Difference Makers, January 2013

The University of Houston (UH) has appointed retired NASA astronaut and engineer Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar, TX E ’83, to lead the University’s new science, technology, engineering and math center. She will also teach in the UH College of Engineering. The article from the Houston Chronicle also reports that Dr. Dunbar will be inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame (FL) later this year. Read the article

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In a recent article from The New York Times, New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s contributions to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University (JHU), are divulged. JHU has indicated that this disclosure “makes Mr. Bloomberg, MD A ’64, the most generous living donor to any education institution in the United States.”

Read the article for more information on the impact of Mr. Bloomberg’s contributions to JHU including, “construction of a physics building, a school of public health, art installations, 20 percent of all need-based financial aid,” and much more.

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A video from the BBC World Service, includes Dr. Robert S. Langer, NY D ’70, and other “leading scientists” answering questions “about the impact and importance of their work.” Dr. Langer is a recipient of the Charles Draper Award (2002), the Joseph Priestly prize for chemistry, and is a professor at MIT. Watch the video here

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