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February 20, 2006 Vol. 77, no. 6S
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ME professor Andrew Szeri is also associate dean of Berkeley’s
Graduate Division. He received a B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, in 1984, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University
in 1987 and 1988, respectively. His research interests include fluid
dynamics and applied mathematics, applications to transport processes
in bubbles, ultrasound in medicine, sonoluminescence, shock wave
lithotripsy, dynamical neuroscience, and ion traps. (Peg
Skorpinski photo)
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Professor
Minute with ME professor Andrew Szeri
What first inspired
you to go into engineering?
I have always been interested in explanations of things I observe.
I like things that move and I like thinking in three dimensions. Dynamics
and fluid mechanics felt like natural subjects for me.
To date, what has been the most memorable moment in your career?
Studying for my first round of exams as a graduate student. I was terrified
they would find out I should never have been admitted.
Whom do you most admire?
One of my Ph.D. students who went from being a refugee (at age
15) and deprived of a formal education in war-torn Vietnam
to receiving
a Ph.D. in his twenties. I admire his determination not to let
his earlier misfortune have any more power over his life than
it had already done by depriving him of a “normal” childhood.
If you had a few extra hours, what would you do?
Walk from Berkeley to El Cerrito on the crest of the Berkeley Hills,
and BART back. You can get up there through Strawberry Canyon,
go over Vollmer Peak, and north through Tilden Park past Inspiration
Point and out the Belgum Trail. You can do that all on well-marked
trails, with spectacular views.
What are you currently
reading?
A book of short stories by Paul Bowles and Herman Melville’s
first book, Typee. More slowly, I am rereading two by my favorite authors,
Haruki Murakami and Thomas Pynchon.
What is one thing you would like to learn how to do?
Play my ukulele better.
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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