BE Board:VisitingCom08

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Visiting Committee Visit Planning '08

Main Topics:

Faculty Size/Curriculum

• • Increase number of electives
    • From Survey:
    • Statistics Class focused on Biology
    • Tissue Engineering
    • Graduate Lab Technique class:Imaging,Biochemistry,Basic Biology
    • Cellular,Physiological,Organ level biology
    • Genetics
    • Metabolics
    • Mathematical modeling
    • Ethics

Advisor Selection Process

• First year funding is critical, need for more fellowships?
• Working for two advisors - one in BE, one not

Research Areas

What research areas lacking?

• Synthetic Biology
• From 2006 survey:
  • Strengthen core subjects already emphasized
  • Neuroscience
  • Metabolic engineering
  • Energy/Environment
  • Epigenomics
  • Immunology

Space

• • Currently de-centralized,lack of collaborations?,social interactions?
    • Labs in the Biology Building can definitely feel isolated from department
  • Tech Square people generally happy over there, would not necessarily want to move
  • Not enough space for new faculty

BE Department Staff

• • Compared to other engineering departments, less staff; asking them to wear a lot of hats
  • minimal web site activity, low student input, other departments seem to do more self-promotion (related to staff issue)
    • BE: 7, ChemE: at least 9, EECS: at least 9
    • ChemE has dedicated Web Site developer, Communications/Events people
    • EECS has Alumni Relations

Jobs

• • Current grads are finding jobs, but new web portal might offer more help
  • How to attract recruiters - currently Merck actively recruits, but few others
  • Alumni contacts/database?

Undergraduate Effects

• • Increase in number of semesters as TA?

Visiting Committee Meeting 2006

Notes from previous Visiting Committee Meeting - have these issues been addressed significantly?