From the Dean, April 2003

Dear Friends,

Please allow me to remind you that the inaugural Charles and Helen White Symposium will take place on Wednesday, May 14, 2003, from 10:00 a.m. to Noon, in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. This significant academic event will explore the future implications of the interconnections of bioengineering, information technology and nanotechnology. We are honored to have Dr. Arno Penzias, the 1978 Nobel Laureate, as our keynote speaker. Clark School faculty Profs. William Bentley, John Baras, and Ramamoorthy Ramesh also will give presentations in their respective fields. A panel discussion, moderated by University Provost Dr. William Destler, will conclude the event. For more information and to RSVP: www.eng.umd.edu/kim

Later that day at 2:00 p.m., we will take an innovative approach to a traditional event. Join us for a "virtual" groundbreaking ceremony of the Jeong H. Kim Engineering and Applied Sciences Building. A reception will follow the ceremony. For more information and to RSVP: www.eng.umd.edu/kim

Also, please join us for the spring 2003 Whiting-Turner Business and Entrepreneurial Lecture on Tuesday, April 29 at 5:00 p.m. in the Judith Resnik Lecture Hall (Room 1202) in Glenn L. Martin Hall. Mr. Terrance M. Drabant, corporate vice president of Lockheed Martin and president of Lockheed Martin Mission Systems will speak about "Personal Entrepreneurship: Secrets of Success" For more information, www.eng.umd.edu/news

Finally, it gives me great pleasure to announce that in the most recent ranking of engineering graduate programs conducted by the U.S. News & World Report, the Clark School of Engineering ranked 16th-up three places from last year, and now ahead of Harvard, Princeton and Penn State. In this study, we are ranked 10th among publicly supported universities. This progress is a reflection of the Clark School's collective commitment to excellence which is manifested in every aspect of our operation-from new research initiatives to innovative educational programs to state-of-the-art facilities.

Thank you for your continued support to Engineering at Maryland and staying involved with us.

Best Regards,

Nariman Farvardin, Professor and Dean

Published April 1, 2003