September 2005
Friends of the College of Engineering,
Last week, our Berkeley Engineering alum and QUALCOMM CEO Paul Jacobs (B.S. '84, M.S. '86, Ph.D. '89 EECS) presented a compelling vision for our students and faculty of the future of cell phone technology. Sibley Auditorium was "standing room only" with our Engineering students, who saw this as a unique opportunity to hear from a wireless industry leader. Like Paul, I am personally convinced that we tend to underestimate the role that future personal, portable, and connected technology will play in all our of our lives. Paul's entire talk is available on our website.
At Paul's presentation, we were also pleased to announce what we hope will soon become the social hub of the College, the QUALCOMM CyberCafe in our new CITRIS Headquarters building. QUALCOMM's generous support of this project will enable us to provide a safe, wirelessly connected social center in the north east precinct of our campus. If all goes well, we hope Peet's Coffee will manage the CyberCafe and provide our students with all the refreshment they need -- 24 hours a day!
Speaking of our Engineering students, I'm happy to report that this year we admitted almost 600 freshmen to the College -- the largest freshman class since 1988 -- and one that certainly continues Berkeley 's tradition of excellence. Our freshmen have an average GPA of 4.35 and average SAT score of over 1400. Along with 200 junior transfers, this year's new class totals almost 800 students. We're all excited to get to know these amazing young people as they embark on their first year on the Berkeley campus.
As outstanding as our students are, so too are our alumni. In recognition of our most distinguished alumni, on September 24 we will hold our 31 st annual Distinguished Engineering Alumni Awards dinner. This year's winners join a proud tradition that reflects the incredible breadth and depth of talent developed in our College: Frank Agardy (M.S.'58, Ph.D. '63 CE), Bill Joy (M.S.'79 EECS) and Barbara Simons (Ph.D.'81 EECS) for the Lifetime Achievement Award; John Deng (Ph.D.'97 EECS) and Tom Zhang (Ph.D.'04 EECS) who share the Outstanding Young Leader award. It is a wonderful evening and space is limited, so I encourage you to register now.
Next month at our annual Homecoming event on October 1, our Mechanical Engineering Chairman Albert Pisano will present the Faculty Lecture to our alumni, parents and friends. Al has decided to speak about "The Future of Gadgets", from wireless devices to automobile sensors to medical technology breakthroughs. I'm sure Al's engaging style will keep you and your family entertained and informed. Of course, there's also a football game that day with the Bears facing Arizona, so we hope you'll join us if you can.
I look forward to seeing you soon at one of our College programs. Until then, please do keep in touch with the College and Go Bears!
/rich
A. Richard Newton
Dean, College of Engineering and
the Roy W. Carlson Professor of Engineering
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