Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Belated new year's greetings! I hope 2019 is off to a great start for
you. Last week we welcomed our students back from IAP — the department
is once again abuzz with activity. We have a busy spring semester with
many opportunities for you to visit and engage with the Department and
the vibrant NSE community.
First up in our lineup is the
David J. Rose Lecture
on March 6. This distinguished lectureship honors the memory of David
J. Rose (1922–1985), a renowned professor of nuclear engineering at MIT
whose research and interests focused on fusion technology, energy,
nuclear waste disposal, and ethical problems arising from advances in
science and technology. Our 2019 invited guest is Vinod Khosla, who will
discuss the role of technology innovation and entrepreneurship in
developing clean energy. Vinod co-founded Sun Microsystems in the 1980s
and later founded the venture capital firm Khosla Ventures, where he
backs innovations in areas ranging from artificial intelligence to
health care to clean energy. I can personally say that Vinod is “one of a
kind” and will bring many insights to the lecture. Please join us for
the conversation.
Every spring we host the
NSE Research Expo
which showcases research by current doctoral and masters students. The
Expo which takes place on March 15th is a unique opportunity for
everyone to learn about the diverse research being conducted within NSE.
Established in 2014 with a generous gift from alum James Del Favero (SM ’84), the
Del Favero Thesis Prize
is awarded annually to a PhD graduate in NSE whose thesis is judged to
have made the most innovative advance in our field. Please join us on
April 2 to hear the 2018 winner, John Tramm speak about his dissertation
research.
Kord Smith
(MS '79, PhD '80) has served as KEPCO Professor of the Practice over
the last eight years. During his time at MIT Prof. Smith has been the
faculty lead of the Computational Reactor Physics Group with Prof Benoit
Forget, and championed the restoration of the
MIT Graphite Pile
as a teaching resource. Smith was recently recognized for his
exceptional graduate student mentorship with a Committed to Caring
Award. To celebrate his exceptional contributions and career, the Center
for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems (CANES) is hosting a two-day
symposium —The Digital Nuclear Power Plant: Design, License and Operate
at Minimal Cost. Please write to
canes.workshop@mit.edu to learn more.
I hope you will be able to visit and attend one or more of these events. We look forward to seeing you.
Cheers,
Dennis Whyte