EP Spring/Summer News 2008
Where's Amelia Earhart? David Jourdan Plans to Show the World
Ever since 1937, when American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart's plane vanished while crossing the Pacific Ocean, theories about her disappearance have flourished. Was she captured by the Japanese? Did she live out her days on some remote Pacific island?
Last month, JHU Whiting School alumnus David Jourdan presented a different theory to an audience at the Johns Hopkins Montgomery County Campus. He believes Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan flew off course due to navigational issues, their attempt to circumnavigate the globe ending with their Lockheed Electra sitting at the bottom of the ocean.
Jourdan, founder and president of Nauticos LLC, a deep-ocean exploration company, is confident he will find it-well-preserved in the icy waters 20,000 feet down-perhaps on his third expedition to what he believes to be the crash site. He's so confident, he's already planning a traveling exhibit of what his team recovers.
He closed his talk with a fitting quote from Earhart: "You have to decide whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying." Solving the 71-year-old Earhart mystery is clearly worth the risk to Dave Jourdan.
For more information about Jourdan's quest...
New Chairs for Systems Engineering, Technical Management
Two of the EP programs that face the greatest growth opportunities - the Systems Engineering program, and the Technical Management program - have been managed by a single chair. Now, with the resignation of Dr. Kenneth Potocki, EP is taking a different approach.
Effective July 1, 2008, each of these programs has its own chair, making it possible to focus greater attention on meeting the growing and changing needs of students and their employers.
A search committee drawn from APL and the Whiting School selected Dr. Ronald Luman to chair the Systems Engineering program. A systems engineer in his own right with an impressive list of accomplishments, Luman heads APL's National Security Analysis Department. Dr. Samuel Seymour will continue as vice chair for this program.
To head the Technical Management program, the committee tapped Dr. Joseph Suter. He has developed and taught courses in EP for many years and has distinguished himself in leadership roles in APL's Research and Technology Development Center and in its Space Department.
New EP Concentration on Nurturing Innovation for Competitive Advantage
A recent study by the U.S. Council on Competitiveness concluded that nurturing innovation has become a key strategy for national prosperity. In keeping with this strategy and to meet regional workforce needs, EP will offer a new master's level concentration in Technical Innovation Management this fall.
Dr. Kenneth Potocki, until recently the chair of EP's Technical Management master's program, explains the importance of the new concentration. "Moving an innovation from opportunity to reality - and competitive advantage - contains an element of management responsibilities," he says. "The courses will help students build workplace environments where innovation can flourish, and those who take the concentration will be able to understand and direct the collaborative creativity of engineers and scientists."
EP associate dean Allan Bjerkaas adds that this new offering illustrates that the school's mission is to not only provide the latest information but to also "give students the tools to use that information to create and manage new products and technologies."
For more information about the new Technical Innovation Management concentration...
Konstantopoulos Named Chair of Refocused Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Program
In response to the growing demand for expertise in the life sciences and related engineering fields, EP has refocused its chemical engineering curriculum to better prepare its students to meet this demand. Now, in addition to the traditional Master of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering degree, the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering program will offer four new concentrations - in cell and molecular biotechnology, nano and microtechnology, biomaterials and drug delivery, and colloids and interfaces.
In keeping with this change, Dr. Konstantinos Konstantopoulos has been named chair of the program. As an associate professor engaged in bioengineering research, he brings the right perspective to this leadership role. "I want to make sure we provide the best possible education for our part-time students," he says. "This is done by adapting our curriculum to the challenges and changes of our times, and in order to remain in the forefront, we must continue doing that."
Allan Bjerkaas, EP associate dean, is pleased with the new biomolecular focus for this program and with its new leader. "I'm looking forward to Dr. Konstantopoulos leading the program forward in this new direction," he says.
For more information about Dr. Konstantopoulos...
For more information about the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering program...
Three EP Faculty Members Honored for Their Teaching Skills
Every year, EP acknowledges the vital importance of faculty quality by presenting Excellence in Teaching Awards to instructors who have been singled out "For excellence in instruction and dedication to the Engineering Programs for Professionals." The 2008 winners who were honored at the Whiting School's Convocation Awards Ceremony on May 5 are:
Dr. Michael Caloyannides--Teaching in the Information Systems and Technology program only since 2005, Michael has already earned a reputation as a highly knowledgeable and challenging teacher. He has a unique ability to present complex subject matter to students with widely varying technical backgrounds.
Raymond Schulmeyer--A 20-year EP veteran, Ray has set the standards for teaching and mentoring in the Systems Engineering program. Students consistently give him high marks for his classroom skills, and many of them-as well as quite a few new faculty members-have benefited from having him as a mentor.
Dr. Craig Toussaint--Craig has been sharing real-world insights with students in the Environmental Engineering, Science and Management program since 1998, most recently in two online courses he designed. He emphasizes teamwork in his courses, which bring science and engineering tools together in a management context.
EP Goes Green in the Classroom
In response to the growing need for environmentally-conscious ways of living and doing business, EP offered two "green" master's level courses last fall, with more to follow.
Dr. Harry Charles, chair of the Applied Physics program, taught Alternate Energy Technology, exploring such alternatives as photovoltaics, solar thermal, wind energy, geothermal and thermal gradient sources, biomass and synthetic fuels, hydroelectric, wave and tidal energy, and nuclear energy.
Dr. William Roper led a course in the Environmental Engineering, Science and Management program called Sustainable Development and Next Generation Buildings. It covered building design, site planning, water management, energy, conservation of materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.
"Most of the 'green' technology is in the early stages, which presents practically unlimited opportunities for scientists and engineers to create systems that use energy more efficiently," says Allan Bjerkaas, EP associate dean. "The companies' desire to incorporate this new knowledge into their operations fits the EP paradigm to provide students with a relevant, cutting edge education."