SEAS Colonial Cable

Message from Dean David Dolling

Last Thursday evening, 400 friends of SEAS gathered at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium for the SEAS 125th Anniversary Gala. The evening celebrated the achievements of SEAS--and of engineering and computer science--over the past 125 years, but its focus was decidedly on the future rather than the past.

As we considered the SEAS future on Thursday night, I spoke briefly about the transformation underway here and about the role that creativity and confidence play in transformations. Our own transformation here at SEAS is fueled by creativity and confidence, and we are beginning to see its fruits.

We now have new undergraduate programs planned in robotics, in energy and sustainability. We have new study abroad opportunities, and growing research programs in energy, in cyber security, transportation safety, nanotechnology, and risk and crisis management, all underpinned by an expanding high performance computing group. We are raising funds for scholarships and fellowships to recruit the best and brightest students to our programs, and for endowments to retain and attract the most creative and energetic faculty. A new building, to be shared with students and faculty from the physical and life sciences, and medicine is on our horizon. It will provide the interdisciplinary spaces we need for learning and discovery, the spaces we need to explore new teaching paradigms, and for hands-on, team projects for our students.

But we cannot complete this transformation alone. We need your help and your partnership to succeed. Everyone has a role to play in our transformation; it's just a matter of choosing how to help. So, as we move forward, I ask you to join us . . . to "be a part of it."

Sincerely,

David S. Dolling, Ph.D.
Dean

News & Events

• A Message from Development
• Six SEAS Alumni Inducted Into the GW Engineering Hall of Fame
• EAA Hosts Successful 2009 SEAS Resume Critique Event
• SEAS 125th Anniversary Event: Frank Howard Lecture Series
• SEAS Seminar Series: Advanced Technologies for Sustainable Wastewater Treatment
• SEAS Seminar Series: Smaller and Faster: Nanomaterials
• Alumni Career Networking Night
• GW Global Forum: The United States and Asia in a Time of Change

A message from Development . . .

Dear SEAS Alumni and Friends:

If I can in some small way, through this electronic newsletter, convey the excitement, momentum and energy we are experiencing here at SEAS, I will have achieved my objective. SEAS is on the move and we are working diligently in laying the foundation upon which we will build a transformed School of Engineering and Applied Science. Our future home, just north of Tompkins Hall, will be the most visible feature of the new SEAS, but what is going on inside is even more exciting. From the faculty and students, to the programs and equipment, our school is being equipped to support and foster an environment rich in opportunity for learning, research and discovery.

Like any building project, ours requires resources, and I like to think that we are all in this together. It reminds me of the barn raisings common in America during the 18th and 19th centuries. Even though I was not there (in case anyone had doubts!), barn raisings were a time when the entire community came together to build a structure that would provide housing and shelter for animals, crops and equipment, all of which were essential elements in the relentless progress in building our great country. Everyone at the raising contributed a different and vital resource. There were those who dug the foundation and laid the stones of the supporting walls, others cut and trimmed the beams and trusses, some wielded hammers, and others prepared meals and carried water. There was a role for everyone, and a barn and a community were built in the process.

Today, of course, much of the work is hired out, and because of that we need greater financial resources. We need your help and we are asking you, the SEAS community, to come together to help us “raise the barn.” If you can join us, either with your financial help or through a myriad of other ways to be involved, please let us know. I believe that you will find your investment to be personally rewarding.

Please reach out to us either by calling 202-994-8474 or by sending an email to seas@gwu.edu. Dean Dolling, I, or any member of our great Development Office team would welcome a chance to visit with you and learn of your particular interests for involvement. From all of us, thank you.

In closing, I want to offer a special thanks to all of our Veterans who give selflessly in support of the freedoms and comforts we enjoy here in the United States, and in defending the cause of liberty around the world. We owe our deepest gratitude to you, and I am proud to be part of a University that takes the lead in providing financial support and educational opportunity to over 400 Veteran undergraduates currently enrolled at GW.

With my very best regards,
Jim Howard

Assistant Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
210 Tompkins Hall
jphoward@gwu.edu
Tel: 202-994-4121

Gifts to SEAS can be made online at https://www.gwu.edu/online_giving/, or by mail to: SEAS, Office of Development and Alumni Relations, 210 Tompkins Hall, 725 23rd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052. Telephone 202-994-8474

~~ SEAS 2009 - Celebrating 125 Years of Engineering ~~

Six SEAS Alumni Inducted Into the GW Engineering Hall of Fame

SEAS congratulates the six alumni who were inducted into the GW Engineering Hall of Fame at the SEAS 125th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, October 29, 2009. Dean David S. Dolling chose the unique moment and setting that the 125th Anniversary Gala offered to honor the six inductees.

"SEAS has no shortage of interesting, accomplished alumni and friends. Amidst all the change that has taken place at SEAS, and is taking place, one constant stands out: the success of our alumni," said Dean Dolling to the 400 assembled guests. "Tonight, we celebrate this success through our GW Engineering Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame recognizes and honors distinguished SEAS alumni, faculty, staff, and friends who have contributed to engineering, technology, or management in a sustained and significant way during their careers. These are individuals who bring distinction to GW through their achievements and their contributions to their professions, the University, and society-at-large. Our Hall of Fame is relatively new; it started in 2006 and has 15 members. Tonight we add six more. By honoring the achievements of these six individuals, we help build the SEAS history that future classes of SEAS students inherit, and will be challenged by, and will use as a measure of their own success."

SEAS congratulates the newest members of the GW Engineering Hall of Fame:

Mr. W. Scott Amey knows the benefits of hard work—and his willingness to work hard shines through in the service that he generously extends to others, as well as in his own business ventures. Even before finishing his education in 1975 with a master’s degree from GW in computer science, Mr. Amey began his career in information technology and engineering services contracting for federal, state, and commercial customers. In 1993, Mr. Amey co-founded RS Information Systems, and by the time of his retirement as executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2004, he had helped build the company to its ranking as the 40th largest IT and engineering services provider to the U.S. Government. He is currently the president and chief executive officer of Amyx, Inc., a company he acquired in 2008. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Amey volunteered his time and services to GW’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, spending three days a week to build the school’s Career Services Office. During the same period, he helped establish and fund the Division of Neuro-Oncology and Childhood Cancer Research at Georgetown University Hospital’s Pediatric Oncology Clinic.

Mr. Richard N. Davis was known for his energy, and he dedicated it fully to both his career and his passion for the outdoors. A decorated veteran of World War II, Mr. Davis returned to the U.S. following the war and attended GW on the GI Bill, earning a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering in 1950. In 1957, he joined Greenhorn, O’Mara, Dewberry & Nealon, the firm co-founded by fellow GW Engineering Hall of Fame inductee Sidney Dewberry. Beginning as chief engineer, Mr. Davis was elevated by 1968 from senior associate to full partner of Dewberry, Nealon & Davis. In 1975, the firm became Dewberry & Davis. Mr. Davis played a key role in several of the firm’s major construction projects, including the original Dulles Toll Road and the Dulles Greenway, for which he was the chief engineer. He also supervised the $17 million redesign and rebuilding of Wolf Trap’s Filene Center when it burned down in 1982. He continued to help build the company until his retirement in 1987, when he turned his attention to his passions for deep sea marlin fishing, trout fishing, hunting, wood working, and travel. He enjoyed all of these interests until his passing in 2008.

After serving in World War II, Mr. Sidney O. Dewberry attended GW on the GI Bill and graduated in 1951 with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering. Five years later, he and his business partner Jim Nealon co-founded the firm that ultimately grew into Dewberry LLC. Along the way, he was joined by GW Hall of Fame inductee Richard Davis, who became a full partner in the firm in 1968. As co-founder and chairman of Dewberry LLC, Mr. Dewberry takes great pride in working in a business whose labors make a very visible and tangible impact on the world. The firm has provided architectural and engineering services, planning, program management and surveying services, land planning, environmental compliance, and security and homeland defense services to government agencies and departments, universities, real estate developers, and other commercial and institutional groups. The company maintains 40 offices with approximately 2,000 employees throughout the U.S. Major projects for which Sidney Dewberry has served as partner in charge include Pentagon City; Montgomery Village; Tysons II, Fair Oaks and Lake Forest Malls; and the Dulles Toll Road.

One of the world’s leading aerospace engineers, Dr. Michael D. Griffin personifies the joy of learning put into the service of technological advancement. Dr. Griffin has a lifelong love of learning that extends beyond his seven degrees, one of which is a master of science in civil engineering that he earned from GW in 1998. He is most well known as the 11th Administrator of NASA (serving from 2005-2009), but he has also served in other high-profile positions, including the head of the Space Department at the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at Johns Hopkins University, and currently as eminent scholar and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Alabama. Previously, he served in many executive positions with aerospace-related companies and held several academic appointments, including that of adjunct professor at GW. In 2008, he was named to the TIME 100, the magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people.

Dr. David C. Karlgaard’s career as a technology entrepreneur exemplifies the success that can come from combining knowledge of engineering principles with business acumen. Dr. Karlgaard received his D.Sc. in electrical engineering and computer science from GW, and his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and he translated this knowledge into business success. After working as an electrical engineer at various U.S. government research laboratories and later as vice chairman of the board at Nortel Government Solutions, Dr. Karlgaard and two partners co-founded PEC Solutions, a government information technology services company, in 1985. He served as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of PEC until it was sold to Nortel in 2005. Under Dr. Karlgaard’s leadership, PEC Solutions was recognized by Forbes Magazine as 15th in its “America’s Best 200 Small Companies” issue (2001); by The Washington Post as 74th among the “Top 200 Companies” in the Washington, DC area; and by Business Week as 8th among the nation’s “Best Small Companies” (2002). Dr. Karlgaard himself received KPMG International’s Greater Washington High-Tech Entrepreneur Award in 2001, and in 2002 Ernst and Young recognized him and his partners with the Entrepreneur of the Year award in the government services category.

Mr. Allyn E. Kilsheimer’s legendary work ethic goes back at least as far as college, when he worked in engineering firms to pay his way through school. He graduated in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, and by 1972 had founded his own engineering firm, KCE Structural Engineers, which he continues to lead today as its chief executive officer. Over the years, the firm has provided structural design consultation to government agencies, private sector owners, contractors, and major corporations in 21 states and numerous countries throughout the world. The project for which Mr. Kilsheimer’s firm is most well known is the Phoenix Project, which rebuilt the Pentagon significantly under budget and ahead of schedule following the September 11th terrorist attack. Other high-profile projects include responses to the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and the 1995 Oklahoma City federal building bombing.

EAA Hosts Successful 2009 SEAS Resume Critique Event

The 2009 SEAS Resume Critique Night, held on October 22nd and sponsored by the Engineer Alumni Association (EAA), was a great success. Twenty-two resume reviewers, many of whom are SEAS alumni and SEAS National Advisory Council members, attended the event, dispensing resume writing and career advice to 65 students. Students were happy to have their resumes critiqued by engineering and IT professionals, and most were able to have their resume reviewed by more than one reviewer. For their part, the resume reviewers were impressed by SEAS students and in some cases discussed professional opportunities at their organizations.

The companies and agencies represented at the event include Accenture; Amyx, Inc.; ADNET Systems, Inc.; Enfocel; Hughes Network Systems; Miller & Long; Northrop Grumman; Raytheon; STG; Turner Construction Company; URS Corporation; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. SEAS thanks each of the reviewers, who donated their time to helping SEAS students.

Upcoming SEAS Events

SEAS Seminar Series: Advanced Technologies for Sustainable Wastewater Treatment

Please join us for the SEAS seminar series, Engineering Challenges in the 21st Century. This is a bi-weekly discussion during the fall semester. Each seminar is devoted to a different topical issue that engineers are working on today and looks at its impact on human life. (Read more . . .)

SEAS Seminar Series: Smaller and Faster: Nanomaterials

Please join us for the SEAS seminar series, Engineering Challenges in the 21st Century. This is a bi-weekly discussion during the fall semester. Each seminar is devoted to a different topical issue that engineers are working on today and looks at its impact on human life. (Read more . . .)

GW Global Forum: The United States and Asia in a Time of Change

Date:	Friday, November 13 - Saturday, November 14, 2009
Location:	Island Shangri-La Pacific Place, Central, Hong Kong

GW’s inaugural Global Forum provides an opportunity for alumni, parents, students, and friends to convene at one of Asia’s most exciting locations. Join us to network with members of the GW worldwide community and to hear from recognized experts from the U.S. and Asia about the most pressing issues facing the United States and Asia today! (Read more and register. . .)

Alumni Career Networking Night

Join us for a university-wide Alumni Career Networking Night. The event is structured to provide a high level of networking among GW professionals and is open to all GW alumni and graduate students.

The event will allow you to network with people in similar industries and with similar professional interests. Learn about the resources the George Washington Alumni Association (GWAA) provides to all alumni, and how you can make the most of your GW community. The GW Career Center, as well as the school career centers, will be present to answer questions. The cost of this event is $10 and includes a reception. Advance registration is required. (Read more and register. . .)

This event is sponsored by the GWAA, The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, The Elliot School of International Affairs, The GW School of Business, The Graduate School of Education and Human Development, The School of Engineering and Applied Science, and The School of Public Health and Health Services.

SEAS 125th Anniversary Event: Frank Howard Lecture Series
In celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the School of Engineering and Applied Science

This fall, the Frank Howard Distinguished Lecture Series will host three engineering experts in fields that are the focus of the cutting-edge research happening in engineering. Please join your fellow alumni at these lectures, each followed by a networking reception.

Frieder Seible is considered a world-leader in bridge design and strategies to mitigate earthquake damage to buildings and bridges. His research achievements include the development of large-scale structural testing techniques, seismic assessment and retrofit of bridges, and blast protection of structures. Dr. Seible is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, San Diego.(Read more and register...)

Barbara Liskov's pioneering work in the design of computer programming languages underpins virtually every modern computing-related convenience in people's daily lives. Her early innovations in software design have been the basis of every important programming language since 1975, including Ada, C++, Java and C#. Dr. Liskov heads the Programming Methodology Group in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT. She received the ACM Turing Award in 2009, the ACM SIGPLAN Programming Language Achievement Award in 2008, the IEEE Von Neumann medal in 2004, a lifetime achievement award from the Society of Women Engineers in 1996, and in 2003 was named one of the 50 most important women in science by Discover Magazine. (Read more and register...)

Archives: SEAS Colonial Cable

SEAS Colonial Cables from the 2008-2009 Academic Year

SEAS Colonial Cables from the 2007-2008 Academic Year

SEAS Colonial Cables from the 2006-2007 Academic Year

SEAS Colonial Cables from the 2005-2006 Academic Year

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