A number of faculty members have been named to endowed professorships starting this year.
Associate Professor of Operations Research Andreas Schulz of the Sloan School of Management is the next holder of the Class of 1958 Career Development Professorship for a three-year term. The chair, established by the class in celebration of its 25th reunion, recognizes and encourages innovative and imaginative teaching by gifted young faculty members.
Assistant Professor of Biology Paul Garrity is the newest holder of the Whitehead Career Development Professorship for a three-year term. This appointment recognizes outstanding contributions to both education and biology.
Assistant Professor Alexander van Oudenaarden of physics has been named the W.M. Keck Career Development Professor in Biomedical Engineering for a three-year term. Established by a grant from the Keck Foundation, the professorship is intended to strengthen work in science, engineering and medical research.
Assistant Professor Wendy Jacob of architecture has been named to the Class of 1947 Career Development Professorship for a three-year term. This appointment recognizes her outstanding contributions in education and research.
Associate Professor Franz-Josef Ulm of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Assistant Professor Sang-Gook Kim of the Department of Mechanical Engineering will hold three-year Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Professorships. The professorships were established in 1973 by the MIT Corporation to honor the late Professor and Mrs. Harold E. Edgerton, who have been a source of friendship and encouragement to students and young faculty members for more than a half century.
Assistant Professor Dara O'Rourke of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning holds the Mitsui Career Development Professorship. The Mitsui chairs were established in 1980 by the Mitsui Group, one of the oldest and largest industrial organizations in Japan, to encourage cultural and technological exchange between the United States and Japan.
Associate Professor David Kaiser of the Program in Science, Technology and Society was named to the Leo Marx Career Development Professorship in the History and Culture of Science and Technology for a three-year term. This chair honors Professor Emeritus Marx, who has devoted his scholarly life to analyzing the interrelationships between science and technology vs. culture and the humanities.
Assistant Professor Thomas DeFrantz of music and theater arts has been selected as the Class of 1948 Career Development Professorship for a three-year term. The chair was established by the class in celebration of its 40th reunion.
Assistant Professor Sara Billey of the Department of Mathematics is the next holder of the Class of 1922 Career Development Professorship for a three-year term. The chair was established by the class in celebration of its 50th reunion.
Professors Peter Donaldson of the literature section and Jesus del Alamo of electrical engineering and computer science have been named Class of 1960 Fellows for a two-year term. The Class of 1960 Innovation in Education Award recognizes dedication to excellence in teaching and developing novel courses, projects and instructional material which help the Institute keep pace with the many advances occurring across different disciplines.
Professor Anita Desai of the Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies has been selected as the next holder of the John E. Burchard Chair for a five-year term. This chair was established by the Arthur J. Conner Trust and named for John Burchard (S.B. 1923), who was the first dean of the School of Humanities.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on August 29, 2001.
