The excitement that normally accompanies the start of a new academic year was heightened this fall as we began a year-long celebration of the College’s 150^th anniversary. This milestone is especially meaningful since the University of Michigan was the first public university in the nation to award degrees in engineering. Over the decades the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering has developed a tradition of excellence in both education and research, and has recruited, developed and graduated some of the best minds from Michigan, the nation and the world.

From its inception, the College has produced leaders who have used their acquired skills and knowledge to improve the quality of people’s lives. We will be celebrating these contributions – and the means we employed to make them – during our sesquicentennial year. (To see a history of the College, please check out our special Sesquicentennial Website: http://www.engin.umich.edu/150th.) It will be a continuing commemorative event offering you many reasons and opportunities to join in the celebration, be it through print and electronic media, or a visit to campus.

Among the special events planned are the groundbreaking for two new buildings – one for computer science and engineering and another for our growing biomedical engineering department. We are also holding a special year-long Sesquicentennial Lecture Series, in which leading engineering scholars from around the world will offer insights into the many roles that engineers and engineering play. In the spring we are planning a special sesquicentennial edition of Michigan Engineer, which will be a repository of stories, photos and memories that demonstrate what an extraordinary institution your alma mater is. (See a summary of sesquicentennial activities on page 6.) The celebration will conclude in May with a Sesquicentennial Banquet.

In order to jump start the festivities, we have carefully constructed this issue of Michigan Engineer. It previews research that exemplifies the College’s tradition of leadership in investigating meaningful engineering issues related to the quality of life. For example, “Virtual Replay – a New Way to Hack the Hackers” is particularly relevant in light of the recent plagues of spam, computer viruses and outright theft of information that drain billions of dollars from the economy. The article on “Vegetable-Based Cutting Fluids” illustrates our quest to improve industrial processes while protecting the environment and containing costs. You’ll also take a trip about 40 years into the past to discover the integral role Michigan Engineering played in the development of holography. The stories of two outstanding alumni will transport you from Egypt to the Internet. And, of course, you will read about your classmates and the accomplishments of our distinguished faculty.

I trust you will find this issue compelling and a proper introduction to our sesquicentennial celebration. I thank you for being a part of our history and I look forward to your friendship in the years ahead. 

Sincerely,

Stephen W. Director
Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering