peer

down at the ghostly shadow through

a mix of blue waves churning uneasily,

but often beautifully, with the Bunker

C fuel oil that inexorably bleeds from

the ship. “The ship still contains about

half a million gallons of oil,” says

Mitchell, who recently returned from a

site visit. “Meanwhile, at about a quart

a day, there’s a steady drip of oil that’s

rising to the surface of the harbor. The

survivors call it the tears of the men

who died. You can actually smell the oil.

It’s not ephemeral, but real.”

While the Arizona is a tomb for 1,177

fallen sailors and marines, it also harbors

life. Over the decades, a host of marine

organisms have settled on the silt-cov-

ered metal hull and decks. That’s where

Mitchell comes in. “The underpinning

for everything I do is understanding

how microorganisms adhere to and

grow on surfaces and form biolms,”

he says. Part of his work is to study the

chemical transformations mediated by

microorganisms found on the surfaces

of both living and articial materials.

Microbes live and breed on everything,

most commonly in the form of thin

sheets called biolms. A common ex-ample is the plaque that forms on your

teeth. If you neglect to brush, what you

leave behind will eventually eat away

at the tough enamel, leaving you with

pain, a disapproving dentist, and a hefty

repair bill for the cavity.

That process may be exactly what’s

happening to the Arizona – the brew of

seawater, microbes, fuel oil, and time is

taking its toll. In addition, with the right

combination of conditions the bacterial

population can be transformed from

something benign into microbes that

can chew through metal.

Like many of our national mon-

uments – the Statue of Liberty

or the Lincoln Memorial – the

Arizona does not sit in the cli-

mate-controlled safety of a mu-

seum. Much of the ship’s impact

is in its ability to give visitors a

real link to the past. Not being

encased in glass, however, is es-

pecially perilous for a sunken ship. The

leaking fuel oil is now only a drip, butas corrosion continues, the risk of an oil

spill increases. The National Park Ser-

vice is not simply letting nature take its

course. In the past several years, as part

of their ongoing research to preserve

the ship, they have sent divers down

to take water and oil samples from

around the vessel. In addition, ROVs

(tethered remotely operated vehicles)

have explored parts of the ship.

Facult yNews

Ralph Mitchell holds up a askcontaining a sample taken from thesite of the U.S.S. Arizona.


“...there’s a steady drip of oil

that’s rising to the surface of the

harbor. The survivors call it the

tears of the men who died.”



Conservation scientists need to take

great care; the Arizona, after all, is a

gravesite. “The survivors, rightly, will

not allow anyone inside,” says Mitchell.

Further, the ship itself and the oil that

threatens the harbor inextricably mesh

with the memories of the survivors and

the friends and families of those buried

in the ocean. “So what’s really goingon in there at a biochemical level? We

simply don’t know.”

Mitchell is convinced that the ship is

home to an increasing number of harm-

ful microbes. He is one of the world’s

leading experts on biolms and the mi-

crobiology of surfaces. With nancial

backing from the Division, his labora-

tory has the means to play a critical part

in the preservation of the memorial. The

three U.S.S. Arizona samples – water, oil,

and metal – sent to him by the Park Ser-

vice marine archeologists will provide

him with the raw materials for learning

more about what’s happening without

having to disturb the site.

Mitchell hopes to help determine if the

interaction between the organisms and

the fuel oil is accelerating the corrosion,

how quickly the ship’s metal is decay-

ing, and how long it will be until the oilstarts leaking at a fast rate. His Labora-

tory of Applied Microbiology is using

modern methods of genetic analysis

to identify the destructive bacteria, as

well as electrochemical techniques to

determine the rate of deterioration of

the metal.

For Mitchell, the Arizona intersects

several interests – scientic (exploring

biolms), conservationist (he runs one

of the only fellowships in biological

conservation in the U.S.), and, of course,

personal (as an American).

“We know very little about the physi-

cal, chemical, and biological processes

responsible for degradation of the

historic artifacts that are essential to

the cultural life of our nation,” Mitchell

says. His work on the World War II me-

morial may lead to discoveries abouthow to preserve other historic sites

– from sunken ships to historic build-

ings to battleelds. “I feel fortunate to

take part in this cooperative research, to

use what I know to help protect some-

thing that I care about. The Arizona is a

labor of love for me as well as for other

scientists committed to its preservation.

It is as much about securing the future

of our heritage as it is about science.” F

For more on the U.S.S. Arizona

Memorial, visitwww.nps.gov/usar/

Over 1.4 million people visit the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial each year. Chief architect Alfred Preis said of its design, “The form, wherein the structure sagsin the center but stands strong andvigorous at the ends, expresses initialdefeat and ultimate victory. The overalleffect is one of serenity.” (Photo cour-tesy of the National Park Service.)




It’s a matter of trust

The goal of Greg Morrisett’s work is to eliminate the need

to discover the intent (good or bad) of a program before

a user downloads or runs it. For instance, when you receive

an e-mail with an attachment, the le may contain a virus

or worm that could damage your computer, steal personal

information, or be used to attack third parties (e.g., someone

else on your shared network). Likewise, when you click on a

Web page, open a document, update a device driver, or install

a game, you may be executing hidden code that introduces

security holes or installs a Trojan Horse (a malicious, security-

breaking program that is disguised as something benign on

your machine).

Unfortunately, we do not yet have a robust technical solution

to easily counter these problems. Self-mutating code (pro-

grams that change and adapt) can fool standard virus scanners.

Digital signatures (ways to authenticate the identity of the

sender/signer of a document and to ensure that it has not been

tampered with) only establish the provenance of code, not its

trustworthiness.

Put another way, Morrisett is working on technology that

would eliminate the need for trust. He advocates an architec-

ture that would require programs to come with an explicit,

formal security policy as well as mathematical proof that the

code will respect that policy when run. To make that a reality,

he has been developing security and self-checking tools for

software engineers.

Such safeguards make it possible to automatically check that

particular code will not do something “bad” when executed. In

essence, it shifts the burden of proof from the code consumer

to the code producer. Imagine the benets of opening attached

documents or downloading (legally, of course) music les that

have already been road-tested for reliability and safety.

Given the wide implications of the problems Morrisett tack-

les, it is not surprising that the Division’s interdisciplinary

atmosphere attracted him to Harvard. “I am able to work with

a wide variety of scientists and academics here. A lot of com-

puter science problems are not just technical, but legal and

social, and ultimately determine policy decisions that affect

our everyday lives.” F

Facult yNews

Greg Morrisett provides trust and support for his colleagues workingat Maxwell Dworkin.

Nota Bene

Laservision...Cablenetwork provider Comcast

featured Federico Capasso

on “Technogenesis” ... In

April, he will receive the

2004 Caterina Tomassoni

and Felice Pietro Chisesi

prize at the University of

Rome ...Lightmywire...

The January 29th New York

Times Circuits section and

the January 27th Boston

Globe Health and Science

section showcased LiminTong and Eric Mazur’s work

on nanowires ...Baker’s

dozen... The Harvard

University Gazette chose a

prole piece on biomedical

engineer Kit Parker as one

of its top 12 stories of the

year ...Gell-othatjogs

andthelatestfashions

...The January 19th issue

of The Scientist and the

January 7th Technology

Research News featuredresearch by L. Mahadevan

and colleagues on hydro-

gels, and the February 4th

edition of Nature Science

Update highlighted Ma-

hadevan’s work on wrin-

kling and folding ...Shape

isdestiny... The February

13th Science magazine

featured a perspective on

packing spheres by David

Weitz ...Tourdeforce ...

The March 3rd “CharlieRose Show” highlighted Bill

Gates’ visit to the Division

...Nanoknow-how... The

March 6th Boston Globe

highlighted the Center for

Imaging and Mesoscale

Structures (CIMS) in a

story about local nanotech-

nology expertise. F

John Gregory (“Greg”) Morrisett

Allan B. Cutting Professor of Computer Science

John Gregory (“Greg”) Morrisett joins Harvard after spending

seven years at Cornell University, an institution as famousfor its gorges as for its ivy. While there, he was an Assistant

Professor (1996–2001) and then an Associate Professor (2001–

2003) in the Department of Computer Science. During the

2002–2003 academic year he left Ithaca for industry, serving as

a Visiting Researcher at Microsoft’s Cambridge (U.K.) Research

Lab. Morrisett studied Mathematics and Computer Science

at the University of Richmond (B.S., 1989) and received both

his M.S. (1991) and Ph.D. (1995) in Computer Science from

Carnegie Mellon University.

New arrivals




Grosz and Vadhan lead a random

walk through Radcliffe

Is solving a problem more difcult than verifying a solution?

Can any efcient process be efciently reversed? Can youinfer a global property of an object by inspecting a tiny por-

tion of it?

At the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study this year, a six-

member research cluster on randomness and computation,

afliated with the Theory of Computation Group at DEAS, is

searching for answers to such questions.

“Randomness is past the point of just being a topic in computer

science; it has permeated the entire subject,” says Assistant

Professor of Computer Science Salil Vadhan ’95, who brought

together the cluster and serves as its chair.

One of the chief goals of the computer science cluster is to

use randomness to design efcient algorithms for complexcomputational tasks. Cluster members believe they can

design “randomized” algorithms that offer reasonably close

approximations of solutions to problems too large and complex

to solve in their entirety.

“The science is terric, they’re getting work done, and their

seminars and research are involving students and other fac-

ulty from Harvard and MIT,” says Barbara Grosz, Dean of Sci-

ence at the Radcliffe Institute and Higgins Professor of Natural

Science. “At other levels, they’re interacting with Radcliffe

fellows across many disciplines. What more could you ask

from a cluster?” F

For more information, visit

www.radcliffe.edu/research/2003_random.html

Adapted rom “Understanding Randomness,”

Radcliffe Quarterly, April 2004

What’s a Cluster?

It’s fundamental scientic research being done at Radcliffe

Institute. It’s complementing, not competing with, individu-

als from MIT. It’s hosting international experts who speak

the same languages – computer science and mathematics.

Likewise, practicing innovative science relates to crafting

an environment where thought is free to ow. The clus-

ter gives its members a fresh environment – the peaceful

Putnam House and the modern Maxwell Dworkin – in which

to work. In lieu of the typical academic year, the program

offers researchers a different tempo – the time to tackle a

single area with little interruption.

While these changes seem simple, cluster leader Salil

Vadhan says, “Being out of your element encourages you to

think in new ways, be more open to collaboration, and take

risks.”

Members of the Randomness Cluster

The cluster members comprise an eclectic mix of scientists

based in academia and industry, located coast to coast and

throughout the world, including:

Eli Ben-Sasson, Harvard University & MIT

Irit Dinur, University of California at Berkeley

Oded Goldreich, Weizmann Institute of Science

Sha Goldwasser, Weizmann Institute of Science & MIT

Dana Ron, Tel Aviv University

Ronitt Rubinfeld, NEC Laboratories

Madhu Sudan, MIT

Salil Vadhan, Harvard University

Collaborations

Randomization is an importanttool for nding an approximateanswer – especially when nd-ing an exact answer is infeasi-ble either because the problemis difcult or because the inputis very large. A well-knownexample is analyzing the datafrom a poll. By using a randomsample (where each point hasthe equal probability of beingselected) the estimate will beclose to the correct fraction of purple to red points in the en-tire population. If the sample islarge enough, you can estimatethe correct fraction with a highdegree of probability.




Microsoft Chairman William H. Gates

III Col ’77 delivered a relaxed, sometimes

humorous talk to about 350 students,faculty, and administrators at Lowell

Lecture Hall on Thursday, February 26,

outlining a software future that fea-

tures smarter, more secure machines,

and encouraging students to develop

computing’s next big idea.

Gates, who dropped out of Harvard in

1975 to found Microsoft, told students

that the computer industry needs new

energy and fresh minds. He said that

despite advances in the past decades

and the prominence of the com-puter in today’s society, people are still

underestimating the power of current

developments.

Gates identied computer security

as the biggest threat to his vision of a

wired future, saying that if people think

their nancial or personal information

isn’t secure, they won’t use applications

that could otherwise make their lives

easier.

He also pointed to articial intelligence

(AI) as an area of computer scienceawaiting a big breakthrough. Arti-

cial intelligence has such potential to

transform the industry, he said, that a

student today making a breakthrough

in AI could conceivably create the next

Microsoft. Fewer people are working in

articial intelligence today, however,

than 20 years ago.

Gates visited Harvard as part of a ve-

campus speaking tour, also making

I nMedi asR

es Dean Venky welcomes Bill Gates Col ’77back to the Division.

While here, Gates toured Maxwell Dworkin(a building made possible by his and SteveBallmer’s ’77 support, and named for theirmothers), met with faculty, signed a posterof the BASIC program code he wrote as anundergraduate, and spoke with studentsabout the challenges and opportunities incomputer science and engineering.

(Photo courtesy of Microsoft.)

stops at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, Cornell University, Carnegie

Mellon University, and the University of Illinois.

Division of Engineering and Applied

Sciences Dean Venkatesh Narayana-

murti introduced Gates, eliciting a

laugh from the crowd when he de-

scribed Gates’ famously shortened stay

at Harvard, saying “He spent precisely

as much time as he needed to.”

“You have a unique opportunity tonight

to hear from someone who not too long

ago was where you are now,” Narayana-murti said. F

Reprinted with permission rom the Harvard

University Ofce o News and Public Aairs,

February 26, 2004

Pieces about Gates’ visit to the Division also

appeared in the Boston Globe, Boston

Herald, The New York Times, and Time.

Bill Gates comes home

Selected articles about the Division

News from the nozzle

Triangular nozzles provide the tiniestdroplets, say Harvard Physics Depart-

ment graduate student Henry Chen and

Gordon McKay Professor of Applied

Mathematics and Applied Phys-

ics Michael Brenner, who used

a mathematical algorithm to de-

termine that a miniature three-

sided tap could produce drips

some 21 percent smaller than a

conventional round nozzle.

The miserly taps – which could,

in theory, create drops just 8 billionths

of a millimeter in size – might prove

a boon for technologies that employ

sprays of costly materials. For instance,

triangular taps could boost the resolu-

tion of ink-jet printers, which work

by squirting ne droplets of ink onto

surfaces. They could also cut the size of

traditional silicon chips and biochips,

both of which feature patterns that

are sometimes produced by a tightly

controlled spray of droplets.

“We hope that the theoretical methodswe used to answer this problem will

prove broadly applicable,” says Brenner.

“We are trying to develop the general

mathematical methods that are

needed for carrying out math-

ematical optimizations of struc-

tures used in engineering.”

In addition to taps, Chen and

Brenner see their mathematical

methods applied to a number

of other examples, including

a new switch with a shape deemed

optimal and a coffee cup whose form

facilitates boiling and convection.

Chen and Brenner’s work is funded by

the National Science Foundation and

Harvard’s Materials Research Science

and Engineering Center (MRSEC). F

Adapted rom FAS Communications,

December 12, 2003




The Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences and com-

puter giant IBM are teaming up through an applied research

award to create a pilot computer grid that, if successful, could

one day provide researchers access to greatly increased com-

puting power. The effort, called the Crimson Grid Test Bed, is

being launched with the help of several parties, including IBM,

Intel Corp., the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), and Univer-sity Information Systems (UIS). The initiative is just part of a

larger DEAS effort to work with computer industry leaders in

developing new computational tools and techniques that can

benet researchers in other parts of the University.

“A grid could potentially provide the tools to solve any type

of problem, from a complex literature search to mining the

genome,” explains DEAS’s Chief Information Ofcer and In-

formation Technology Director Jayanta Sircar, who is also the

Primary Investigator for the project.

“Our goal is to provide the enabling infrastructure for state-of-

the-art research computing,” Dean Narayanamurti says. “Such

an infrastructure is critical to several scientic disciplines,

spanning areas such as high-energy physics, materials science,

computer science, astronomy, and biology.”

Bruce Harreld, IBM senior vice president of strategy, said in a

statement, “This grid project can open doors to new researchand help both organizations to draw on complementary

strengths, including IBM’s expertise in grid computing, com-

putational biology, and advanced IT (information technology)

solutions.” F

Adapted rom the Harvard University Gazette, January 22, 2004

DEAS, IBM connect to create computing ‘grid’

Up in the atmosphere ...

Harvard researchers have observed for the rst time a key

molecule that destroys atmospheric

ozone, conrming researchers’ theo-

ries about the stratospheric chemis-

try that creates Arctic and Antarctic

ozone holes each winter.

Rick Stimpe, a senior project scien-

tist with the Division, was the lead

author in a paper published this

month in the Journal o Geophysical

Research-Atmospheres that outlined

the ndings. Stimpe conducted the

research along with David Wilmouth,

a postdoctoral fellow in Atmospheric

Chemistry, Philip S. Weld Professor

of Atmospheric Chemistry James

Anderson, and Ross Salawitch, a

researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion

Laboratory.

Results of the research also showed that

the chemical chain reaction involving the molecule likely

runs 20% – 30% faster than scientists had expected, a nding

that will allow them to adjust critical computer models to bet-

ter approximate real conditions in the atmosphere. F

… And down on earth

Harvard researchers are weighing in on the ozone pollution

debate, asserting that federal assump-

tions about natural background

levels are wrong and may result in

national standards that permit too

much ozone pollution. Arlene Fiore,

a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton

University who conducted the re-

search while at Harvard, and Daniel

Jacob, Gordon McKay Professor of

Atmospheric Chemistry and Envi-

ronmental Engineering, made their

assertions in a recent article in theJournal o Geophysical Research.

“Our work suggests that the Envi-

ronmental Protection Agency (EPA)

is presently overestimating back-

ground concentrations,” Fiore says.

“This overestimate might lead to a

greater health risk, due to imposing

weaker regulations on ozone.” The two researchers will share

their conclusions with federal lawmakers at a Senate brieng

in Washington, D.C. The testimony comes as the EPA conducts

a regular re-evaluation of its air pollution standards. F

Both articles adapted rom the Harvard University Gazette, February 26, 2004

An image taken from NASA’s Total Ozone MappingSpectrometer (TOMS) Web site.




Harvard students from all elds of study – from govern-

ment to biology to engineering – joined together at The

Children’s Museum of Boston in February to collaborate on

building a working roller coaster. Instead of steel and wood,

students used pipe insulation tubes and toothpicks. The

fearless rider of the twists, turns, and loop was an eager, but

never-at-risk, marble.

The spirited “play” was part of ES 143/243, a course developed

by Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Biomedical En-

gineering David Edwards with Paul Bottino, executive director

of the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard

(TECH). The class encourages creativity and team building

to help inspire students to translate biomedical scientic in-

novations into improved healthcare solutions.

Dr. Louis B. Casagrande, president and CEO of The Children’s

Museum, kicked off the event by sharing his experiences as

an educator and museum director. “Creative play is work,”

he said.

The exercise’s purpose was twofold: for students to work

together as a team to solve a single problem (to learn how to

work and re-work ideas), and for them to explain to everyone

else what worked, what didn’t, and why.

Understanding how to build a roller coaster – “a kind of per-

verse ‘startup’ analogy,” Edwards pointed out – is more than

just an exercise. By appreciating the dynamics of what rst

appears as a simple problem, Harvard students who want to

use science to inuence society gain a critical understanding

of how to respond to real-world issues.

“In the end, no matter how sophisticated the scientic solution

to a problem, researchers need to explain how things work in

the simplest possible terms, and listen – and have fun,” said

Edwards. As a case in point, one group in the current class

is focused on developing a new treatment for malaria. “How

to treat malaria, an epidemic in many nations of poverty,

requires a non-standard pharmaceutical level of thinking,” ex-

plained Edwards, “since such regions lack the infrastructure

and basic medical knowledge that most pharma solutions

take for granted.”

Casagrande said his ultimate mission at The Children’s

Museum is to “bring out the genius in every child.” Likewise,

Edwards and Bottino are striving to bring out the healthcare

inventor in every student. The class has already helped apply

several ideas outside of the classroom. In the fall of 2002, stu-

dents helped found MEND (MEdicine in NeeD). The nonprot

enterprise has since built an internationally renowned board

and advisory board and forged important pharmaceutical,

NGO, and governmental relationships in its effort to developa new treatment of tuberculosis in the developing world. In

the spring of 2003, Edwards worked with several students to

create Pulmatrix, a pharmaceutical startup in the Cambridge

area that is currently developing proprietary aerosol products

that treat, prevent, or inhibit the spread of airborne infectious

diseases.

While the designs for the student-built roller coasters are not

likely to be appearing at a theme park near you, what was

learned in creating them may serve as an inspiration to pro-

duce real ways to counter and treat diseases. F

St udent N

ews

Students in ES 143/243 use overhead lights and chairs to balancetheir coaster creations.

Roll with it

To be judged successful, the roller coaster design must be free-standingand have at least one loop; the marble must undergo ve changes of direction, leave and then rejoin the track, and complete the course with-out falling or stopping.




At the end of last semester, DEAS undergraduates in “Comput-

er-Aided Machine Design” (ES 51) competed for spills, thrills,

and a potential A (for their nal grade).

Before hitting the road, students rst “reverse engineer” cord-

less screwdrivers and then (with the help of a few additional

parts from $40 worth of gears) turn them into remote-control

vehicles.

In addition to grease and good sense, students use 3-D model-ing software that generates “code” (i.e., instructions and mea-

surements) that is programmed into a lathe at the machine

shop to cut out custom pieces. The software helps ensure that

the builders have pieces that are accurately sized and shaped.

On race day, the vehicles were put to a series of tests, including

power (towing a heavy trailer up a ramp) and maneuver-

ability (driving through a “slalom” course made of beakers

and funnels). The grueling circuit is designed to challenge all

aspects of their knowledge of engineering, from mechanical

to electrical. F

Awards2003 SAME Award … In recognition of her hard work and

dedication to research, Harvard College senior Christine Su-

san Mulvey was awarded the 2003 Colonel and Mrs. S.S. Den-

nis III Scholarship by the New York City Post of the Society of

American Military Engineers (SAME).

Ms. Mulvey, a 2004 candidate for the S.B. degree in Engineer-

ing Sciences with a concentration in Bioengineering, is fromCanton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Canton High

School in 2000.

Her primary academic interest is the study of bone mechanics,

or discovering how bones move and respond to stimuli. For her

senior design project, Ms. Mulvey is working on a spinal test-

ing device in consultation with the Orthopedic Biomechanics

Lab at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where

she interned during the summer of 2003. After graduating, she

plans to pursue an academic career.

2004 Analog Devices Awards … Graduate student Yong Liuand William Andress ’05, in Assistant Professor of Electrical

Engineering Donhee Ham’s lab, have won 2004 Analog De-vices Outstanding Student Designer awards. F

Dean Venky presents Christine Susan Mulvey ’04 with a certicateof accomplishment and a scholarship check for $1,000.

(Left) Students drive for grades in ES 51; (Above left) Rob Howeadds color commentary and applause; (Above right) a student teambasks in the spoils of engineering excellence. (Photos courtesy of Jon Chase and the Harvard News Ofce.)

Student drivers




I nProfi le

From the moon to molecules

An elegant rendition of the optimal paths of quantum states in the presence of relaxationlosses. (Image courtesy of Steffen Glaser, Technische Universität München.) For moreinformation, see “Boundary of Quantum Evolution under Decoherence,” N. Khaneja, B. Luy,S.J. Glaser. PNAS, USA 100, 13162–13166 (2003).

Faculty member Navin Khaneja’s research on optimal control theory requires a

broad understanding of physics and applied mathematics; the engineering

savvy to understand scientic tools; and an appreciation of experimental design.

Consider NMR, a particular interest

of Khaneja’s. The technique uses a

sequence of radio frequency pulses tomanipulate the magnetic elds sur-

rounding an atom. Since many atomic

nuclei are magnetic (due to the quan-

tum mechanical properties of spin),

these radio frequency pulses cause

them to dance in specic ways. A detec-

tor can trace and identify these patterns

of movement. Observing how the

nuclei of a particular

molecule dance

helps researchers

determine the struc-

ture of molecules

themselves.

Why does the use

of NMR technol-

ogy need improving? “With small

molecules,” Khaneja says, “it is relatively

straightforward to determine their three-

dimensional structure. But as the size of

a molecule increases, the dance patterns

are dampened, making it harder to

extract the desired information.” Since

During the cold war, the race to the

moon wasn’t just about coming

in rst. Physicists on both sides had to

determine the safest, most direct, and

most fuel-efcient ight path for the

rocket and its crew, all in a strange en-

vironment: space. Assistant Professor of

Electrical Engineering Navin Khaneja

isn’t planning the next trip to the moon,but his research on optimal control

theory has signicant parallels to that

famous voyage. Down on earth, he is

trying to nd the best “ight” paths for

quantum evolution in the molecular

universe.

“Using optimal control theory to

manipulate quantum systems helps

researchers design

and conduct bet-

ter experiments,”

Khaneja explains.“Many scientic

tools involve con-

trol over quantum

p h e n o m e n a . ”

Examples include existing technologies

such as nuclear magnetic resonance

(NMR) spectroscopy (used to under-

stand the structures of proteins), and

future innovations such as quantum

computers (designed to signicantly

increase storage and speed).

“Optimal control theory is

about determining the

best path to take in order

to get the desired result.”

researchers are interested in complex,

large protein molecules, reducing

dampening (or “relaxation” losses) iscritical.

To compensate for relaxation, Khaneja

is developing new methods to manipu-

late the dynamics of coupled nuclear

spins. Using optimal control theory to

design radio frequency pulses, he can

minimize relaxation losses. An optimal

design could improve the sensitivity

of experiments and shorten the time it

takes to analyze the structure of com-

plex molecules. “Imagine it like this,”

he explains: “The paths to your ofceare slushy from the snow. You have a

critical meeting and you want to arrive

looking good. My challenge is to help

you nd the best and fastest route, so

your clothes don’t get ruined. Optimal

control theory is all about determining

the best path to take in order to get the

desired result.”

At the quantum level, such guidance

will help scientists improve the sensitiv-

ity and efciency of their experiments

so they can reach their destination (i.e.,

data) with less mess. “It’s critical to do

this work,” says Khaneja. “Even a small

improvement in an NMR experiment

might allow researchers to understand

a new aspect of a protein. And what

we learn from one tool can be used to

improve other devices and be applied to

related problems.”

Is navigating through slush or space

really comparable to manipulating

atomic particles? As Khaneja explains,

absolutely. “You essentially use the

same methods and ideas from controltheory to guide a rocket to the moon or

plot your course to your ofce as you do

to optimally control quantum phenom-

ena. It speaks to the universality and

beauty of mathematical thought.” F

To read more about Khaneja’s

research, visit

http://hrl.harvard.edu/~navin/




It must be tremendously interesting

to be a schoolmaster, to watch [stu-

dents] grow up and help them along.

I don’t see how you could ever get

old in a world that’s always young.

– Goodbye, Mr. Chips

W

hile the Division keeps evolving,

students who graduated years, if

not decades, apart often speak fondly of the same professor – still an inspiration,

still hard at work. Consider Clowes Re-

search Professor of Science and Univer-

sity Ombudsperson Henry Ehrenreich.

In addition to serving Harvard and the

Division for four decades, he offers a

quiet wit and candor to everyone he

encounters.

Ehrenreich, a physicist who has chiey

studied semiconductor theory, says he

has always felt a sense of obligation to-

ward the University. “Harvard has beenvery good to me in many ways because

of all the opportunities to do things …

and I really enjoyed the interaction

with people outside of the Division.”

After some coaxing by Harvard Presi-

dent Larry Summers, Ehrenreich landed

his latest role as University Ombudsper-

son in February of 2003. The Ombuds

Ofce, which he shares with Lydia

Cummings, offers employees a safe ha-

ven to discuss conicts or problems. Ac-

cepting the position, while impressive,

is yet another example of his dedication

to community outreach.

During his time at Harvard, he has

chaired the Science Center Executive

Committee and the Committee on the

Science Core Curriculum, and at one

time directed the Materials Research

Lab (now MRSEC). He has also served

as a member of the Committee on Free

Speech Guidelines and continues to

work on the University’s Committee on

the Environment.

Teaching has always held a privileged

place for Ehrenreich. “Teaching kids in

Core courses who are not going to con-

centrate in the sciences really teaches

you about how to explain science. It

is a very important thing to learn.” A

case in point is when he has worked on

advisory boards for the departments of

Defense and Energy and as a consultant

to the White House Ofce of Technol-

ogy and Policy. “When I testied before

Congress, I needed to look for the right

expressions and the right level of

discourse,” he says. “Teaching in the

Core provided me with a tremendous

amount of experience to do just that.”

Of course, teaching has helped him

do more than just

translate science

to senators. “I rem-

ember a rst-year

student from Boise,

Idaho, who always

came to lecture

early. She lookedlost, so I made a

point of being around a few minutes

before class. Perhaps not as a result

of my conversations – though maybe

they played a part – she ended up being

the editor of the Harvard Crimson . Her

Harvard experience completely trans-

formed her.”

Because he equally values spending time

inside and outside the lab, Ehrenreich is

concerned by the tough demands on

today’s faculty. With research, funding,

and family obligations all vying for an

instructor’s time, “I feel like I lived in

the age of leisure,” he jokes. “Yet what’s

impressive is that, despite these de-

mands, there are a

lot of people around

who do teach Core,

who do serve on the

Faculty Council,

and who all do so

many other things.”

“Henry is one of those dynamic peo-

ple who represent what’s best about the

Division,” says Dean Venky. “He reminds

us that what might rst seem like an

obligation is in fact an opportunity for

outreach and growth. The Division, and

everyone in it, must be part of the wider

world to truly be a success.” F

Lifelong learning

Henry Ehrenreich, who balances a dual role as Clowes Research Professor of Science andUniversity Ombudsperson, enjoys a rare moment of relaxation in his ofce.

“Teaching kids in Core courses

who are not going to concen-

trate in the sciences really

teaches you about how to

explain science.”




Relief from the cold and dark Febru-

ary weather came early for local

Cambridge high-school teachers. A Di-

vision-backed seminar on Photovolta-ics and Semiconductors provided some

welcome heat, light, and electricity.

Science education advocate Eric Ma-

zur, who holds a triple appointment

as Harvard College Professor, Gordon

McKay Professor of Applied Physics,

and Professor of Physics at Harvard

University, led the two-hour workshop.

“I enjoyed giving this workshop so

much!” he said. “The teachers were a

great audience and the workshop was

a great opportunity for me to put my

own research in a broader perspective.I am excited that some of it will reach

the high-school level.”

Mazur’s team of faculty and graduate

students shared fundamental knowl-

edge and hands-on techniques covering

the latest in semiconductors and pho-

tovoltaics (the science of converting

light to electricity) with eager teachers

like John Samp. “After working with

high-school students all day,” Samp

commented, “it’s refreshing to experi-

ence a more rigorous educationalenvironment. The seminar is a perfect

opportunity for high-school and college

teaching to intersect.”

The talk, one of many, is part of the

National Science Foundation (NSF)–

funded GK-12 program, which has

paired DEAS graduate students with

teachers to develop and deliver learn-

ing activities for the Cambridge Public

School System.

The arrival of Kathryn Hollar, the rst

full-time Director for Educational Pro-grams at the Division, has energized the

already top-notch outreach program.

Hollar is uniquely qualied for the task:

She holds a B.S. degree in Chemical

Engineering and English from North

Carolina State University and a Ph.D.

in Chemical Engineering with a Bio-

chemistry minor from Cornell Univer-

sity. Most recently she was an Assistant

Professor in the Chemical Engineering

Out si det h

eQuad

Department at Rowan University in

Glassboro, New Jersey.

Jim Carey, a research assistant in the

Division, shed some light on why the

outreach to students is so critical. “With

more and more attention being given

to renewable energy sources, it is likely

that solar cells will be an important part

of young students’ lives. The earlier we

can give them a physical understanding

of how these modern devices work, the

better.” F

Seminars for the

2003–2004 School Year

Building Design and Energy Efciency

Photovoltaics and Solar Panels

Photovoltaics and Semiconductors

Fuel Cells and Electrochemistry

Human Activity and the Environment

(Top) The Division’s Eric Mazur gives a thumbs up to teachers John Samp and MarionLevinstein. (Above) Maureen Haverin, the teacher liaison for the GK-12 program, showsfellow educator Manjula Subramanian how to get students charged about research.




Maintaining relationships with industry is one of the main priorities of the Divi-

sion. TECH, the Industrial Outreach Program (IOP), and the Harvard Industrial

Partnership (HIP) all provide excellent ways for faculty and students to collaborate

with research organizations. The following examples illustrate how the Division

interacts with industry.

Faculty and students are research and

invention partners at the Division. Re-

cent applications for patents and issued

patents include:

Case 2119, “Soft Output Detector for

Channels with Deletions and Inser-

tions” by Alek Kavcic (faculty) and WeiZeng (student)

Case 2254, “Improved Near Maximum

Likelihood Method for Decoding Low-

Density Parity-Check Codes” by Alek

Kavcic (faculty), Ned Varnica (student),

and Marc Fossorier (University of Ha-

waii faculty)

Case 1135, “Process for Structural

Alteration of Selected Material (‘Micro-

Other recent industry

collaborations …

The Division collaborates with a host

of industries. Some of the most well-

developed and extensive relationships

include those with:

Agilent Technologies Inc.

Alkermes Inc.

Colgate-PalmoliveInneum USA L.P.

Kraft Foods

Microsoft Corp.

National Storage Inc.

Nortel

Paramitas Corp.

Procter & Gamble Co.

Rhodia Research

Seagate Technology

Weld Foundation

Better brushing with Unilever…

Working with a company like Unilever

Research Inc., which makes and sells

food, home, and personal care goods,

might not seem like an obvious t for

someone doing research on microu-

ids, soft materials, and biophysics. But

Gordon McKay Professor of AppliedPhysics and Professor of Physics David

Weitz explains it otherwise.

“Unilever is profoundly interested in

exploring use of the latest technologies

to make improvements in everything,

from better soaps and detergents to

foods that stay fresh longer,” he says.

The academic-industry interface gives

his lab a chance to test out ideas in the

real world and to learn equally from

Unilever’s research team, who might

approach a problem from a completely

different angle. “The results of this work

The halls of innovation

Engraving’) Within Transparent Ma-

terials” by Eric Mazur (faculty) and Eli

Glezer (student)

Case 1818, “A Method for Fabricating

Optical Waveguides and Other Optical

Devices in Three Dimensions Inside

Bulk Glass Using Femtosecond LaserOscillator” by Eric Mazur (faculty),

Chris Schaffer, André Brodeur, and Ra-

fael Gattas (students) F

are not only good science, but also have

the potential for technological impact.

We can then take what we discover and

be proud when it results in a new or

better product, while at the same time

plowing our ndings back into the Divi-

sion,” he says.Ultimately, the collaboration helps both

groups do rst-rate research. “Applica-

tions can drive innovations in science

just as much as research can inuence

the everyday products that you and I

use,” concludes Weitz. F

For more information, visit

www.unilever.com/brands/innovation/

www.deas.harvard.edu/projects/weitzlab/

Select joint faculty-student inventions

Examples of products that rely on colloi-

dal structures include toothpaste and fooditems such as milk and mayonnaise.

Research on the physics of soft condensedmatter like colloids — mixtures of smallparticles suspended in a liquid — has led topractical applications for consumer goods

companies.




Marco Iansiti, ’83, Ph.D. ’88, may not

have traveled far from home, but

his journey from physics to business,

especially radical at the time, has pro-

vided him with a fruitful intellectual

adventure. He received his two degrees

in Physics from Harvard before joining

the faculty of the Harvard Business

School (HBS) in 1989. Iansiti helped cre-

ate, and initially co-chaired, the I.T. and

Management program offered jointly

by DEAS and HBS.

What are some of your favorite mem-ories of your time at DEAS?

It was two weeks before my oral exam,

and Mike Tinkham showed me his

paper and said “Why don’t you work

on this?” I said, “I’m not interested in

research right now – I’m interested

in my oral exam!” But it was fun and

led to a bunch of really neat things. I[also] remember the rst experiment

that involved creating a new device – a

new tunnel junction – and cooling it at

low temperatures. I remember at 3 a.m.

taking the rst measurement and see-

ing something interesting. It felt really

fascinating to see something that hadn’t

been done before and get some interest-

ing data.

Do you think that professional

schools should seek out more people

like you – people who have a back-

ground in physics rather than those

who studied business or economics

straight through?

I think they should. In my own depart-

ment, I’m next door to someone whostudied materials science at MIT and

in the next room is someone who has

a degree in electrical engineering, also

from MIT. I work with people who have

backgrounds in organizational psychol-

ogy. The management of technology is

not a discipline, it’s a set of problems,

and the best way to tackle that set of

problems is by leveraging a variety of

different disciplines. It’s too easy to get

lost in the complexity of the data and

I think having strong training really

helps people.

Are you excited about the direction in

which economics is moving, in terms

of behavioral economics and some of

the work that has emerged?

I think it is very exciting. Right now

there are much more powerful tools

and more powerful ways to become

closer to the application world, and I

Alumni Not es

think that’s really good. It’s very hard

to develop a solid understanding of a

business problem if there isn’t a strong

business foundation in economics or

psychology or sociology or some eld

that can give you some structure and

discipline.

What are some of the research topicsthat you are most interested in right

now?

I’m very interested in networks of

companies. In the old days, innovation

was primarily done by individuals in

isolated labs, such as Bell Labs. Now it

is really a network phenomenon, where

literally thousands of organizations are

working on related problems.

Is there a modern Bell Labs out there

now?

No, the concept has changed. There area number of R&D labs that are really

important in a variety of ways. You can

nd them in universities and you can

still nd them in the private sector.

Looking forward, or even looking back

a few years, I think you’ll nd that any

innovation is really a collaborative

phenomenon. F

with Marco IansitiThere and back again




EventsIn addition to almost daily seminars and colloquia – from computer science to

squishy physics – the Division also sponsors major workshops.

Please visit http://deas.harvard.edu/newsandevents/ for the latest details, dates,

and times. Graduates are always welcome (and encouraged) to attend events.

Here’s a selection of what’s to come later this year.

Favorites… “My favorite class was

ES 145, Bioengineering – looking at

systems in the human body – because

of Professor McMahon. He passed

away the week before the nal exam.He was a very special person; he

made it a point to talk to students and

get to know them outside of class.”

– JohnBasbagill ’00

Therealworld… “I will always

remember the story Professor Aber-

nathy told about the John Hancock

Building and the vibration problems

they had been having. I probably

could recite the story today, word for

word, if I had to. For me, I beneted

from the practice – from understand-

ing why we were studying all these

concepts and how you would applythem.”

– AldonaClottey ’95

Applyingmedicine… “In medical

school there are a variety of topics

of physiology that you can appreci-

ate because you have studied the

way uid ows, or if you’ve studied

mechanics you can appreciate the

skeletal system more than if you are

coming in without that background.

As for orthopedics itself, it is all ap-

plied engineering. You have fracturesand you have to build something that

contains the fracture. That’s a lot of

structural engineering.”

– JeremyMoses ’96, M.D. ’00

Thepastandpresent… “I have

a lot of fond memories of being [at

Harvard], coming in at night, meeting

with the graduate students that were

there. The new [computer science]

building is 100 times better [than

Aiken]. The way it lets people collabo-

rate, the size of it. It’s wonderful to

see the top work in computer science

being done there.” – BillGates Col ’77 F

Quick quotes

Privacy and Security:Technologies, Policies, and Society

Dates: April 22–23, 2004

Information & registration:

www.radcliffe.edu/events/conferences/

security/

Industrial Outreach Program(IOP) 2004 Workshop

Frontiers in Materials and Nanoscience:

Innovation & Collaboration

Dates: May 20–21, 2004


www.deas.harvard.edu/industry/

Second Workshop on the Econo-ics of Peer-to-Peer Systems (P2P)

Dates: June 4–5, 2004


www.eecs.harvard.edu/p2pecon/

Harvard Industrial Partnership(HIP) 2004 Workshop

Dates: October 20–21, 2004

Planning for HIP 2004, an excellent op-

portunity to learn about the latest from

Electrical Engineering and Computer

Science, is well under way. Please stay

tuned for more. F

Unexpectedapplications… “I

ended up taking a structural engineer-

ing course that turned out to be really

useful. During a summer job with a

little engineering outt, I used a lotof what I learned from the course.

My claim to fame is that I wrote the

rst pass of a program for them – an

interactive program that let you lay

out the geometry of a geodesic dome

– that was later used to lay out the

EPCOT Center.”

– DavidRobinson ’72

Teamingup… “I really liked the

teamwork between the students in

my group. We reviewed each other’s

papers and gave comments and

feedback. I think the relationships I

developed at DEAS will last a lifetime.” – RaquelHillPh.D. ’02

Graduates share their thoughts and memories about their time at the Division

Michael Rabin, Thomas J. Watson, Sr. Professor of Computer Science (far left, seated) andother attendees during a panel session at the HIP 2003 workshop last November.




An ongoing series of photo essays

dedicated to showcasing how DEAS

inspires collaborative work and

encourages interdisciplinary research.

Connect i o

ns

Feedback loop

We welcome and appreciate your

comments, suggestions, and

corrections.

Please send feedback to:

[email protected]

or call us at 617-496-3815.

This newsletter is published by:

The Division of Engineering

and Applied Sciences

Communications Ofce

Harvard University

Pierce Hall

29 Oxford Street

Cambridge, MA 02138

Managing Editor/Writer:

Michael Patrick Rutter

Design and Production

Coordinator: Eliza Grinnell

This publication, including past

issues, is available on the Web

at www.deas.harvard.edu

Copyright © 2004 by the

President and Fellows of

Harvard College

While this issue has explored the inuence of engineering

and the applied sciences on society, connections to the outside

world often start on the inside.

As the Division has developed to occupy over 340,000 square

feet of interconnected labs, classrooms, clusters, and ofces, a

concerted effort has been made to craft an environment (both

physical and social) that encourages and inspires scientists and

researchers to work together.

Applied physicists work alongside chemical engineers. Five-

minute catch-up meetings, a favorite way for Dean Venky to

keep current, happen in the hallways, allowing ideas to reach

all interested ears. Students are free to drop by faculty ofces

and labs rather than make appointments.

With bridges and tunnels linking old buildings with new, great

ideas (and minds) have little fear of getting rained on. F

Inside information

Facethefuture…Donhee Hamand Robert M. Westervelt lookforward to future collaborationson novel biochip design (Above).

Alteredstates… Howard Stoneand David Weitz investigate aproblem from different points of view (Above Left).

Tabletalk… (Below Left) Computer science faculty Margo Seltzerand Matt Welsh never table a good discussion.

Turnthepage… (Below Right) Camilla Lau ’04, who designed anautomatic piano music page turner, goes solo at her Senior DesignProject Presentation. She gave “bravos” for the support of her facultyadvisors, fellow students, and friends .

Takeve...(Left) Dean Venkycatches up with undergraduateWill Fithian ’06. Impromptu “hall-way meetings” are just one wayDivision faculty, students, andstaff reach out and connect.

Beyondboundaries... (Be-low) Without the constraints of traditional departments, Divisionmembers unite naturally to solveproblems in all types of weather.

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