WSE undergraduate students can now earn a B.S. in Environmental Engineering with the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering (DoGEE). This new major will welcome students starting in the fall of 2002 and will offer concentrations in four areas: Environmental Management and Economics; Environmental Engineering Science; Environmental Transport; and, Environmental Health Engineering. More information is available at the DoGEE web site: http://www.jhu.edu/~dogee

In a new collaboration, WSE's Mathematical Sciences Department and the Department of Sociology at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) are now offering a joint program leading to a Ph.D. in Sociology and a Master's degree in Mathematical Sciences. The purpose of this joint program is to offer Sociology doctoral students an opportunity to acquire advanced statistical knowledge and applied research skills. For more information visit:http://www.soc.jhu.edu/joint_program.htm

In another new program, the Mathematical Sciences Department is now offering "Pre-actuarial Studies" to undergraduates who pursue careers in the financial services industry. Additional details are available at: http://www.mts.jhu.edu/mts/actuary/index.html

The Center for Hazardous Substances in Urban Environments has been established at Johns Hopkins, thanks to a $5 million federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This collaborative effort will study an array of environmental threats to city dwellers, including air pollution, contaminated groundwater, and toxic chemicals generated by Superfund sites, landfills, and incinerators. The Center will bring together researchers from Hopkins, the University of Maryland, Morgan State University, University of Connecticut, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Directed by Professor Edward Bouwer (DoGEE), this five-year Center has already named several projects, including a study of pollutant dispersion in the urban atmosphere, migration of chemicals in groundwater and harbors, and treatment of contaminated vapors. Center researchers also will focus on community outreach, including technical and scientific assistance to residents hoping to clean and redevelop properties known as brownfields, abandoned sites often contaminated by the vestiges of the Industrial Revolution.

Also this fall, WSE's Center for Language and Speech Processing (CLSP) received an NSF grant in collaboration with a number of institutions, totaling $7.5 million, to develop a speech recognition system that will enable historians to cull through an enormous number of videotaped interviews from Holocaust survivors. Associate Research Professor Bill Byrne, with the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department, is a co-principal investigator of this project.

In other breaking news from JHU's Center for Environmental Fluid Mechanics, Professor Marc Parlange (DoGEE) along with five other WSE faculty members were awarded a $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a Biocomplexity Research Initiative. This research will enable the development of instruments to measure the emission and transport of biological aerosols into the environment. Visit the Biocomplexity web site for additional information:http://pegasus.me.jhu.edu/~biocomplex

The first open house of the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute (JHUISI) was held in October at the Homewood Campus, drawing more than 150 people from industry, government agencies, and the Hopkins community. Professor Gerald Masson, Director, provided an overview of plans and programs that include a new Information Security master's program that will be introduced in the next year. Guest speaker, Brain Snow, of the National Security Agency addressed the audience with a timely talk, "We Need Assurance." Laboratory tours and research presentations were given demonstrating some of the technologies and issues being studied in connection with the Institute, including: high assurance system, wireless mobile computing, secure collaboration, DNS security, secure component software, intrusion detection, vulnerabilities databases, and pro-active security. For the latest developments and information on upcoming colloquia, visit the JHUISI web site at: http://www.jhuisi.jhu.edu

The Center for Imaging Science teaming with the F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging at the Kennedy-Krieger Institute has established an interdisciplinary resource center, providing state-of-the-art technology and extensive MRI expertise. The recently funded NIH Resource Center is designed to facilitate biomedical research with NIH funded neuroscientists at several institutions in Maryland and through the country. The role of WSE's Center for Imaging Science is to develop advanced anatomical analysis tools for the integration of functional MRI methodologies.

The Engineering Research Center for Computer Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology (ERC CISST) held it's fifth annual Lego "Surgery" Contest in November. Ten teams of students from six Baltimore area high schools competed to build a computer-based medical robot. Throughout this four-day event, teams were guided by Johns Hopkins and Carnegie Mellon University undergraduate and graduate students. The goals of this annual event include fostering high school student interest in computer integrated surgery, developing teamwork skills, and giving hands-on experience in solving realistic engineering problems from start to finish. Additional details are available on the CISST web site at: http://cisstweb.cs.jhu.edu/~cissrs

A new concentration in Information Security will be offered this spring through PTE. This concentration will be offered in computer science and will also be open to students in information systems and technology. For more information visit the PTE web site at: http://www.wse.jhu.edu/partime/

In continuing an active participation in developing partnerships with industry, PTE is facilitating educational opportunities for employees at companies such as Lockheed Martin in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Acterna in Germantown, Maryland, as well as BAE Systems in New Hampshire. Additional partnerships with government agencies include ITU in northern Virginia, the U.S. Navy in Crystal City, and the Naval Test Pilot School in southern Maryland. For further information on partnership opportunities with PTE, please contact Jim Teesdale at james.teesdale@jhuapl.edu

Many WSE faculty received awards throughout the year in recognition of their research, innovation, and leadership. Here are some of the awards received this fall:

Dean Ilene Busch-Vishniac received the prestigious Silver Medal in Engineering Acoustics this fall from the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). The silver medal is the highest technical merit awarded by the ASA, and presented no more than once every three years. The award is in recognition of Dean Busch-Vishniac's development of novel electret microphones and of precision micro-electro-mechanical sensors and positioners.

Professor William Sharpe (Mechanical Engineering) received the B.J. Lazan Award from the Society for Experimental Mechanics for 2001. The B.J. Lazan Award was established to recognize individuals who have made outstanding original technical contributions to experimental mechanics.

Assistant Professor Giuseppe Ateniese (Computer Science) has received a National Science Foundation's (NSF) CAREER award in recognition of his work in network security and privacy. NSF's Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program recognizes and supports the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who are most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century.

Professor Wilson (Jack) Rugh (Electrical & Computer Engineering) received the 2001 Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware. The award is in recognition of Dr. Rugh's educational and interactive web site, "Demonstrations in Signals, Systems and Control," at: http://www.jhu.edu/~signals . In announcing the award, The National Engineering Education Delivery System organization cited Dr. Rugh's work as "well designed modules...that focus on concepts that are difficult to present...adaptable for use in classrooms everywhere."

Professor Charles Meneveau (Mechanical Engineering) received the 2001 Frenkiel award for Fluid Mechanicals at the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics annual meeting. This award recognizes significant contributions to fluid mechanics that have been published in Physics of Fluids during the preceding year by young investigators.

Professor Kevin Hemker (Mechanical Engineering) received the 2001 Materials Science Research Silver Medal from ASM International, the society for materials engineers and scientists.

Professor Frederick Jelinek (Electrical & Computer Engineering) received an Honorary Doctorate in the Sciences of Mathematics and Physics from Charles University in Prague this fall.

In other faculty news, welcome to Assistant Professor Andre Levchenko who joined the Biomedical Engineering Department this fall. Dr. Levchenko received a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences from Columbia University and completed his post-doctoral studies at California Institute of Technology (CalTech) investigating intracellular signal transduction both theoretically and experimentally. His current interests include exploration of the mechanisms underlying various intracellular communication and signaling processes using novel computational and experimental techniques.

Also, welcome to Assistant Professor Kalina Hristova who has recently joined the Materials Science & Engineering Department. Dr. Hristova completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Sofia, receiving a B.S & M.S. in Physics. Her Ph.D. is from Duke University, and post-doctoral work was done at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Hristova's research goals are to understand the material properties of bimolecular self-assemblies, uncover how the material properties determine biological function, and use this knowledge to design devices for scientific discovery, diagnostics, and therapeutics screening.

This year's 8th Annual Spaghetti Bridge Contest featured 18 model bridges designed and built by teams of first-year engineering students from the Whiting School. The contest is held in conjunction with WSE's freshman engineering course, "What is Engineering?" and conducted by Professors Michael Karweit and Timothy Weihs. Each bridge, built with only spaghetti and glue, had to meet a number of design requirements, including spanning one meter and weighing less than 750 grams (~1.65 lbs.), along with the ability to carry a load of at least 12 kilograms (~26.4 lbs). This year's winning bridge, "Tacoma Narrows," was built by undergraduates Cory Wingerter, Eric Nothnagel, and Ky Vu, and held an amazing load of 64 kilograms (~140.8 lbs). To view a video of the competition and see photos from the event, visit:http://www.jhu.edu/~virtlab/

The Whiting Leadership Dinner was held on November 9, 2001 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. This event is an annual dinner held to honor and thank the caring people whose leadership, work, wealth and wisdom make it possible for the Whiting School to achieve excellence in its primary mission--the creation of knowledge. Throughout the evening guests heard from faculty member Dr. Andrew Conn who heads the Senior Design Program in Mechanical Engineering, and three engineering students: Shannon Brown '01, Scott Burkholder '02, and Allison Barker '03. Dean Ilene Busch-Vishniac gave the keynote speech, "Thoughts of an Uncertain Future." This speech can be found on the WSE web site:http://www.wse.jhu.edu/archive/dean/uncertain_future.html

SAVE THE DATES...April 11-14, 2002 Reunion/Homecoming is just around the corner. Further details will be mailed in early February. Please make plans now to join your reunion class. For more information go to: http://alumni.jhu.edu/alumni/homecome/events.html

The new Student Recreation Center will be dedicated onFriday, April 12, 2002 at 4:30 pm. Come and join the festivities, as this wonderful new addition to the Homewood campus is unveiled for students, staff, alumni and friends of Johns Hopkins.

The largest tax cut in two decades has made its way through Congress with--by Washington standards--blinding speed. Known as the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, this incredibly broad legislation offers tax savings of various kinds to nearly all tax-paying Americans. As 2001 comes to a close, please keep year-end contribution gifts in mind. For questions and further information please contact the WSE Development & Alumni Relations Office at 410-516-8723.