Tufts University
Spring 2009

Solar House Teaches Tufts Students Sustainability
Solar House Teaches Tufts Students SustainabilityEngineers Dante DeMeo (E'08), Matt Thoms (E'10), and Mike Sidebottom (E'10) are three of the students working on the design and construction of an affordable and energy-efficient solar house as part of the 2009 Solar Decathlon competition. Tufts University, in conjunction with Boston Architectural College, has begun building the 800-sq ft. home for display on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall.


Exploring Attributes of Engineering Leadership

Exploring Attributes of Engineering LeadershipAs part of Tufts School of Engineering's commitment to educating tomorrow's engineering leaders, the school hosted an engineering leadership panel to discuss both what makes an effective engineering leader and how to teach these attributes to future engineers. Watch a video of the event.


Alumna Named a New Face of Engineering

Alumna Named a New Face of EngineeringSarah Freeman (E'05, EG'08), a water resources engineer for the Louis Berger Group, has been named as one of the 2009 New Faces of Engineering by the National Engineers Week Foundation. Freeman recently conducted a two-year study using global water data sets and GIS to give a much richer picture of water availability in Africa than traditional studies have shown.


Engineer wins Environmental Scholarship

Engineer wins Environmental ScholarshipMatthew Thoms (E'10) has been named a Morris K. Udall Scholar for 2009. Candidates are selected based on commitment to environmental research and issues. As an engineer passionate about sustainability, Thoms' focus is on renewable power generation and his current research involves increasing the efficiency of solar panels.


Engineering Innovation Gives Electric and Hybrid Cars a Boost

Engineering Innovation Gives Electric and Hybrid Cars a BoostTechnology developed by Ronald Goldner, Engineering Professor Emeritus, could recharge the batteries of any hybrid electric and electric-powered vehicles, thereby increasing the miles per gallon or total driving range performance of vehicles like the Honda Civic by 20 to 70 percent. The technology actively uses the weight of a vehicle for energy recovery and could help speed the expansion of the hybrid and battery electric vehicle market from cars to vehicles of greater size, weight and payloads.


Join us for our Engineering Alumni
Weekend Reception

Tufts University's Solar Decathlon Project will be on display with information and posters in the Anderson Hall lobby. Come together with your classmates and fellow Tufts Engineers for a fun afternoon gathering.
Sat., May 16, 2009
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Burden Lounge
Medford/Somerville Campus
Register online for this free event.
Contact Jonathan Kaplan for more information.
(617) 627-5493




Dean's Corner:

As another academic year draws to a close, we have much to celebrate. Despite the economic downturn, it’s been a particularly good year for the School of Engineering, with marked increases in student applications and quality, as well as remarkable growth in faculty research activities and intellectual property disclosures. Next week, we will graduate Tufts’ first class of BME undergraduate majors, and we have initiated a new five-year combined B.S./M.S. degree program and a school-wide masters program in Bioengineering.

On Sunday, May 17, we will celebrate our students’ achievements at Tufts’ 153rd Commencement ceremonies. For those of you who are attending reunions or who plan to be in town for the graduation ceremonies, please join fellow alumni and SOE faculty for our fourth annual Alumni Weekend Engineering Reception on Saturday, May 16 at 4:30 p.m. in Burden Lounge, Anderson Hall. Come hear about our engineers’ participation in the upcoming Solar Decathlon competition (see article) in which they are designing and constructing an energy-efficient, marketable, solar-powered home.

- Dean Linda M. Abriola


 Department Notes:

BME: BME congratulates the department's first graduating class. Best wishes to the Class of 2009.

ChBE: ChBE is pleased to welcome David Vinson and Steve Matson to the department as the school's newest Professors of the Practice.

CEE: CEE congratulates Francis DiGiano (EG'65) and Greg White (E'78), Engineering Overseer, on receiving the Outstanding Achievements Award and Distinguished Service Award, respectively.

CS: Computer Science congratulates its six doctoral graduates: Arthur Brady, D. Sculley, Orit Ziv Shaer, G. Michale Poor, Michael Horn, and Elena Jakubiak.

ECE: ECE congratulates Ronald Lasser, the 2009 winner of the Henry and Madeline Fischer Award, and Denis Fermental, 2009 winner of the Seymour O. Simches Award for Distinguished Teaching and Advising.

ME: Tufts Hybrid Racing team made their first appearance at the 2009 Formula Hybrid International Competition. The department thanks Peter Wittich (E'83) for his generosity in helping to fund the project.

TGI: Tufts Gordon Institute hosted its 5th annual Entrepreneurship Competition. Read about the winning business plans. Seth Merrin (A'82) spoke as part of the Lyon & Bendheim Alumni Lecture Series.

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