John Francis (Jack) Welch Jr., Ph.D., Massachusetts Zeta ’57, has died at the age of 84. He was a railroad conductor’s son who became chairman and CEO of General Electric and led it for two decades, growing its market value from $12 billion to $410 billion. Welch earned a BS in chemical engineering from University of Massachusetts at Amherst and was initiated into Tau Beta Pi on April 21, 1956.
General Electric News Release
Engineers Tapped to Lead Universities
In a recent Washington Post article, the newspaper reported on a trend in education with the announcement of new leaders at universities near the nation’s capital. “In the span of two weeks, two of the largest schools in the Washington region — George Mason and the University of Maryland at College Park — named engineering deans to lead their campuses. Before being chosen for the top job at GMU, Gregory N. Washington, Ph.D., Ohio Gamma ’89, led the engineering school at the University of California at Irvine. And, the new president at U-MD, Darryll J. Pines, Ph.D., Maryland Beta ’86, has been at the helm of the engineering school there since 2009.”
‘It’s happening by design’: Two engineers tapped to lead major D.C. region universities
By Lauren Lumpkin, The Washington Post
March 1, 2020 at 3:36 p.m. EST
“The decision to tap engineers for top campus roles underscores a trend that has been unfolding for about a decade, said John L. Anderson, Ph.D., Delaware Alpha ’67, who is currently serving as president of the National Academy of Engineering. Universities have spent the last several years broadening their engineering curricula to emphasize skills outside of the discipline, including communication and leadership.”
This article was published on the heels of the announcement of Lance R. Collins, Ph.D., New York Delta ’81, as the inaugural executive director and vice president of Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus.
Engineering Undergrad Research Advocates Energy Security
David Arnot, New Mexico Beta ’21, a junior at the University of New Mexico, was selected to showcase his research at Posters on the Hill, an annual undergraduate poster session on Capitol Hill.
The event will be held in Washington, D.C., on April 20-21. Arnot is one of 60 presenters selected from more than 350 competitive applications. His poster is titled “Development of Alkaline Zn/MnO2 Batteries for Grid Energy Storage.” Arnot is an Honors College student pursuing a degree in chemical engineering. He has been working at Sandia National Labs since 2018 and has been involved in several research projects related to electrochemical energy storage as a Research and Development intern.
In addition, Arnot is president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers student chapter at UNM. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and lead a research group focusing on energy conversion and storage technologies.
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