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Honors and Awards
Haim Bau, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied
Mechanics, has received the 2013 Provost’s Award for
Distinguished Ph.D. Teaching and Mentoring. A colleague
writes, “A world-renowned scholor in the fields of heat
transfer, mass transfer, and fluid mechanics, he is in his lab
daily to talk with his students, review their progress and
make suggestions for their research.”
Daniel Lee, Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering, has
been named Director of the General Robotics, Automation,
Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Laboratory, effective April
1, 2013. Lee replaces Kostas Daniilidis, Professor of Computer
and Information Science, who has taken on the role of
Associate Dean for Graduate Education at Penn Engineering.
In his announcement, Dean Eduardo D. Glandt noted, “The
GRASP Lab is a jewel of Penn Engineering, one that integrates
computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical
engineering in a vibrant, collaborative environment that
fosters interactions between students, research staff and
faculty. Dan’s commitment to GRASP and his energy,
creativity and leadership will drive GRASP to new heights.”
Dr. Lee received his Ph.D. in condensed matter physics from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and spent six
years with Bell Laboratories before joining Penn in 2001.
Drawing from the ways in which biological systems compute
and learn, Dr. Lee and his lab look at computational neuroscience
models and theoretical foundations of machine learning
algorithms to construct real-time intelligent robotic systems,
with an ultimate goal of designing machines that understand
what we want them to do.
Jonathan Fiene, Senior Lecturer and Director of Laboratory
Programs in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and
Applied Mechanics, has received the 2013 Provost’s Award for
Teaching Excellence. One student writes, “A firm believer in
learning by doing, he developed a ‘MEAMpalooza!’ showcase
of student projects and launched an epic Robockey (robotic
hockey) tournament that is the culmination of everything
we’ve learned during the semester.”
Robert Ghrist, Andrea Mitchell University Professor and
Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering and
Mathematics, is the recipient of the 2013 Chauvenet Prize,
a prestigious award for mathematical expository writing.
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