Message from the Director, March 2010

This is an exciting time at EMTM. The admissions process is in full swing, the second new technology elective in energy has begun and registered students have returned from the 2010 EMTM Global Experience Program’s trip.

This recruiting cycle, we have hosted events in Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Houston. We are meeting a large number of interested, well-qualified and engaging prospective students, and saw a 25% increase in the number of students submitting early decision applications.

EMTM 682, the second course in the Energy, Sustainability and the Environment Cluster, is being taught by Sean Halloran, PhD. This new course focuses on Sustainable Energy Options and will provide an in-depth technical analysis of existing and emerging alternative energy sources (such as solar, wind power, hydroelectric, geothermal, nuclear and biomass fuels). The course will focus on scalability, cost, efficiency, market-readiness, and mass and energy balances. Dr. Holleran, a lecturer in Penn’s department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has designed the course to feature guest speakers who have expertise implementing alternative energy sources.

From March 1 through March 6, 2010, a delegation of approximately 25 students and faculty from the EMTM program traveled to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) as part of the EMTM Global Experience Program (EGEP) program. EGEP is designed to provide students with a unique educational experience — an inside look at the countries, cultures, and businesses that are changing the world in which we live and conduct business. Each EGEP focuses on a country that has a rapidly growing and changing economic and technology environment that has an impact on US and global business. EGEP is an academic course that delivers an integrated learning experience. Students can broaden the context of their EMTM curriculum, and develop global insights for their personal careers and employers’ strategies. Jeff Babin is the faculty director of EGEP and has again provided the excellent leadership for this experience.

Lastly, we are looking forward to the final event in the EMTM 20th Anniversary Celebration series. Clay Christensen from Harvard will be the keynote speaker on Friday, May 21. His topic is Creating Growht Businesses that will Succeed. Professor Christensen will provide insight into proven models that can help improve the odds of creating new successful growth businesses.

We at EMTM are proud of the energy, impact and reach of the program.

Best wishes,
Dwight L. Jaggard
Professor of Electrical & Systems Engineering
Director, EMTM Program

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