NSE at MIT Announcement

Dear NSE colleagues, alumni and friends,

It’s been another terrific spring semester and I have much to share with you.

I am happy to announce the launch of a new NSE undergraduate flex degree — 22-ENG. The effort, led by Michael Short, Class ’42 Career Development Assistant Professor of NSE, will launch this fall. As the field of nuclear science and engineering evolves and expands, our students want to explore new combinations of disciplines. The 22-ENG program will allow students to build courses of study that include a broader range of topics while maintain a core focus on nuclear science and engineering. MIT is implementing new opportunities for our undergraduates, with the Schwartzman College of Computing being the most recent example; 22-ENG will serve to grow the evolving demands of our undergraduate student population for a multi-disciplinary education.

I am also delighted to announce that last week Emilio Baglietto and Scott Kemp, who joined the NSE faculty in 2012, were promoted to associate professors with tenure. An expert in the development of computational fluid dynamics technology for the nuclear industry, Emilio has contributed to the growth and development of advanced computation and simulation research in the Department. Scott has been pivotal in establishing and growing the nuclear security program within the Department. He integrates physics, politics, and history to identify options for addressing societal problems in the areas of nuclear proliferation and energy. Both Emilio and Scott have been critical in the growth and evolution of NSE. Please join me in congratulating them on their promotions.

Some personal news — after four years I have decided to step down as Department Head on July 1. I will remain on the NSE faculty and continue as director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. It has been one the highlights of my career to lead this wonderful department, but I have decided that I need to place my full-time attention on our new efforts in magnetic fusion energy and the SPARC project. It has been very rewarding to see our department be rejuvenated by the talent and passion of our young faculty. During my tenure as Head, we have added four outstanding faculty members — Matteo Bucci, Zach Hartwig, Mingda Li, and Koroush Shirvan — have promoted four to tenure — Paola Cappellaro, Nuno Loureiro, Scott Kemp, and Emilio Baglietto — and three to full professor — Bilge Yildiz, Anne White, and Benoit Forget.  I hope you will continue to follow the research and education successes of these young faculty stars.  I have also seen the growing enthusiasm and accomplishments of our students— a great sign for the future of the field. It has indeed been an honor to have been able to guide the Department through these developments. A search is currently underway and the Dean hopes to appoint the new Department Head before the start of the fall semester.

Despite our recent successes there is still much to be done. Thank you for all for being a part of our NSE family and for your support over the years. I hope you will continue to engage with the Department and visit the fusion center whenever you are in Cambridge.

Cheers,
Dennis Whyte