We have just published the Fall 2003 issue of Forefront magazine. Among the articles on student and alumni news and research developments is our cover story that describes Professor Paul Wright's emerging technology to help save firefighters' lives and rescue victims from burning buildings. Paul is just one of 150+ faculty involved in CITRIS research - our Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society.

Paul recently told me it was the tragedy of September 11 that changed the focus of his and his students' work. As you will read in Forefront, their "smart" helmet is going to change the way firefighters do their jobs, make their jobs more efficient and their lives safer.

Speaking of students, while we often describe the ground-breaking research coming from our Berkeley Engineering faculty and students, I certainly don't want to overlook some of the special projects our students undertake "for fun." For example, our super-mileage car, The Bear, recently beat 20 other colleges to win the national championship at 1,068 miles per gallon! This year our human-powered vehicle, the Bearacuda, set the world speed record for a tandem-powered vehicle at 68.4 miles per hour, and our Concrete Canoe team returned to national prominence by coming in third in the national competition and winning the innovation award for the concrete placement technique they invented. Our brand new solar-powered vehicle, the Solar Bear, finished fourth at the 2003 Formula Sun Grand Prix and second in the American Solar Challenge.

Our weekly newsletter Engineering News reports on student activities like these and is an excellent lens to view student life at the College. Check out a story from a recent issue on our newest group of students hoping to make College history by competing in their first-ever formula-style car competition. Berkeley Engineering students certainly are the best of the best and all of these student projects are made possible by funding from our alumni, friends, and corporate sponsors.

On November 19, Berkeley Engineering will host a global symposium on energy research, co-sponsored by the Russian Global Energy Prize Committee, and featuring lectures by world experts speaking on pulsed power and future prospects for improved energy efficiency. To register for this free event, please visit their Web site.

I hope you enjoy this month's Lab Notes!