FA R E WELL F ROM THE DEAN
O
Photograph: Dan Addison
ne thing I’ve learned during my tenure as dean is that
even the most confident predictions about the future are
subject to change. When I assumed the post of interim dean
in 2004, the nation was in the midst of an economic boom
that, in retrospect, turned out to be a bubble. When that
bubble burst, the consequences for the School were severe.
Fortunately, I’ve also learned that there are two essential
elements that can help an organization weather the
challenges it faces, no matter how unexpected. The first is
a plan. The signature document of my term as dean is the
School’s strategic plan, developed over the course of a year
with input from the entire Engineering School community.
We have worked steadily since then, focusing our creativity
and resources on implementing it. It has served as our
touchstone in good times and bad.
The second is extraordinary people. I am grateful to
the School’s faculty members, who have maintained their
focus on conducting intellectually significant, societally
meaningful research while creating an educational
environment that is both demanding and engaging.
In addition, I have been fortunate in assembling an
administrative team that has dedicated itself, often under
difficult circumstances, to advancing the School.
It is also thanks to supportive University leadership and
the generosity of our alumni that the Engineering School
is in such a strong position as we turn to Craig Benson, the
School’s 13th dean, for leadership.
On behalf of the School, I welcome Craig and ask you to
join him in taking the School to new heights.
J A M E S H. AY L O R
Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science
Louis T. Rader Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
U.Va. ENGINEERING
UNBOUND
2
Editors
Charlie Feigenoff
Josie Pipkin
Art Director
Travis Searcy,
Mountain High Media
Writers
Michelle Jaffee
Laura Longhine
Photography
Tom Cogill
(unless otherwise noted)
U.Va. Engineering UNBOUND is published by the School
of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of
Virginia. An online version of the magazine is available at
www.seas.virginia.edu/pubs/unbound.
Cover
Song Hu, assistant professor of biomedical engineering,
is a leader in photoacoustic microscopy. This image
shows complex vasculature in unprecedented detail.
The vessels in red are arteries and arterioles, and those
in blue and green are veins and venules.
Address corrections to U.Va. Engineering
Foundation, P.O. Box 400256, University of
Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4256,
or email to [email protected].