ENGenious

ENGenious is a publication for alumni and friends of the Division of Engineering and Applied Science.

Table of Contents - Issue No.7, Winter 2010

Note From The Chair

Letter from the EAS Chair: Ares Rosakis
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Snap Shots

Two GALCIT Alumni's Vision;
Sustainability: The Caltech Approach;
A Think and Do Tank;
Improving Our Understanding of Climate and Earth Systems
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New Faculty

Who’s New: New Faculty and Moore Scholars
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An Electrifying Century

Electrical Engineering:
An Early History of the Caltech EE Department
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Faculty Profiles

Electrical Engineering
Celebrating the Past Century and Pondering the Next
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Alumni Profile

Cool Earth Solar
GALCIT Alumni Are Diving into Muddy Problems and Coming out with Clear Solutions
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Alumni Profile

Carver Mead
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Progress Report

Size Matters: Mechanical Properties of Materials at the Nano-scale
by Julia Greer
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ENGenious cover

Cover image: Montage created from photos and research images highlighting the three eras of Electrical Engineering at Caltech: power, computing, and communications. The front cover shows a power arc created by a 1,000,000 volt testing transformer in the High Voltage Laboratory, as well as the corrugation of a semiconductor distributed-feedback (DFB) laser. The corrugation or grating was constructed to reflect only a narrow band of wavelengths. This unique feature of the DFB laser is the reason it is widely used in optical communication. The back cover shows a variety of computer chip designs in reference to the computing era and its great impact.

Ares Rosakis in the Von Kármán Conference Room
Above: Ares J. Rosakis, Theodore von Kármán Professor of Aeronautics and Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Chair, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, standing in the renovated Von Kármán Conference Room.

Idea Flow

Making a Dramatic Change by
Starting with the Fundamentals

by Sandy Irani
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Research Note

Quantum Algorithms:
A Test for the Laws of Physics
Submerged Circuits of Floating DNA
by Leonard J. Schulman
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Annenberg

Inside back cover: The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Center for Information Science and Technology officially opened in October 2009. It was designed by the architectural firm of Frederick Fisher and Partners and the Annenberg Foundation provided the lead gift toward the construction of this state-of-the-art building. In harmony with the goals of the Annenberg Foundation, the building is home to researchers from different academic divisions who work on the broad theme of information science and technology. Their research addresses the growth and impact of information as it relates to all engineering and science practices. Sustainability defines the center, with landscaping featuring mini-plazas accented by native plants. Spray and drip irrigation promote low water use, and sensors save on energy for lighting, heating, and air-conditioning. Generous funding in excess of $50 million from the Annenberg Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr., and others has made this remarkable campus initiative possible.