Renewal and Growth (1998-2008)

Faculty

SEAS has expanded its faculty from around 50 in AY ’98 to more than 70 in AY ’08 (with 90 total participating faculty).

This was directed at renewing and strengthening traditional and foundational disciplines such as applied mathematics and applied physics; building capacity in areas such as electrical engineering and computer science; and nurturing emerging areas such as bioengineering and nanotechnology. SEAS has also significantly increased faculty diversity in terms of both racial and ethnic background as well as country of origin.

Education

Over the past decade, undergraduate enrollments in SEAS’s three concentrations Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, and Engineering Sciences—have ranged from 300 to 400.

SEAS also educates students in other parts of Harvard through offering broader-based interdisciplinary courses. The graduate student population grew from ~150 to over 350 during 1998–2008.

The number of applications to graduate level programs has nearly tripled over a shorter period, from 454 in 1997–1998 over 1300 in 2007–2008. Among all national graduate engineering programs, SEAS has become one of the most selective, admitting about 13 percent of applicants.

Research

Sponsored research has increased more than 60 percent from FY 1998 ($20.6M) to FY 2008 ($35.8M). Grants have ranged from government awards for interdisciplinary initiatives, such as the NSF-sponsored Materials Research Engineering Center (MRSEC) and the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC), to Harvard-initiated efforts like the seed-funded Center for Research on Computation and Society (CRCS).

Recent foundational gifts include those from the Gates Foundation in 2005 ($7.6M) to support research on needle-free vaccination and from the Kavli Foundation in 2006 (over $7M) to support an initiative in bionano science and technology. In 2007, BASF created the collaborative Advanced Research Initiative, based at SEAS (also see below).

Finally, the recently established, mutli-disciplinary and cross-school Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, created thanks to a $125M gift from entrepreneur and philanthropist Hansjorg Wyss in the fall of 2008, will solidify one of the most important, emerging areas of research for SEAS and for the University in the coming decade.

Industry and Entrepreneurship

Monies generated from partnerships with industry have increased from slightly over $100,000 in 1998 to ~$3.2M in 2008. Several faculty-based start ups, including SiEnergy (a spin-off that aims to commercialize solid oxide fuel technology); RainDance Technologies (a spin-off microfluidics company); and SiOnyx (a spin-off dedicated to commercializing black silicon) have received initial funding during the past two years.

In the spring of 2008 a student-based social entrepreneurship company, Lebone Solutions was created to help create a cheap source of light for Africa. 

In 2007 the BASF Advanced Research Initiative (more than $20M over five years) was established to pursue projects in areas such as materials science. Finally, the SEAS-based Technology and   Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard (TECH) sponsored its first university-wide entrepreneurship competition.

Development and Infrastructure

Pledges, outright gifts, and matches to SEAS from alumni, friends, and support from corporation and foundations, have totaled nearly $100M over the past decade. Of particular note was the completion of the $45M SEAS Challenge Fund in 2005-6.

Today the SEAS campus comprises almost 400,000 square feet of classrooms, teaching and research labs and research centers, and administrative space—approximately double the amount of a decade ago. The 95,000 sq. foot Laboratory of Integrated Science and Engineering (LISE), completed in the fall of 2007 and the 500,000+ sq. foot Northwest Building (opened in the fall of 2008), both have strong ties to SEAS-related activities. In addition,

Pierce Hall received a major interior facelift over the past year, including a new high-tech classroom and conference room and the creation of a dedicated a undergraduate research lab. Cruft Hall was also completely renovated.

Administration

SEAS continued to implement and develop an administrative structure appropriate to support its status as a school. Towards that end, Ed Kleifgen, formerly the FAS Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs for the Natural Sciences, was appointed Associate Dean for Administration and Human Resources. Kleifgen complements the administrative leadership team formed in 2006-2007, comprised of Fawwaz Habbal, Executive Dean; Harry Dumay, Associate Dean for Finance; Joy Sircar, Associate Dean for IT; and, Edward Jackson, Director of Physical Resources.

Key appointments in Human Resources, Research Administration, Corporate and Foundation Relations, and Information Technology as well as the recruitment of a new director for instructional technology rounded out recent hiring. In 2008 the SEAS Communications Office undertook a complete overhaul of the back-end and front-end of the SEAS public site and created a new community/intranet site.

Academic Administration

Dean Venkatesh "Venky" Narayanamurti stepped down in September and Frans Spaepen is currently serving as Interim Dean at SEAS. On March 10, 2009, Cherry A. Murray was named the next dean of SEAS.

Currently, Greg Morrisett serves as Associate Dean for Computer Science and Electrical Engineering; David Mooney serves as Associate Dean for Applied Chemical/Biological Sciences and Engineering and Rob Howe serves as Associate Dean for Academic Programs.

To further build community, all-staff and focused manager-level meetings were held throughout the year to align administrative efforts with SEAS objectives.

For complete details, see the most recent SEAS Annual Reports

Launch of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

In December 2006, Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) unanimously voted to recommend to the Harvard Corporation and Overseers that the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences (DEAS) change its name to the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).

Following the FAS vote, the Corporation and Overseers formally approved the measure in February 2007.

The change in status from a division to a school highlights the dramatic renewal and growth of engineering and applied sciences during the past decade; recognizes the increasingly integral role the field plays in education and research; and showcases the University’s strong commitment to exploring both the frontiers of knowledge and the practical consequences of discovery.

While the transition has provided increased visibility and autonomy, SEAS is a school within FAS.

The “school within in a school” structure reflects SEAS’ close ties to the College and the undergraduate programs, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), and increasingly strong links across the physical and life sciences.

Vision and Plans

Over the past several years, SEAS, FAS, and University administrators have engaged in broad-based, ever-evolving planning to ensure the future success of SEAS and, more generally, to enable engineering and applied sciences to become an increasingly integral part of the educational, research, and societal mission of Harvard.

Going forward, the vision of SEAS is to …

• serve as a model for 21st century education in engineering and applied sciences by promoting technical excellence and a broader understanding of engineering in the wider world;
• build upon SEAS’s interdisciplinary strengths in the foundational sciences, create a “critical mass” in select new and emerging areas, and enhance application-based research; and
• enhance the linkages between engineering and the professions, such as medicine, business, and public health, with the aim of tackling increasingly complex challenges that lie at the interfaces of science, technology, and society.

To accomplish such aims, over the next decade the planning committee has proposed …

• investing in the SEAS faculty (through, for example, endowed professorships) and enhancing the research infrastructure (buildings, laboratories, etc.);
• bolstering all aspects of graduate student life and support; and
• funding new cross-disciplinary educational initiatives such as a Center for Engineering Education and an umbrella initiative in technology and society for concentrators and non-concentrators alike.
  

Culture and Environment

The engineering and applied sciences community embraces flexibility, adaptability, and a “never say no” attitude. With little hierarchy and a high level of faculty and student autonomy, SEAS is a place where collaboration is commonplace. As a result, SEAS is and will continue to be a “connector and an integrator” within the broader University community.

Harvard’s strengths in the physical sciences (and SEAS’s traditional links to these) and in the biological sciences and medicine (and emerging links to these) will ensure synergies that benefit not only engineering research but other science and medical enterprises at the University. Similarly, SEAS will build bridges to Harvard’s world-class programs in the social sciences, public policy, law, and business; doing so will significantly enhance the educational programs, ensuring that concentrators are exposed to the wide range of issues at the intersection of technology and society.

In pursuing its vision, SEAS will grow, but will remain: a different kind of engineering program: rooted in science, interdisciplinary in culture, embracing Harvard’s breadth and depth across the sciences and professions.

Future Challenges and Opportunities

Given SEAS’s recent renewal and growth and its ambitious future plans, the school is at an important moment in its history. In fact, the University’s success in remaining a world-class institution is increasingly tied to leveraging advances from engineering and applied sciences—as is the case at Harvard’s peer institutions.

Managing change while preserving character

To preserve the unique interdisciplinary and “fluid” nature of SEAS, the organization must grow gracefully. This means balancing the constant tension between supporting a robust and appropriate academic and administrative structure with the ability to remain responsive, accessible, open, and adaptable.

Space and Infrastructure

Strengthening SEAS’ infrastructure and operations—physical facilities and teaching labs, information technology, and shared resources—remains one of the most critical challenges. The need for flexible or additional facilities to support research and teaching has steadily increased due to the addition of experimentalists and the increase in the graduate student and postdoctoral populations. In addition, creating appropriate facilities and links to the Allston campus while still maintaining current connections to the Cambridge campus will be essential.

Finances

In November/December of 2008, President Faust and Executive Vice President Ed Forst distributed letters on the University’s response to the global financial crisis. FAS Dean Smith has done the same concerning the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). Moreover, the leveling of NSF and NIH funding will require that SEAS develop creative solutions and new sources for obtaining proper resources for sponsored research and related activities. That said, Harvard has a strong financial foundation and is a resilient institution. SEAS is also well-positioned, both financially and administratively, to weather the current financial storm and to continue to pursue its educational and research goals. While SEAS may need to adjust its pace of growth, the school’s aspirations remain high.

Curricular Development

First and foremost, Harvard is an educational institution. In keeping with the evolution of engineering and applied sciences as a discipline and as a profession and the changing needs of students, SEAS must continually ask: What to teach and how to teach it. Likewise, the leadership must find new ways to value teaching, both at the school and university level, and provide the proper time, incentives, rewards, and recognition.

Internal Culture

Maintaining and developing a collaborative, collegial, and open environment will enable SEAS to best meet its aims. At the same time, now is an opportune time to infuse new attitudes and characteristics, such as a greater spirit of entrepreneurship, and to celebrate creativity and new ways of thinking.