UCLA Engineering: UCLA Engineer Fall 2004

Letter from the Dean

As we welcome another class of incoming students this fall, we reflect again on our responsibilities as educators and our larger responsibilities as engineers and scientists.

At UCLA, we have a compact with our graduates to ensure they are not only well prepared for their careers as engineers, but also as communicators, managers and as ethical members of society. In our fast-moving world, companies are looking for employees who are adaptable and comfortable operating outside their primary area of expertise. Our graduates, among the best and brightest in the world, are California’s most valuable intellectual capital and the scientific leaders of tomorrow.

The work of engineers and computer scientists touch every aspect of our lives, in ways many of us never consciously notice. In this issue of UCLA Engineer you will read about the impact of our research on education; alternative, cleaner transportation solutions; and faster, more flexible organic memory devices.

You will also read about computer science professor Judea Pearl’s seminal research on probability and causality, which has had a tremendous impact on many fields outside of engineering. From economics to philosophy to medicine his work has literally transformed the way people in these disciplines think about their world and their work.

We also have an obligation to our society. Earlier this year, the School hosted 25 high school computer science teachers for a weeklong seminar as part of the UCLA/LAUSD Advanced Placement Computer Institute. These teachers, as they return to the classroom this fall, will create advanced placement courses at their respective schools and they will reach hundreds of students, inspiring them to consider careers in technology.

Over the summer, a group of students from UCLA’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders traveled to Thailand where they helped build a health clinic in a remote hillside village. They worked long days to provide the village and surrounding communities with a ten-room health clinic, the first of its kind in the area.

The university is a vital part of California’s success, and I know our alumni and friends share our steadfast commitment to our mission of education, research and service. To fully meet our responsibilities, though, we must strengthen and form new partnerships to connect our School with our world.

Sincerely,

Vijay K. Dhir
Dean