Vo l u m e I I I • I s s u e 1 • S p r i n g 2 0 0 4
faculty members like Henry Ehrenreich
Reaching out
Dean’s Message
I n this issue of the newsletter you will
see how members of the Division
of Engineering and Applied Sciences
reach out to solve tough problems,
collaborate with industry, enlighten
students, and serve our society and the
world. I am proud not only of this work,
but how we do it – without walls, with-
out departments, and without limits.
The work we do …
Fundamental research
Innovative research is one of the cor-
nerstones of the Division. As you read
about Zhigang Suo’s molecular car, you
might imagine how his insights could
radically change manufacturing.
Industrial collaboration
We connect with companies and they
with us to share knowledge and know-
how. An award from IBM with support
from Intel will allow the Division to
develop the Crimson Grid, a computer
network designed to solve a variety
of complex problems right from a re-
searcher’s (and perhaps one day, your)
desktop.
Education and mentoring
Teaching makes a profound connec-
tion, as students take what they’ve
learned and apply it to everything they
do. The GK-12 program, TECH-sup-
ported courses in bioinnovation, and
may bring to mind those who inspired
you to work (and play) hard at Harvard.
Be sure to take a look at the quotes from
our graduates that appear in the alumni
section.
Serving society
Our people and discoveries travel the
globe. Ralph Mitchell’s quest to preserve
the U.S.S. Arizona and Steve Wofsy’s
efforts to understand our forests, both
throughout the Northeast as well as in
places as far away as Bhutan, are only
two examples of the many ways we
extend beyond Cambridge.
And how we do it …
As you know, what we do is not de-
fined or constrained by independent
disciplines. We tackle tough problems,
developing and using whatever knowl-
edge and tools are needed to get the job
done. That means an applied mathema-
tician studying insects (p. 2), a computer
scientist influencing economics (p. 4),
and an electrical engineer changing
medicine (p. 14).
I was struck at our recent faculty retreat
by how important this open structure
and culture is to the way we work.
While we’ve expanded, we can all still
meet in one place to discuss everything
from our academic program to the
interplay of technology and society.
Such interaction is not possible at many
other institutions and highlights the
importance of our size and spirit.
Ultimately, through the work we do
and by the way we do it, our goal is to
use what we discover, learn, and cre-
ate to make the world a better place. I
hope you will let me know how your
experiences here – in ways great and
small – may have helped you reach
out and connect with other people and
society. F
What’s inside
Crosscurrents 2
Mahadevan finds the profound in
the mundane, Parkes negotiates
and navigates, Suo takes a drive,
and Wofsy works in the wild.
Faculty News 6
Mitchell protects our past,
Morrisett lands at EECS, Grosz
and Vadhan create a cluster,
and Division members in the news.
In Medias Res
An innovator returns home,
10
researchers give the common tap
a new angle, scientists poke
holes in the ozone debate, and
a grid is born.
Student News 12
A Bioinnovation course offers
an amusing assignment, a
selection of recent awards,
and ES 51 students go off-road.
In Profile 14
Khaneja looks for the right
path and Ehrenreich shares four
decades of wit and wisdom.
Outside the Quad 16
The GK-12 program lights up
teachers, Unilever provides
food for thought, a list of recent
industry collaborations, and
faculty-student patents.
Alumni Notes 18
Iansiti explains the physics of
business, grads share memories,
and a calendar of upcoming
events hosted by the Division.
Connections 20
Snapshots of collaborative
science in action, and how to
keep in touch.
DEAS Spring 2004 I 1
 L ike a slow-motion release of a firework, a flower’s bud “Natural systems offer a rich arena to learn about the interplay
Crosscurrents

bursts forth into a delicate display. Looking at a bouquet at between geometry and physics in the real world. Folding is not
the florist, you might never ask how the intricate petals, stems, just for flowers, but critical to our very existence. It happens in
and stigmas, each contained in a green orb the size of a gob- our tightly bound-up DNA,” Maha points out.
stopper, emerged perfectly unfolded without the slightest rip.Moreover, stopping to smell (and study) the roses might
The Division’s Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan (Maha for someday help with creating self-assembling nanostructures,
short), Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Mathematics one of the most critical components of the emerging field of
and Mechanics, has not only posed the question, but is nanotechnology.
trying to solve countless others like it. Using mathematics
to understand how materials move and behave, he places

particular emphasis on phenomena visible to the naked eye Maha’s dark, vibrant eyes flit behind large round glasses that
and closely tied to experiments or experience. He’s explored reflect the light in his sizable, but test tube–free third floor
the way honey coils (important for geologists who study the office of Pierce Hall. In his experience, you don’t necessarily
flow of molten rock within the Earth), why insects can adhere need a lab or complicated devices to do meaningful experi-
to surfaces (leading to the creation of ments and research. “Why struggle to
new types of adhesives), how hair coils “Natural systems offer a rich find something worth studying when
on water (helpful in understanding the
arena to learn about the you have quick access to rich events,
principles of self-assembly), and the like how a flag flutters, that you can
way fabrics fold and wrinkle (providing interplay between geometry easily play with? Being able to radically
insight about the spiky surface of a dis-
and physics in the real world.” change parameters – a light breeze ver-
eased red blood cell). sus a strong wind – without losing the
“I find joy in discovering the sublime in the mundane,” says effect is ideal for experimentation.”
Maha, who recently relocated from one Cambridge (England) With today’s emphasis on rapid innovation, supermarket
to another (Massachusetts). “I try to uncover explanations science (creating volcanoes with baking soda) and everyday
for everyday events that are easily seen but not well under- experimentation (looking out the window rather than at an
stood. They typically turn out to be more relevant than I first LCD monitor) may seem passé. Yet Maha’s hands-on experi-
imagined.” mentation, most of which could have been done by true re-
Think again about the complexity of the flower as you recall naissance engineers, does not imply that such research is any
how you’ve struggled to fold a map without tearing, or at least less difficult or fruitful. Rather, he acknowledges that good
swearing. Within the blooming process lies what Maha calls science can arise from simple observation. Not surprisingly,
a theory for “self-assembled origami.” The bud can unpack its Maha’s “mundane” investigations cross – if not leap – over
suitcase and iron its clothes without the help of even a finger. traditional boundaries in physics, math, engineering, and bi-

By paying attention to how a

flower unfolds its petals, a nature

lover also learns to appreciate

fundamental issues in physics and

applied mathematics.

2 I DEAS Spring 2004

ology. In fact, figuring out what comes naturally requires con- Ordinary Research with Extraordinary Results
tinuous collaboration with scientists from many disciplines Since all the world’s his lab, Mahadevan studies a wide
at Harvard, MIT, and throughout the world. Maha emphasizes variety of problems using lessons from every discipline at
that his dedicated students – “the lifeblood of my enterprise” – his disposal. Françoise Brochard-Wyart and Nobel laureate
deserve as much credit as he does for illuminating the physics Pierre-Gilles de Gennes captured the interdisciplinary spirit
of everyday life. that pervades all his work when discussing his and E. Cer-
da’s groundbreaking research on the geometry and physics
“Ultimately, any robust event is likely to be interesting for its of wrinkling. They said, “The paper provides a beautiful and
own sake, since it explains something essential about how the simple understanding of many natural phenomena – bridg-
world works,” observes Maha. And he’s not alone in appreciat- ing geometry, mechanics, physics, and even biology.”
ing such rough magic. In regard to Maha and his colleagues’
celebrated theory of how wrinkles form, Nature editor Philip
Ball wrote, “It is humbling to find in a high-powered journal
like Physical Review Letters that we have limped along for years
without an understanding of what controls the wavelength
and amplitude of wrinkling in a sheet. There’s plenty still to
be learned from the $20 experiment.”
Plumbing for pests range of locomotion for
 Some sap-loving aphids radically different animals,”
Maha explains his passion for research by referencing a classic live their entire lives says Mahadevan, “and
also hints that there’s an
tale about the young Krishna, from the Bhagavata Purana. The deep inside galls, or the
abnormal swellings of underlying, similar process
child, an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu but brought
plant tissue. Since what for how all of them move.”
up incognito by foster parents, had a reputation for mischief. This discovery might lead
goes in (what they eat)
One day, friends accused Krishna of eating dirt. Dismayed, his to new motion techniques
must go out (as waste),
mother demanded an explanation. Krishna denied the charge, these aphids could easily for tiny machines, robots,
saying “I have not eaten dirt. They are all lying!” drown inside the enclosed or for use in manufacturing
spaces. Mahadevan and his processes that involve
To force a confession, his mother told him to open wide. But moving substances across
colleagues discovered that
Krishna, to avoid being caught in a lie, played a trick. Instead surfaces.
these snug bugs secrete
of muddy teeth, he revealed the entire universe to her – the powdery water-repellent
earth, the stars, and the elements of all creation. And then, to wax on the surface of their
Uncovering wrinkles
keep his cover, Krishna quickly cast a spell of forgetfulness homes and on their waste Mahadevan and his col-
over her to clear her memory. products. The wax-on-wax leagues from Cambridge,
formula turns the excre- England, proposed a
“One way to look at the story,” Maha explains, “is to understand now-famous general theory
ment droplets into “liquid
that meaning and the answers to the deepest questions can be marbles” that the critters about an everyday bother
found in the stuff all around us. Science is about looking for can then roll clean away. that keeps dry cleaners
connections and finding joy in discovery itself.” Mahadevan hopes to learn happy – the wrinkling of
from these tiny engineers fabrics and other materials.
Lucky for us, Maha – unlike Krishna’s mother – has not forgot- When you press down on a
how to improve attempts
ten where the universe lies, but continues to look deep inside at efficiently manipulating spring you crush it, and in
simple things, like flowers or dirt, to pull out the profound. F minute volumes of liquid on so doing, the spring stores
small surfaces. elastic energy. Likewise,
To read more about Mahadevan’s research, visit a sheet can either stretch
Getting gell-o to jog or bend; the resulting
www.deas.harvard.edu/softmat/ deformed sheet adopts
One of Mahadevan’s
and see the following recent articles: research teams has created the shape that minimizes
an “artificial animal” from its total bending energy.
“The Physics of … Wrinkles: Lines of Least Resistance,” in the Mahadevan’s laws of
a filament of cylindrical
November 2003 issue of Discover Magazine hydrogel (cut with small wrinkling predict the
“Gel gains lifelike motion” in the December 31, 2003/January 4, scales on the bottom) that, amplitude and wavelength
2004 issue of Technology Research News when vibrated atop a sheet of the resulting wrinkles,
of glass, can mimic – and and work for a variety
“Envelope physics sheds light on ice sheets” and “The physics hence, help explain – the of materials – plastics,
of haute couture” in the December 2, 2003 and February 4, movement of snakes, fabrics, and even human
2004 editions of Nature Science Update, respectively snails, and other creatures. skin. Understanding how
By varying the angle, a cape falls over you or
scales, and direction of the how our sheets look after
vibration, the team derived a restless sleep could lead
different patterns of to more realistic computer
motion. “A simple experi- animations or better-fitting
ment can explain a wide clothes.

DEAS Spring 2004 I 3
Crosscurrents
A lmost two decades before the iPod
and a decade before the Internet,
Apple quietly introduced a prototype
called the Knowledge Navigator. The
tablet-shaped device featured a soft-
ware agent, a talking digital butler, who
helped the user access an information
network, manage messages and a sched-
ule, and even take phone calls.
We aren’t there yet, but David Parkes,
an Assistant Professor of Computer
Science on the Gordon McKay endow-
ment, is working on it. He is developing
the technology and protocols to enable
software agents to help us navigate and,
more important, negotiate through
our daily economic and informational
lives. In the near future “you will have
a software agent that is helping you ne-
gotiate with other agents and managing
your computational and informational
needs,” says Parkes. Common examples
of agents include passive software that
suggests songs or movies based upon
your past purchase and preference pat-
terns and active code that automatically
bids (within defined limits) on an item
at an online auction site.
“My overall research agenda is to design
distributed systems where you need
to get the economic incentives right.
There is often a beautiful tension to
resolve between optimal economic
properties and optimal computational
properties,” says Parkes. Consider peer-
to-peer systems (P2P) like the original
Napster. “How do you get a P2P sys-
tem to be well running despite the
self-interested nature of participants?”
he asks. Even the most well-designed
e-commerce site will have little value
if it allows cheating, harms the buyer
(fraud), or harms the seller (like illegal
file swapping). If done right, “[even] if
everyone behaves in a self-interested
way, you can still drive toward a goal,
whether it be efficiency, fairness, or the
best price,” Parkes explains. You also
need robust computation to back it all
up – from the interface to the behind-
the-scenes algorithms to clear expres-
sive markets – and to keep things run-
4 I DEAS Spring 2004
I want a cool John Doe John Doe Great selections!
collection of dance My friends danced
songs for my till dawn! For
party, but I don‘t future reference,
however, I’d steer
want to pay more
than $20.00. clear of Fountains
of Wayne.
I know John likes
dance tracks by To create a great
Outkast and party mix for John, I’ll
Madonna since over John‘s Agent John‘s Agent purchase 3 songs by
the past few weeks Fountains of Wayne
he’s purchased and 4 by Duran Duran
their songs and has from iTunes at $1.00
both artists on his a track. I’ll buy
favorites list. I’ll go 4 tracks by NERD and
check out what 4 by Kylie Minogue
some leading online from BMG for $1.50
retailers suggest each. While pricey, I
based on John’s think they’re closer
profile. to his profile. That’s
$19.00 total and in
budget. Let’s deliver
these and dance!
I think John might enjoy songs
by Fountains of Wayne and Duran Based on what John’s bought in the
Duran. Our other members have said
both are great for dance parties. I
past, we’d recommend tracks by
NERD and Kylie Minogue. I will sell
will sell you songs for $1.00 a piece. you songs for $1.50 each.
The above diagram shows how an agent might “negotiate and navigate” on behalf of John
Doe to create a dance party mix. Based on John’s past purchases, preferences, and budget,
his agent negotiates with various vendors such as iTunes and BMG. In turn, the sellers sug-
gest options by using the data (what John likes and wants) the agent has provided. These
e-retailers might recommend songs by comparing John’s profile with thousands of other us-
ers with similar tastes. After the agent makes the purchases, John can evaluate its perfor-
mance. Over time, as the agent gains more information, it will become better and better at
making the “right” decisions.
ning smoothly and quickly. Similarly, if shopping season. A trusted agent – one
a user must enter detailed information that knows the rules and knows what a
to set his/her preferences, constantly company wants – will be essential for
adjust the agent, or remains worried good business.
about privacy and security, then desir- Parkes sees a great opportunity to build
able properties could unravel. both the computational and economic
Creating better software agents is, of tools necessary to drive the future of
course, about more than just getting e-commerce and automated negotia-
the best price on eBay. “We are mov- tion. For him, the real action – and the
ing away from a computational model software agents – lie at the interface.
where you buy a computer and put it The butler, however well spoken, is
on your desk. Instead, companies buy likely to remain virtual (even in the vir-
computational time, in what’s called tual world) for some time to come. F
on-demand computing,” Parkes says. In
For more on Parkes’ work, visit
other words, a company may only need
to buy a few hours’ use of a software www.eecs.harvard.edu/~parkes/
product or only need extra server power www.eecs.harvard.edu/p2pecon/
during peak times. Amazon and eBay
might compete for those limited server
resources during the busy holiday
Driving for answers
While some strive to move mountains,
Gordon McKay Professor of Mechanics
and Materials Zhigang Suo wants to
move a molecule. Suo and his team at
DEAS have envisioned a new technol-
ogy, the molecular car, designed to shut-
tle target molecules like passengers.
Imagine if you could operate a tiny
vehicle that specifies and positions indi-
vidual molecules to influence a chemi-
cal or biological process. The level of
control, like commanding grains of
sand to march to their proper place to
create the ultimate castle, would be
unprecedented.
What would a molecular car look like?
Consider a short-chain molecule with
three features (see diagram). One end
adsorbs – attracts and holds molecules
to the surface of its molecules – to a
solid, its middle has a group with an
electric dipole moment normal to the
solid surface, and its other end is a pas-
senger receptor for the molecule.
To move the “car,” Suo imagines
constructing an array of electrodes
underneath the substrate. When the
Steven Wofsy conducts a field study in Bhu-
tan. “We met someone at Harvard who was
a botanist in Bhutan who invited us to go
there and help them with their forest inven-
tory. So we spent a month learning about
how they do things and showing them how
we do things.”
A conceptual model
of Suo’s molecular car.
On-chip infrastructure
electrodes are charged sequentially, the
resulting moving electric field makes
the car move. Because the electric field
pattern is programmable (the individ-
ual electrodes can be turned on and off
at will), the car can move forward or
backward, make a sharp turn, and park.
For passenger pickup and drop-off, the
car would attract a molecule on board
in one area with favorable conditions,
such as the right pH and temperature
levels, move on the highway, and then
release the passenger in another area
using the reverse method, altering
conditions to make the molecule want
to hop off.
Into the woods
Some research at the Division requires
a bit of a hike. Abbott Lawrence Rotch
Professor of Atmospheric and Environ-
mental Science Steven Wofsy knows
this from experience. Under Wofsy’s
guidance, the Division hosts the North-
eastern Regional Center (NERC) of the
National Institute for Global Environ-
mental Change (NIGEC), funded by the
U.S. Department of Energy. Recently,
Steven Wofsy described what it’s like
to do research in the wild.
What research are you most excited
about?
We have an integrated long-term study,
which means that we looked at the
changes in the ecosystem over time. The
University of New Hampshire looked
at how the ecosystem is responding to
air pollution, and a group from Woods
Hole Marine Biological Lab is investigat-
ing how the system responds to heating
the soil. I am very excited about the
Molecule (passenger)
Receptor (seat)
Dipole (engine)
Binder (wheel)
Substrate (pavement)
Suo admits that the concept of the
molecular car raises as many ques-
tions as potential solutions. How could
the car be controlled or account for
difficult conditions such as thermal
fluctuation, akin to being in a perpetual
earthquake? What would happen if
two cars bump into each other? At
present, the molecular car only exists in
computer simulations. Suo and his re-
search colleagues are looking for ways
to overcome the technical challenges
required to go from the drawing board
to the showroom. It may turn out that
moving a molecule will be a mountain-
sized challenge, but the drive is likely to
be exciting. F
fact that all of these things are being
brought together.
Do you act differently (what you drive,
eat, wear) due to your research?
I think I have become more respectful
of the complexity of the environment
than I was when I was more of an ad-
vocate. You never know everything you
need to know – and that’s true of stock
investing right on to the environment.
What are the challenges of conduct-
ing research in the wild?
Our sites get hit by lightning maybe two
or three times a year. And then there are
the snakes, mosquitoes, airplane sched-
ules, customs, permission to work in a
particular location, and politics. Do you
need any more? But it’s exciting. F
For more information about NIGEC
and NERC, visit
http://nigec.ucdavis.edu/
DEAS Spring 2004 I 5
Faculty News

Ralph Mitchell holds up a flask
containing a sample taken from the
site of the U.S.S. Arizona.
only the “day of infamy” at Pearl Harbor
– December 7, 1941, when a surprise air
attack by the Japanese crippled the U.S.
Pacific Fleet and left 2,390 dead – but,
through its bent metal and lost heroes,
the turmoil of the entire war.
During the attack, a 1,760-lb. armor-
piercing bomb blew up half the ship,
causing the rest to sink to the shallow
bottom, forty feet down. Today, a bowed
white walkway lies like a silk ribbon
over the remaining hull. After taking
a short boat ride to the memorial, the
1.4 million annual visitors can peer
down at the ghostly shadow through
how microorganisms adhere to and
grow on surfaces and form biofilms,”
he says. Part of his work is to study the
chemical transformations mediated by
microorganisms found on the surfaces
of both living and artificial materials.
Microbes live and breed on everything,
most commonly in the form of thin
sheets called biofilms. A common ex-
ample is the plaque that forms on your
teeth. If you neglect to brush, what you
leave behind will eventually eat away
at the tough enamel, leaving you with
pain, a disapproving dentist, and a hefty
repair bill for the cavity.

G
ordon McKay Professor of Applied
Biology Ralph Mitchell watches
his mail like a teenager expecting
a bulky college acceptance envelope.
“This week we are getting archival
metal that came off the ship. And we
are getting oil. We already have micro-
organisms …” he says with the trace of
an Irish accent, hinting at his
undergraduate days at Trin- “...there’s a steady drip of oil
ity College, Dublin, where he
studied microbiology.
that’s rising to the surface of the
The deliveries, looking like harbor. The survivors call it the
props for an episode of the
hard-hitting, but often less tears of the men who died.”
than hard science, television
drama “CSI,” actually add up to an act of
conservation. Mitchell is collaborating
with a team of marine archeologists
and microbiologists, led by the National
Park Service. Their task: to preserve and
protect one of the United States’ most
sacred national monuments, the U.S.S.
Arizona.
The submerged remains of the 608-
foot-long, 31,000-ton naval battleship
lie off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Arizona literally embodies not
a mix of blue waves churning uneasily,
but often beautifully, with the Bunker
C fuel oil that inexorably bleeds from
the ship. “The ship still contains about
half a million gallons of oil,” says
Mitchell, who recently returned from a
site visit. “Meanwhile, at about a quart
a day, there’s a steady drip of oil that’s
rising to the surface of the harbor. The
survivors call it the tears of the men
who died. You can actually smell the oil.
It’s not ephemeral, but real.”
While the Arizona is a tomb for 1,177
fallen sailors and marines, it also harbors
life. Over the decades, a host of marine
organisms have settled on the silt-cov-
ered metal hull and decks. That’s where
Mitchell comes in. “The underpinning
for everything I do is understanding
That process may be exactly what’s
happening to the Arizona – the brew of
seawater, microbes, fuel oil, and time is
taking its toll. In addition, with the right
combination of conditions the bacterial
population can be transformed from
something benign into microbes that
can chew through metal.
Like many of our national mon-
uments – the Statue of Liberty
or the Lincoln Memorial – the
Arizona does not sit in the cli-
mate-controlled safety of a mu-
seum. Much of the ship’s impact
is in its ability to give visitors a
real link to the past. Not being
encased in glass, however, is es-
pecially perilous for a sunken ship. The
leaking fuel oil is now only a drip, but
as corrosion continues, the risk of an oil
spill increases. The National Park Ser-
vice is not simply letting nature take its
course. In the past several years, as part
of their ongoing research to preserve
the ship, they have sent divers down
to take water and oil samples from
around the vessel. In addition, ROVs
(tethered remotely operated vehicles)
have explored parts of the ship.

6 I DEAS Spring 2004

Conservation scientists need to take
great care; the Arizona, after all, is a
gravesite. “The survivors, rightly, will
not allow anyone inside,” says Mitchell.
Further, the ship itself and the oil that
threatens the harbor inextricably mesh
with the memories of the survivors and
the friends and families of those buried
in the ocean. “So what’s really going
on in there at a biochemical level? We
simply don’t know.”
Mitchell is convinced that the ship is
home to an increasing number of harm-
ful microbes. He is one of the world’s
leading experts on biofilms and the mi-
crobiology of surfaces. With financial
backing from the Division, his labora-
tory has the means to play a critical part
in the preservation of the memorial. The
three U.S.S. Arizona samples – water, oil,
and metal – sent to him by the Park Ser-
vice marine archeologists will provide
him with the raw materials for learning
more about what’s happening without
having to disturb the site.
Mitchell hopes to help determine if the
interaction between the organisms and
the fuel oil is accelerating the corrosion,
how quickly the ship’s metal is decay-
ing, and how long it will be until the oil
starts leaking at a fast rate. His Labora-
tory of Applied Microbiology is using
modern methods of genetic analysis
to identify the destructive bacteria, as
well as electrochemical techniques to
determine the rate of deterioration of
the metal.
For Mitchell, the Arizona intersects
several interests – scientific (exploring
biofilms), conservationist (he runs one
of the only fellowships in biological
conservation in the U.S.), and, of course,
personal (as an American).
“We know very little about the physi-
cal, chemical, and biological processes
responsible for degradation of the
historic artifacts that are essential to
the cultural life of our nation,” Mitchell
says. His work on the World War II me-
morial may lead to discoveries about
how to preserve other historic sites
– from sunken ships to historic build-
ings to battlefields. “I feel fortunate to
take part in this cooperative research, to
use what I know to help protect some-
thing that I care about. The Arizona is a
labor of love for me as well as for other
scientists committed to its preservation.
It is as much about securing the future
of our heritage as it is about science.” F
For more on the U.S.S. Arizona
Memorial, visit
www.nps.gov/usar/
Over 1.4 million people visit the U.S.S.
Arizona Memorial each year. Chief
architect Alfred Preis said of its design,
“The form, wherein the structure sags
in the center but stands strong and
vigorous at the ends, expresses initial
defeat and ultimate victory. The overall
effect is one of serenity.” (Photo cour-
tesy of the National Park Service.)
DEAS Spring 2004 I 7
 New arrivals It’s a matter of trust
Faculty News

T he goal of Greg Morrisett’s work is to eliminate the need

Greg Morrisett provides trust and support for his colleagues working
at Maxwell Dworkin.
John Gregory (“Greg”) Morrisett
Allan B. Cutting Professor of Computer Science
John Gregory (“Greg”) Morrisett joins Harvard after spending
seven years at Cornell University, an institution as famous
for its gorges as for its ivy. While there, he was an Assistant
Professor (1996–2001) and then an Associate Professor (2001–
2003) in the Department of Computer Science. During the
2002–2003 academic year he left Ithaca for industry, serving as
a Visiting Researcher at Microsoft’s Cambridge (U.K.) Research
Lab. Morrisett studied Mathematics and Computer Science
at the University of Richmond (B.S., 1989) and received both
his M.S. (1991) and Ph.D. (1995) in Computer Science from
Carnegie Mellon University.
to discover the intent (good or bad) of a program before
a user downloads or runs it. For instance, when you receive
an e-mail with an attachment, the file may contain a virus
or worm that could damage your computer, steal personal
information, or be used to attack third parties (e.g., someone
else on your shared network). Likewise, when you click on a
Web page, open a document, update a device driver, or install
a game, you may be executing hidden code that introduces
security holes or installs a Trojan Horse (a malicious, security-
breaking program that is disguised as something benign on
your machine).
Unfortunately, we do not yet have a robust technical solution
to easily counter these problems. Self-mutating code (pro-
grams that change and adapt) can fool standard virus scanners.
Digital signatures (ways to authenticate the identity of the
sender/signer of a document and to ensure that it has not been
tampered with) only establish the provenance of code, not its
trustworthiness.
Put another way, Morrisett is working on technology that
would eliminate the need for trust. He advocates an architec-
ture that would require programs to come with an explicit,
formal security policy as well as mathematical proof that the
code will respect that policy when run. To make that a reality,
he has been developing security and self-checking tools for
software engineers.
Such safeguards make it possible to automatically check that
particular code will not do something “bad” when executed. In
essence, it shifts the burden of proof from the code consumer
to the code producer. Imagine the benefits of opening attached
documents or downloading (legally, of course) music files that
have already been road-tested for reliability and safety.
Given the wide implications of the problems Morrisett tack-
les, it is not surprising that the Division’s interdisciplinary
atmosphere attracted him to Harvard. “I am able to work with
a wide variety of scientists and academics here. A lot of com-
puter science problems are not just technical, but legal and
social, and ultimately determine policy decisions that affect
our everyday lives.” F

Nota Bene
Laser vision ... Cable
network provider Comcast
featured Federico Capasso
on “Technogenesis” ... In
April, he will receive the
2004 Caterina Tomassoni
and Felice Pietro Chisesi
prize at the University of
Rome ... Light my wire ...
The January 29th New York
Times Circuits section and
the January 27th Boston
Globe Health and Science
section showcased Limin
Tong and Eric Mazur’s work
on nanowires ... Baker’s
dozen ... The Harvard
University Gazette chose a
profile piece on biomedical
engineer Kit Parker as one
of its top 12 stories of the
year ... Gell-o that jogs
and the latest fashions
... The January 19th issue
of The Scientist and the
January 7th Technology
Research News featured
research by L. Mahadevan
and colleagues on hydro-
gels, and the February 4th
edition of Nature Science
Update highlighted Ma-
hadevan’s work on wrin-
kling and folding ... Shape
is destiny ... The February
13th Science magazine
featured a perspective on
packing spheres by David
Weitz ... Tour de force ...
The March 3rd “Charlie
Rose Show” highlighted Bill
Gates’ visit to the Division
... Nano know-how ... The
March 6th Boston Globe
highlighted the Center for
Imaging and Mesoscale
Structures (CIMS) in a
story about local nanotech-
nology expertise. F

8 I DEAS Spring 2004

Collaborations
Grosz and Vadhan lead a random
walk through Radcliffe What’s a Cluster?

I s solving a problem more difficult than verifying a solution?

Can any efficient process be efficiently reversed? Can you
infer a global property of an object by inspecting a tiny por-
tion of it?
At the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study this year, a six-
member research cluster on randomness and computation,
affiliated with the Theory of Computation Group at DEAS, is
searching for answers to such questions.
“Randomness is past the point of just being a topic in computer
science; it has permeated the entire subject,” says Assistant
Professor of Computer Science Salil Vadhan ’95, who brought
together the cluster and serves as its chair.
One of the chief goals of the computer science cluster is to
use randomness to design efficient algorithms for complex
computational tasks. Cluster members believe they can
design “randomized” algorithms that offer reasonably close
approximations of solutions to problems too large and complex
to solve in their entirety.
“The science is terrific, they’re getting work done, and their
seminars and research are involving students and other fac-
ulty from Harvard and MIT,” says Barbara Grosz, Dean of Sci-
ence at the Radcliffe Institute and Higgins Professor of Natural
Science. “At other levels, they’re interacting with Radcliffe
fellows across many disciplines. What more could you ask
from a cluster?” F
For more information, visit
www.radcliffe.edu/research/2003_random.html
Adapted from “Understanding Randomness,”
Radcliffe Quarterly, April 2004
It’s fundamental scientific research being done at Radcliffe
Institute. It’s complementing, not competing with, individu-
als from MIT. It’s hosting international experts who speak
the same languages – computer science and mathematics.
Likewise, practicing innovative science relates to crafting
an environment where thought is free to flow. The clus-
ter gives its members a fresh environment – the peaceful
Putnam House and the modern Maxwell Dworkin – in which
to work. In lieu of the typical academic year, the program
offers researchers a different tempo – the time to tackle a
single area with little interruption.
While these changes seem simple, cluster leader Salil
Vadhan says, “Being out of your element encourages you to
think in new ways, be more open to collaboration, and take
risks.”
Members of the Randomness Cluster
The cluster members comprise an eclectic mix of scientists
based in academia and industry, located coast to coast and
throughout the world, including:
Eli Ben-Sasson, Harvard University & MIT
Irit Dinur, University of California at Berkeley
Oded Goldreich, Weizmann Institute of Science
Shafi Goldwasser, Weizmann Institute of Science & MIT
Dana Ron, Tel Aviv University
Ronitt Rubinfeld, NEC Laboratories
Madhu Sudan, MIT
Salil Vadhan, Harvard University

Randomization is an important
tool for finding an approximate
answer – especially when find-
ing an exact answer is infeasi-
ble either because the problem
is difficult or because the input
is very large. A well-known
example is analyzing the data
from a poll. By using a random
sample (where each point has
the equal probability of being
selected) the estimate will be
close to the correct fraction of
purple to red points in the en-
tire population. If the sample is
large enough, you can estimate
the correct fraction with a high
degree of probability.

DEAS Spring 2004 I 9
 Selected articles about the Division
In Medias Res
Bill Gates comes home
Microsoft Chairman William H. Gates
III Col ’77 delivered a relaxed, sometimes
humorous talk to about 350 students,
faculty, and administrators at Lowell
Lecture Hall on Thursday, February 26,
outlining a software future that fea-
tures smarter, more secure machines,
and encouraging students to develop
computing’s next big idea.
Gates, who dropped out of Harvard in
1975 to found Microsoft, told students
that the computer industry needs new
energy and fresh minds. He said that
despite advances in the past decades
and the prominence of the com-
puter in today’s society, people are still
underestimating the power of current
developments.
Gates identified computer security
as the biggest threat to his vision of a
wired future, saying that if people think
their financial or personal information
isn’t secure, they won’t use applications
that could otherwise make their lives
easier.
He also pointed to artificial intelligence
(AI) as an area of computer science
awaiting a big breakthrough. Artifi-
cial intelligence has such potential to
transform the industry, he said, that a
student today making a breakthrough
in AI could conceivably create the next
Microsoft. Fewer people are working in
artificial intelligence today, however,
than 20 years ago.
Gates visited Harvard as part of a five-
campus speaking tour, also making
10 I DEAS Spring 2004
stops at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cornell University, Carnegie
Mellon University, and the University of
Illinois.
Division of Engineering and Applied
Sciences Dean Venkatesh Narayana-
murti introduced Gates, eliciting a
laugh from the crowd when he de-
scribed Gates’ famously shortened stay
at Harvard, saying “He spent precisely
as much time as he needed to.”
News from the nozzle
Triangular nozzles provide the tiniest
droplets, say Harvard Physics Depart-
ment graduate student Henry Chen and
Gordon McKay Professor of Applied
Mathematics and Applied Phys-
ics Michael Brenner, who used
a mathematical algorithm to de-
termine that a miniature three-
sided tap could produce drips
some 21 percent smaller than a
conventional round nozzle.
The miserly taps – which could,
in theory, create drops just 8 billionths
of a millimeter in size – might prove
a boon for technologies that employ
sprays of costly materials. For instance,
triangular taps could boost the resolu-
tion of ink-jet printers, which work
by squirting fine droplets of ink onto
surfaces. They could also cut the size of
traditional silicon chips and biochips,
both of which feature patterns that
are sometimes produced by a tightly
controlled spray of droplets.
Dean Venky welcomes Bill Gates Col ’77
back to the Division.
While here, Gates toured Maxwell Dworkin
(a building made possible by his and Steve
Ballmer’s ’77 support, and named for their
mothers), met with faculty, signed a poster
of the BASIC program code he wrote as an
undergraduate, and spoke with students
about the challenges and opportunities in
computer science and engineering.
(Photo courtesy of Microsoft.)
“You have a unique opportunity tonight
to hear from someone who not too long
ago was where you are now,” Narayana-
murti said. F
Reprinted with permission from the Harvard
University Office of News and Public Affairs,
February 26, 2004
Pieces about Gates’ visit to the Division also
appeared in the Boston Globe, Boston
Herald, The New York Times, and Time.
“We hope that the theoretical methods
we used to answer this problem will
prove broadly applicable,” says Brenner.
“We are trying to develop the general
mathematical methods that are
needed for carrying out math-
ematical optimizations of struc-
tures used in engineering.”
In addition to taps, Chen and
Brenner see their mathematical
methods applied to a number
of other examples, including
a new switch with a shape deemed
optimal and a coffee cup whose form
facilitates boiling and convection.
Chen and Brenner’s work is funded by
the National Science Foundation and
Harvard’s Materials Research Science
and Engineering Center (MRSEC). F
Adapted from FAS Communications,
December 12, 2003
Up in the atmosphere ...
Harvard researchers have observed for the first time a key
molecule that destroys atmospheric
ozone, confirming researchers’ theo-
ries about the stratospheric chemis-
try that creates Arctic and Antarctic
ozone holes each winter.
Rick Stimpfle, a senior project scien-
tist with the Division, was the lead
author in a paper published this
month in the Journal of Geophysical
Research-Atmospheres that outlined
the findings. Stimpfle conducted the
research along with David Wilmouth,
a postdoctoral fellow in Atmospheric
Chemistry, Philip S. Weld Professor
of Atmospheric Chemistry James
Anderson, and Ross Salawitch, a
researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion
An image taken from NASA’s Total Ozone Mapping
Laboratory. Spectrometer (TOMS) Web site.
Results of the research also showed that
the chemical chain reaction involving the molecule likely
runs 20% – 30% faster than scientists had expected, a finding
that will allow them to adjust critical computer models to bet-
ter approximate real conditions in the atmosphere. F
Both articles adapted from the Harvard University Gazette, February 26, 2004
DEAS, IBM connect to create computing ‘grid’
The Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences and com-
puter giant IBM are teaming up through an applied research
award to create a pilot computer grid that, if successful, could
one day provide researchers access to greatly increased com-
puting power. The effort, called the Crimson Grid Test Bed, is
being launched with the help of several parties, including IBM,
Intel Corp., the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), and Univer-
sity Information Systems (UIS). The initiative is just part of a
larger DEAS effort to work with computer industry leaders in
developing new computational tools and techniques that can
benefit researchers in other parts of the University.
“A grid could potentially provide the tools to solve any type
of problem, from a complex literature search to mining the
genome,” explains DEAS’s Chief Information Officer and In-
formation Technology Director Jayanta Sircar, who is also the
Primary Investigator for the project.
… And down on earth
Harvard researchers are weighing in on the ozone pollution
debate, asserting that federal assump-
tions about natural background
levels are wrong and may result in
national standards that permit too
much ozone pollution. Arlene Fiore,
a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton
University who conducted the re-
search while at Harvard, and Daniel
Jacob, Gordon McKay Professor of
Atmospheric Chemistry and Envi-
ronmental Engineering, made their
assertions in a recent article in the
Journal of Geophysical Research.
“Our work suggests that the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency (EPA)
is presently overestimating back-
ground concentrations,” Fiore says.
“This overestimate might lead to a
greater health risk, due to imposing
weaker regulations on ozone.” The two researchers will share
their conclusions with federal lawmakers at a Senate briefing
in Washington, D.C. The testimony comes as the EPA conducts
a regular re-evaluation of its air pollution standards. F
“Our goal is to provide the enabling infrastructure for state-of-
the-art research computing,” Dean Narayanamurti says. “Such
an infrastructure is critical to several scientific disciplines,
spanning areas such as high-energy physics, materials science,
computer science, astronomy, and biology.”
Bruce Harreld, IBM senior vice president of strategy, said in a
statement, “This grid project can open doors to new research
and help both organizations to draw on complementary
strengths, including IBM’s expertise in grid computing, com-
putational biology, and advanced IT (information technology)
solutions.” F
Adapted from the Harvard University Gazette, January 22, 2004
DEAS Spring 2004 I 11
Student News

To be judged successful, the roller coaster design must be free-standing

and have at least one loop; the marble must undergo five changes of
direction, leave and then rejoin the track, and complete the course with-
out falling or stopping.

Roll with it
Students in ES 143/243 use overhead lights and chairs to balance
their coaster creations.

H arvard students from all fields of study – from govern-

ment to biology to engineering – joined together at The
Children’s Museum of Boston in February to collaborate on
“In the end, no matter how sophisticated the scientific solution
building a working roller coaster. Instead of steel and wood,
students used pipe insulation tubes and toothpicks. The
fearless rider of the twists, turns, and loop was an eager, but
never-at-risk, marble.
The spirited “play” was part of ES 143/243, a course developed
by Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Biomedical En-
gineering David Edwards with Paul Bottino, executive director
of the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard
(TECH). The class encourages creativity and team building
to help inspire students to translate biomedical scientific in-
novations into improved healthcare solutions.
Dr. Louis B. Casagrande, president and CEO of The Children’s
Museum, kicked off the event by sharing his experiences as
an educator and museum director. “Creative play is work,”
he said.
The exercise’s purpose was twofold: for students to work
together as a team to solve a single problem (to learn how to
work and re-work ideas), and for them to explain to everyone
else what worked, what didn’t, and why.
Understanding how to build a roller coaster – “a kind of per-
verse ‘startup’ analogy,” Edwards pointed out – is more than
just an exercise. By appreciating the dynamics of what first
appears as a simple problem, Harvard students who want to
use science to influence society gain a critical understanding
of how to respond to real-world issues.
to a problem, researchers need to explain how things work in
the simplest possible terms, and listen – and have fun,” said
Edwards. As a case in point, one group in the current class
is focused on developing a new treatment for malaria. “How
to treat malaria, an epidemic in many nations of poverty,
requires a non-standard pharmaceutical level of thinking,” ex-
plained Edwards, “since such regions lack the infrastructure
and basic medical knowledge that most pharma solutions
take for granted.”
Casagrande said his ultimate mission at The Children’s
Museum is to “bring out the genius in every child.” Likewise,
Edwards and Bottino are striving to bring out the healthcare
inventor in every student. The class has already helped apply
several ideas outside of the classroom. In the fall of 2002, stu-
dents helped found MEND (MEdicine in NeeD). The nonprofit
enterprise has since built an internationally renowned board
and advisory board and forged important pharmaceutical,
NGO, and governmental relationships in its effort to develop
a new treatment of tuberculosis in the developing world. In
the spring of 2003, Edwards worked with several students to
create Pulmatrix, a pharmaceutical startup in the Cambridge
area that is currently developing proprietary aerosol products
that treat, prevent, or inhibit the spread of airborne infectious
diseases.
While the designs for the student-built roller coasters are not
likely to be appearing at a theme park near you, what was
learned in creating them may serve as an inspiration to pro-
duce real ways to counter and treat diseases. F

12 I DEAS Spring 2004

Awards
2003 SAME Award … In recognition of her hard work and
dedication to research, Harvard College senior Christine Su-
san Mulvey was awarded the 2003 Colonel and Mrs. S.S. Den-
nis III Scholarship by the New York City Post of the Society of
American Military Engineers (SAME).
Ms. Mulvey, a 2004 candidate for the S.B. degree in Engineer-
ing Sciences with a concentration in Bioengineering, is from
Canton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Canton High
School in 2000.
Her primary academic interest is the study of bone mechanics,
or discovering how bones move and respond to stimuli. For her
senior design project, Ms. Mulvey is working on a spinal test-
ing device in consultation with the Orthopedic Biomechanics
Lab at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where
she interned during the summer of 2003. After graduating, she
plans to pursue an academic career.

2004 Analog Devices Awards … Graduate student Yong Liu

Dean Venky presents Christine Susan Mulvey ’04 with a certificate
and William Andress ’05, in Assistant Professor of Electrical of accomplishment and a scholarship check for $1,000.
Engineering Donhee Ham’s lab, have won 2004 Analog De-
vices Outstanding Student Designer awards. F

Student drivers

(Left) Students drive for grades in ES 51; (Above left) Rob Howe
adds color commentary and applause; (Above right) a student team
basks in the spoils of engineering excellence. (Photos courtesy of
Jon Chase and the Harvard News Office.)

At the end of last semester, DEAS undergraduates in “Comput-

er-Aided Machine Design” (ES 51) competed for spills, thrills,
and a potential A (for their final grade).
Before hitting the road, students first “reverse engineer” cord-
less screwdrivers and then (with the help of a few additional
parts from $40 worth of gears) turn them into remote-control
vehicles.
In addition to grease and good sense, students use 3-D model-
ing software that generates “code” (i.e., instructions and mea-
surements) that is programmed into a lathe at the machine
shop to cut out custom pieces. The software helps ensure that
the builders have pieces that are accurately sized and shaped.
On race day, the vehicles were put to a series of tests, including
power (towing a heavy trailer up a ramp) and maneuver-
ability (driving through a “slalom” course made of beakers
and funnels). The grueling circuit is designed to challenge all
aspects of their knowledge of engineering, from mechanical
to electrical. F

DEAS Spring 2004 I 13
 D uring the cold war, the race to the
From the moon to molecules
In Profile

moon wasn’t just about coming

in first. Physicists on both sides had to
Faculty member Navin Khaneja’s research on optimal control theory requires a
determine the safest, most direct, and broad understanding of physics and applied mathematics; the engineering
most fuel-efficient flight path for the savvy to understand scientific tools; and an appreciation of experimental design.
rocket and its crew, all in a strange en-
vironment: space. Assistant Professor of
Consider NMR, a particular interest researchers are interested in complex,
Electrical Engineering Navin Khanejaof Khaneja’s. The technique uses a large protein molecules, reducing
isn’t planning the next trip to the moon,
sequence of radio frequency pulses to dampening (or “relaxation” losses) is
but his research on optimal control manipulate the magnetic fields sur- critical.
theory has significant parallels to that
rounding an atom. Since many atomic To compensate for relaxation, Khaneja
famous voyage. Down on earth, he is nuclei are magnetic (due to the quan- is developing new methods to manipu-
trying to find the best “flight” paths for
tum mechanical properties of spin), late the dynamics of coupled nuclear
quantum evolution in the molecular these radio frequency pulses cause spins. Using optimal control theory to
universe. them to dance in specific ways. A detec- design radio frequency pulses, he can
“Using optimal control theory to tor can trace and identify these patterns minimize relaxation losses. An optimal
manipulate quantum systems helps of movement. Observing how the design could improve the sensitivity
researchers design nuclei of a particular of experiments and shorten the time it
and conduct bet- “Optimal control theory is molecule dance takes to analyze the structure of com-
ter experiments,” helps researchers plex molecules. “Imagine it like this,”
Khaneja explains.
about determining the determine the struc- he explains: “The paths to your office
“Many scientific best path to take in order ture of molecules are slushy from the snow. You have a
tools involve con- themselves. critical meeting and you want to arrive
trol over quantum
to get the desired result.”
Why does the use looking good. My challenge is to help
phenomena.” of NMR technol- you find the best and fastest route, so
Examples include existing technologies ogy need improving? “With small your clothes don’t get ruined. Optimal
such as nuclear magnetic resonance molecules,” Khaneja says, “it is relatively control theory is all about determining
(NMR) spectroscopy (used to under- straightforward to determine their three- the best path to take in order to get the
stand the structures of proteins), and dimensional structure. But as the size of desired result.”
future innovations such as quantum a molecule increases, the dance patterns At the quantum level, such guidance
computers (designed to significantly are dampened, making it harder to will help scientists improve the sensitiv-
increase storage and speed). extract the desired information.” Since ity and efficiency of their experiments
so they can reach their destination (i.e.,
An elegant rendition of the optimal paths of quantum states in the presence of relaxation data) with less mess. “It’s critical to do
losses. (Image courtesy of Steffen Glaser, Technische Universität München.) For more this work,” says Khaneja. “Even a small
information, see “Boundary of Quantum Evolution under Decoherence,” N. Khaneja, B. Luy,
S.J. Glaser. PNAS, USA 100, 13162–13166 (2003). improvement in an NMR experiment
might allow researchers to understand
a new aspect of a protein. And what
we learn from one tool can be used to
improve other devices and be applied to
related problems.”
Is navigating through slush or space
really comparable to manipulating
atomic particles? As Khaneja explains,
absolutely. “You essentially use the
same methods and ideas from control
theory to guide a rocket to the moon or
plot your course to your office as you do
to optimally control quantum phenom-
ena. It speaks to the universality and
beauty of mathematical thought.” F
To read more about Khaneja’s
research, visit
http://hrl.harvard.edu/~navin/

14 I DEAS Spring 2004

It must be tremendously interesting
to be a schoolmaster, to watch [stu-
dents] grow up and help them along. Lifelong learning
I don’t see how you could ever get
old in a world that’s always young.
– Goodbye, Mr. Chips

W hile the Division keeps evolving,

students who graduated years, if
not decades, apart often speak fondly of
the same professor – still an inspiration,
still hard at work. Consider Clowes Re-
search Professor of Science and Univer-
sity Ombudsperson Henry Ehrenreich.
In addition to serving Harvard and the
Division for four decades, he offers a
quiet wit and candor to everyone he
encounters.
Ehrenreich, a physicist who has chiefly
studied semiconductor theory, says he
has always felt a sense of obligation to-
ward the University. “Harvard has been
very good to me in many ways because
of all the opportunities to do things …
and I really enjoyed the interaction
with people outside of the Division.”
After some coaxing by Harvard Presi-
dent Larry Summers, Ehrenreich landed
his latest role as University Ombudsper-
son in February of 2003. The Ombuds
Office, which he shares with Lydia Henry Ehrenreich, who balances a dual role as Clowes Research Professor of Science and
Cummings, offers employees a safe ha- University Ombudsperson, enjoys a rare moment of relaxation in his office.
ven to discuss conflicts or problems. Ac-
cepting the position, while impressive, concerned by the tough demands on
Congress, I needed to look for the right
is yet another example of his dedication expressions and the right level of today’s faculty. With research, funding,
to community outreach. discourse,” he says. “Teaching in theand family obligations all vying for an
During his time at Harvard, he has Core provided me with a tremendous instructor’s time, “I feel like I lived in
chaired the Science Center Executive the age of leisure,” he jokes. “Yet what’s
amount of experience to do just that.”
Committee and the Committee on the Of course, teaching has helped him impressive is that, despite these de-
Science Core Curriculum, and at one do more than just mands, there are a
time directed the Materials Research translate science “Teaching kids in Core courses lot of people around
Lab (now MRSEC). He has also served to senators. “I rem- who are not going to concen- who do teach Core,
as a member of the Committee on Free ember a first-year who do serve on the
Speech Guidelines and continues to student from Boise, trate in the sciences really Faculty Council,
work on the University’s Committee on Idaho, who always teaches you about how to and who all do so
the Environment. came to lecture many other things.”

Teaching has always held a privileged
place for Ehrenreich. “Teaching kids in
Core courses who are not going to con-
centrate in the sciences really teaches
you about how to explain science. It
is a very important thing to learn.” A
case in point is when he has worked on
advisory boards for the departments of
Defense and Energy and as a consultant
to the White House Office of Technol-
ogy and Policy. “When I testified before
early. She looked explain science.” “Henry is one of
lost, so I made a those dynamic peo-
point of being around a few minutes ple who represent what’s best about the
before class. Perhaps not as a result Division,” says Dean Venky. “He reminds
of my conversations – though maybe us that what might first seem like an
they played a part – she ended up being obligation is in fact an opportunity for
the editor of the Harvard Crimson. Her outreach and growth. The Division, and
Harvard experience completely trans- everyone in it, must be part of the wider
formed her.” world to truly be a success.” F
Because he equally values spending time
inside and outside the lab, Ehrenreich is

DEAS Spring 2004 I 15
Outside the Quad

R elief from the cold and dark Febru-

ary weather came early for local
Cambridge high-school teachers. A Di-
Seminars for the
2003–2004 School Year
Building Design and Energy Efficiency
vision-backed seminar on Photovolta-
ics and Semiconductors provided some Photovoltaics and Solar Panels
welcome heat, light, and electricity. Photovoltaics and Semiconductors
Science education advocate Eric Ma- Fuel Cells and Electrochemistry
zur, who holds a triple appointment
Human Activity and the Environment
as Harvard College Professor, Gordon
McKay Professor of Applied Physics,
and Professor of Physics at Harvard
University, led the two-hour workshop.
“I enjoyed giving this workshop so
much!” he said. “The teachers were a
great audience and the workshop was
a great opportunity for me to put my
own research in a broader perspective.
I am excited that some of it will reach
the high-school level.”
Mazur’s team of faculty and graduate
students shared fundamental knowl-
edge and hands-on techniques covering
the latest in semiconductors and pho-
tovoltaics (the science of converting
light to electricity) with eager teachers
like John Samp. “After working with
high-school students all day,” Samp
commented, “it’s refreshing to experi-
ence a more rigorous educational
environment. The seminar is a perfect
opportunity for high-school and college
teaching to intersect.”
The talk, one of many, is part of the
National Science Foundation (NSF)–
funded GK-12 program, which has
paired DEAS graduate students with
teachers to develop and deliver learn-
ing activities for the Cambridge Public
School System.
The arrival of Kathryn Hollar, the first
full-time Director for Educational Pro-
(Top) The Division’s Eric Mazur gives a thumbs up to teachers John Samp and Marion
grams at the Division, has energized the Levinstein. (Above) Maureen Haverin, the teacher liaison for the GK-12 program, shows
already top-notch outreach program. fellow educator Manjula Subramanian how to get students charged about research.
Hollar is uniquely qualified for the task:
She holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Department at Rowan University in that solar cells will be an important part
Engineering and English from North Glassboro, New Jersey. of young students’ lives. The earlier we
Carolina State University and a Ph.D. Jim Carey, a research assistant in the can give them a physical understanding
in Chemical Engineering with a Bio- Division, shed some light on why the of how these modern devices work, the
chemistry minor from Cornell Univer- outreach to students is so critical. “With better.” F
sity. Most recently she was an Assistant more and more attention being given
Professor in the Chemical Engineering to renewable energy sources, it is likely

16 I DEAS Spring 2004

The halls of innovation
Maintaining relationships with industry is one of the main priorities of the Divi-
sion. TECH, the Industrial Outreach Program (IOP), and the Harvard Industrial
Partnership (HIP) all provide excellent ways for faculty and students to collaborate
with research organizations. The following examples illustrate how the Division
interacts with industry.
Better brushing with Unilever…
Working with a company like Unilever
Research Inc., which makes and sells
food, home, and personal care goods,
might not seem like an obvious fit for
someone doing research on microflu-
ids, soft materials, and biophysics. But
Gordon McKay Professor of Applied
Physics and Professor of Physics David
Weitz explains it otherwise.
“Unilever is profoundly interested in
exploring use of the latest technologies
to make improvements in everything,
from better soaps and detergents to
foods that stay fresh longer,” he says.
The academic-industry interface gives
his lab a chance to test out ideas in the
real world and to learn equally from
Unilever’s research team, who might
approach a problem from a completely
different angle. “The results of this work
Other recent industry
collaborations …
The Division collaborates with a host
of industries. Some of the most well-
developed and extensive relationships
include those with:
Agilent Technologies Inc.
Alkermes Inc.
Colgate-Palmolive
Infineum USA L.P.
Kraft Foods
Microsoft Corp.
National Storage Inc.
Nortel
Paramitas Corp.
Procter & Gamble Co.
Rhodia Research
Seagate Technology
Weld Foundation
are not only good science, but also have
the potential for technological impact.
We can then take what we discover and
be proud when it results in a new or
Research on the physics of soft condensed
better product, while at the same time matter like colloids — mixtures of small
plowing our findings back into the Divi- particles suspended in a liquid — has led to
practical applications for consumer goods
sion,” he says. companies.
Ultimately, the collaboration helps both
groups do first-rate research. “Applica-
tions can drive innovations in science
just as much as research can influence
the everyday products that you and I
use,” concludes Weitz. F
For more information, visit
www.unilever.com/brands/innovation/
www.deas.harvard.edu/projects/weitzlab/
Examples of products that rely on colloi-
dal structures include toothpaste and food
items such as milk and mayonnaise.
Select joint faculty-student inventions
Faculty and students are research and Engraving’) Within Transparent Ma-
invention partners at the Division. Re- terials” by Eric Mazur (faculty) and Eli
cent applications for patents and issued Glezer (student)
patents include: Case 1818, “A Method for Fabricating
Case 2119, “Soft Output Detector for Optical Waveguides and Other Optical
Channels with Deletions and Inser- Devices in Three Dimensions Inside
tions” by Alek Kavcic (faculty) and Wei Bulk Glass Using Femtosecond Laser
Zeng (student) Oscillator” by Eric Mazur (faculty),
Case 2254, “Improved Near Maximum Chris Schaffer, André Brodeur, and Ra-
Likelihood Method for Decoding Low- fael Gattas (students) F
Density Parity-Check Codes” by Alek
Kavcic (faculty), Ned Varnica (student),
and Marc Fossorier (University of Ha-
waii faculty)
Case 1135, “Process for Structural
Alteration of Selected Material (‘Micro-
DEAS Spring 2004 I 17
Alumni Notes
with Marco Iansiti
There and back again
M arco Iansiti, ’83, Ph.D. ’88, may not
have traveled far from home, but
his journey from physics to business,
especially radical at the time, has pro-
vided him with a fruitful intellectual
adventure. He received his two degrees
in Physics from Harvard before joining
the faculty of the Harvard Business
School (HBS) in 1989. Iansiti helped cre-
ate, and initially co-chaired, the I.T. and
Management program offered jointly
by DEAS and HBS.
What are some of your favorite mem-
ories of your time at DEAS?
It was two weeks before my oral exam,
and Mike Tinkham showed me his
paper and said “Why don’t you work
on this?” I said, “I’m not interested in
research right now – I’m interested
in my oral exam!” But it was fun and
led to a bunch of really neat things. I
[also] remember the first experiment
that involved creating a new device – a
new tunnel junction – and cooling it at
low temperatures. I remember at 3 a.m.
taking the first measurement and see-
ing something interesting. It felt really
fascinating to see something that hadn’t
been done before and get some interest-
ing data.
18 I DEAS Spring 2004
Do you think that professional
schools should seek out more people
like you – people who have a back-
ground in physics rather than those
who studied business or economics
straight through?
I think they should. In my own depart-
ment, I’m next door to someone who
studied materials science at MIT and
in the next room is someone who has
a degree in electrical engineering, also
from MIT. I work with people who have
backgrounds in organizational psychol-
ogy. The management of technology is
not a discipline, it’s a set of problems,
and the best way to tackle that set of
problems is by leveraging a variety of
different disciplines. It’s too easy to get
lost in the complexity of the data and
I think having strong training really
helps people.
Are you excited about the direction in
which economics is moving, in terms
of behavioral economics and some of
the work that has emerged?
I think it is very exciting. Right now
there are much more powerful tools
and more powerful ways to become
closer to the application world, and I
think that’s really good. It’s very hard
to develop a solid understanding of a
business problem if there isn’t a strong
business foundation in economics or
psychology or sociology or some field
that can give you some structure and
discipline.
What are some of the research topics
that you are most interested in right
now?
I’m very interested in networks of
companies. In the old days, innovation
was primarily done by individuals in
isolated labs, such as Bell Labs. Now it
is really a network phenomenon, where
literally thousands of organizations are
working on related problems.
Is there a modern Bell Labs out there
now?
No, the concept has changed. There are
a number of R&D labs that are really
important in a variety of ways. You can
find them in universities and you can
still find them in the private sector.
Looking forward, or even looking back
a few years, I think you’ll find that any
innovation is really a collaborative
phenomenon. F
Quick quotes
Graduates share their thoughts and memories about their time at the Division
Unexpected applications … “I
ended up taking a structural engineer-
ing course that turned out to be really
useful. During a summer job with a
little engineering outfit, I used a lot
of what I learned from the course.
My claim to fame is that I wrote the
first pass of a program for them – an
interactive program that let you lay
out the geometry of a geodesic dome
– that was later used to lay out the
EPCOT Center.”
– David Robinson ’72
Teaming up … “I really liked the
teamwork between the students in
my group. We reviewed each other’s
papers and gave comments and
feedback. I think the relationships I
developed at DEAS will last a lifetime.”
– Raquel Hill Ph.D. ’02
Favorites … “My favorite class was
ES 145, Bioengineering – looking at
systems in the human body – because
of Professor McMahon. He passed
away the week before the final exam.
He was a very special person; he
made it a point to talk to students and
get to know them outside of class.”
– John Basbagill ’00
The real world … “I will always
remember the story Professor Aber-
nathy told about the John Hancock
Building and the vibration problems
they had been having. I probably
could recite the story today, word for
word, if I had to. For me, I benefited
from the practice – from understand-
ing why we were studying all these
concepts and how you would apply
them.”
– Aldona Clottey ’95
Applying medicine … “In medical
school there are a variety of topics
of physiology that you can appreci-
ate because you have studied the
way fluid flows, or if you’ve studied
mechanics you can appreciate the
skeletal system more than if you are
coming in without that background.
As for orthopedics itself, it is all ap-
plied engineering. You have fractures
and you have to build something that
contains the fracture. That’s a lot of
structural engineering.”
– Jeremy Moses ’96, M.D. ’00
The past and present … “I have
a lot of fond memories of being [at
Harvard], coming in at night, meeting
with the graduate students that were
there. The new [computer science]
building is 100 times better [than
Aiken]. The way it lets people collabo-
rate, the size of it. It’s wonderful to
see the top work in computer science
being done there.”
– Bill Gates Col ’77 F

Events Privacy and Security:

Technologies, Policies, and Society
In addition to almost daily seminars and colloquia – from computer science to Dates: April 22–23, 2004
squishy physics – the Division also sponsors major workshops. Information & registration:
Please visit http://deas.harvard.edu/newsandevents/ for the latest details, dates, www.radcliffe.edu/events/conferences/
and times. Graduates are always welcome (and encouraged) to attend events. security/
Here’s a selection of what’s to come later this year. Industrial Outreach Program
(IOP) 2004 Workshop
Frontiers in Materials and Nanoscience:
Innovation & Collaboration
Dates: May 20–21, 2004
Information & registration:
www.deas.harvard.edu/industry/

Second Workshop on the Econo-

ics of Peer-to-Peer Systems (P2P)
Dates: June 4–5, 2004
Information & registration:
www.eecs.harvard.edu/p2pecon/

Harvard Industrial Partnership

(HIP) 2004 Workshop
Dates: October 20–21, 2004
Planning for HIP 2004, an excellent op-
portunity to learn about the latest from
Electrical Engineering and Computer
Science, is well under way. Please stay
Michael Rabin, Thomas J. Watson, Sr. Professor of Computer Science (far left, seated) and tuned for more. F
other attendees during a panel session at the HIP 2003 workshop last November.

DEAS Spring 2004 I 19
 Inside information
Take five ... (Left) Dean Venky
Connections

catches up with undergraduate

Will Fithian ’06. Impromptu “hall-
way meetings” are just one way
While this issue has explored the influence of engineering Division faculty, students, and
and the applied sciences on society, connections to the outside staff reach out and connect.
world often start on the inside. Beyond boundaries ... (Be-
low) Without the constraints of
As the Division has developed to occupy over 340,000 square traditional departments, Division
feet of interconnected labs, classrooms, clusters, and offices, a members unite naturally to solve
problems in all types of weather.
concerted effort has been made to craft an environment (both
physical and social) that encourages and inspires scientists and
researchers to work together. An ongoing series of photo essays
Applied physicists work alongside chemical engineers. Five- dedicated to showcasing how DEAS
minute catch-up meetings, a favorite way for Dean Venky to
keep current, happen in the hallways, allowing ideas to reach inspires collaborative work and
all interested ears. Students are free to drop by faculty offices
and labs rather than make appointments. encourages interdisciplinary research.
With bridges and tunnels linking old buildings with new, great
ideas (and minds) have little fear of getting rained on. F

Table talk … (Below Left) Computer science faculty Margo Seltzer

and Matt Welsh never table a good discussion.
Turn the page … (Below Right) Camilla Lau ’04, who designed an
automatic piano music page turner, goes solo at her Senior Design
Project Presentation. She gave “bravos” for the support of her faculty
advisors, fellow students, and friends .

Feedback loop
We welcome and appreciate your
comments, suggestions, and
corrections.
Please send feedback to:
communications@deas.harvard.edu
or call us at 617-496-3815.
This newsletter is published by:
The Division of Engineering
and Applied Sciences
Communications Office
Harvard University
Pierce Hall
29 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Managing Editor/Writer:
Michael Patrick Rutter
Face the future … Donhee Ham
Design and Production and Robert M. Westervelt look
Coordinator: Eliza Grinnell forward to future collaborations
on novel biochip design (Above).
This publication, including past
issues, is available on the Web Altered states … Howard Stone
at www.deas.harvard.edu and David Weitz investigate a
problem from different points of
Copyright © 2004 by the
view (Above Left).
President and Fellows of
Harvard College

20 I DEAS Spring 2004