Ian Waitz on the future of engineering education and research
Ian Waitz, previously the head of MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, on Feb. 7 became the 16th dean of the School of Engineering — the largest of the Institute’s five schools, with 370 faculty members and about 4,700 students. MIT News sat down with him to discuss his plans and hopes for the school.Q. As you begin this new job, what are some of your near-term and longer-term ideas for the School of Engineering?A. We recently began a series of planning meetings for the School, and one interesting thing that emerged was the idea that in the first 75 years of MIT, we helped build the country’s infrastructure. In the second 75 years, we helped build industries. And many people in our meeting felt that the next 75 years of MIT are going to be about building a better planet — addressing the grand challenges in energy, the environment,...