Professor Vahala Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
02-06-20
Kerry J. Vahala, Ted and Ginger Jenkins Professor of Information Science and Technology and Applied Physics; Executive Officer for Applied Physics and Materials Science, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Professor Vahala was elected for “research and application of nonlinear optical microresonators to the miniaturization of precision time and frequency systems." Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature," and to "the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education." [NAE release]
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Kerry Vahala
Professor Hou Featured in Quanta Magazine
01-14-20
The Quanta Magazine has featured Thomas Y. Hou, Charles Lee Powell Professor of Applied and Computational Mathematics, for his work in Euler singularity. Mathematicians and physicists have used Euler equations to model how fluids evolve over time. If you toss a rock into a still pond, how will the water be moving five seconds later? The Euler equations can tell you. Hou provided a numerical description of the initial state of a fluid and used a computer to apply the Euler equations to determine the fluid’s motion in the future. “From the top the fluid is spiraling down, and from the bottom it is swirling up in the opposite direction,” said Professor Hou. [Quanta article]
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Thomas Hou
Making a Better Match
01-14-20
Professor Adam Wierman worked with a cross-disciplinary team to improve the Pasadena Unified School District's open-enrollment algorithm. Wierman knew from experience that the district's open-enrollment process was not optimal. "I couldn't help but notice that it wasn't particularly well designed," says Wierman. "There was a huge opportunity, I thought, to improve." With the team's new and improved algorithm, families are more likely to get their top match and are also more likely to keep their children in the school district rather than enrolling them in private or charter schools. [Caltech story]
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Adam Wierman
EAS Remembers Donald S. Cohen
01-13-20
Donald S. Cohen, Charles Lee Powell Professor of Applied Mathematics, Emeritus, passed away on January 9, 2020, at the age of 85. Cohen was one of the first faculty members recruited for Caltech's newly formed applied mathematics program in 1965. He was named associate professor of applied mathematics in 1967 and earned tenure in 1971. His research covered a variety of topics, including early work in the theory of reaction-diffusion equations. His later research in nonlinear differential equations, pattern formation, stability, and bifurcations had a significant impact on mathematical biology and chemical engineering. Cohen was a popular teacher who received awards for undergraduate teaching excellence in 1979, 1987, and 1998; in 2000, he was awarded the Richard P. Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching. [Caltech story]
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Joel Tropp Elected Fellow of IEEE
01-08-20
Joel A. Tropp, Steele Family Professor of Applied and Computational Mathematics, has been elected as a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for his contributions to sparse signal processing. The IEEE Fellow is one of the most prestigious honors of the IEEE, and is bestowed upon a very limited number of Senior Members who have contributed importantly to the advancement or application of engineering, science and technology.
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Joel Tropp
