October/November 2004
Friends of the College of Engineering,
On October 1 more than 1,500 of our students were given a unique opportunity to hear a pioneer of the software industry and the world's wealthiest man discuss the future of technology. In a dialog with me in Zellerbach Hall, Bill Gates spoke to our engineering students and faculty. Our discussion ranged from the future of computer science and its relationship to biology, to the increasing globalization of business and its effect on the Bay Area, as well as his major philanthropic efforts.
One of the first questions I asked Bill was what would excite him most if he were a young engineer. He answered: information technology and biology, and referred to the exciting research going on at Berkeley at the intersection of IT and biology. "If I were a student I would highlight those two areas as the most interesting today," he said. A number of our Berkeley engineering faculty, including bioengineering Professor Adam Arkin for example, are spearheading such research.
After the session was over, Bill met with more than 40 engineering students and faculty and spent half an hour answering their questions. It was truly a wonderful event for the College and our campus and was the first in our new lecture series View from the Top , where we are inviting global business leaders to come to campus and share their experience with our students. Watch the Bill Gates interview if you have a chance.
We were also very pleased to welcome Steven Chu to the College as our Homecoming keynote speaker. Nobel laureate and the new director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Labs (LBNL), Steve delivered an inspiring talk on " Life as Beautifully Engineered Systems ," which can also be watched on the Web. The historical, wide-ranging, and growing collaboration between our College and LBNL is another critical element of the Berkeley research ecosystem.
Last Friday we broke ground for the building that will be headquarters of our Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society ( CITRIS ). Inside the facility, we expect students and faculty to make the key technological breakthroughs needed to solve society's most challenging problems - in areas from energy and security to health care and the environment.
Don't forget the Big Game on November 20 at the Memorial Stadium. It should be well worth watching again this year!
Have a great month and Go Bears!
/rich
A. Richard Newton
Dean, College of Engineering and
the Roy W. Carlson Professor of Engineering
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