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October 31, 2005 Vol.
77, no. 10F
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| CEE assistant professor Alexandre
Bayen received his engineering degree in applied mathematics from
Ecole Polytechnique in 1998 and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in aeronautics
and astronautics from Stanford in 1999 and 2003, respectively.
He joined the CEE faculty in March this year. Bayen conducts research
in modeling and control of distributed parameters systems, with
applications in transportation systems (air traffic control, highways)
and distribution systems (water distribution networks). (Photo
Credit: Peg Skorpinski)
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Professor
Minute with CEE assistant professor Alexandre Bayen
If you had not decided
to go into engineering, what other career would you have today?
I would have become a diplomat. I have always been interested in international
geopolitics, and my knowledge of German and Russian would have been
very useful in the context of Europe’s expansion east.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to take long runs in the redwood forests of California. I also
play the piano and collect Franz Liszt memorabilia from antique shops.
To date, what has
been the most memorable moment in your career?
A few months after joining the Hybrid Systems Laboratory as a Ph.D.
student at Stanford, I was confused by a result published in one of
the most prestigious journals in the field. My first research achievement
was to construct a counterexample invalidating the result. Even though
the real contribution came later when a colleague, my advisor, and I
proved the correct version of the result, this experience remains memorable
as a moment when I learned to trust myself.
What movie should
every student see?
Different students should see different movies. Some classics remain
unchallenged: “Casablanca,” “North by Northwest,”
“All about Eve,” “Notorious,” and “Rebecca.”
What CD are you
listening to at the moment?
Krystian Zimerman’s performance of Rachmaninov’s Second
Piano Concerto, with Seiji Ozawa conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
It is almost as emotional and crazy as the live version he gave in 2000
in Paris!
If you would like us
to feature your favorite professor, please e-mail his or her name to
engnews@coe.berkeley.edu.
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