Dear UVM CEMS community,
Happy winter! May this letter find you COVID free and enjoying the winter season.
When people ask how I like Vermont, I always say – “I love Vermont, and I love UVM.” There are so many wonderful things about UVM: the wonderful students, the leadership culture at UVM, the commitment of the faculty and staff to student success, and the fantastic research and pedagogy. And – I am a big fan of the whole state! The access to the outdoors, the commitment to local business and local food, the many artisans, the community feeling. It is truly a special place.
This newsletter is filled with some great examples of how wonderful UVM and Vermonters are – examples of the outstanding people and projects of CEMS. You will read about our Olympian, Ben Ogden, a senior in Mechanical Engineering, competing in Beijing; Josh Bongard, who is exploring things on the very edge of our imagination – cell-based robots than can reproduce; Lisa Dion, who has published a book on how to teach computational skills to middle and high school students.
I am also thrilled to announce that Marilyn Cipolla is the new Chair of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering. She is a graduate from the Electrical Engineering program here at UVM, and is currently a faculty member in the Larner College of Medicine.
Cipolla is stepping into the shoes of Jeff Frolik, who has led the Department for seven years. He was the key driver behind building our new Biomedical Engineering Department, the Center for Biomedical Innovation, a cadre of outstanding junior faculty, and a new curriculum that emphasizes design- and project-based learning. I am extremely grateful for all of Jeff’s hard work, advice, and straightforward, organized approach. We will miss him on the leadership team, and also look forward to Marilyn’s leadership of EBE!
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Linda