Former MIT President To Outline Future of Engineering Education at NJIT

“Engineering education must both drive and respond to innovation and change,” he said. “Engineers must be adept at addressing the complexities of global competition plus knowledgeable about how the potential of global cooperation can be realized for the benefit of every nation.”

The distinguished engineer and educator will deliver his lecture from 3-4:30 p.m. in NJIT’s Campus Center ballroom. The public is invited to attend. This event will conclude the Spring 2008 Series of NJIT’s Technology and Society Forum.

After Vest completed his doctorate in mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, he joined the faculty as assistant professor, focusing on thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. He continued his research in heat transfer and engineering applications related to laser optics and holography. In 1981, Vest was named associate dean of engineering at Michigan; he subsequently served there as dean of engineering, provost and vice president for academic affairs. He became president of MIT in 1990 and president emeritus in 2004.

Vest has also been a director of DuPont and IBM, and vice chair of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness. He has served on federal committees and commissions that include the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction, the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on Transformational Diplomacy and the Rice-Chertoff Secure Borders and Open Doors Advisory Committee. Vest was awarded the 2006 National Medal of Technology by President Bush and in 2007 was elected president of the NAE for a six-year term.

Sponsors of the lecture series include the NJIT Technology and Society Forum Committee, Albert Dorman Honors College and Sigma Xi.  For more information, contact Jay Kappraff, kappraff@adm.njit.edu or 973-596-3490.