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s Classmates are recognized at a special reception.
We urge you to come back to school—for a day— and we promise there will be no pop quizzes. Come back and walk along the very paths that you walked 50 years ago. This time you will see the majestic buildings that lined the mall when you were a student, and you will also see new buildings housing state-of-the-art technology. Sit in a classroom, just as you did 50 years ago. The topics may sound familiar—with new twists and perspectives, or the lecture may be on topics that no one could have even imagined 50 years ago.
Take time to honor your experience here at the University of Minnesota.
Let us honor your accomplishments and experi- ences. For all that technology gives us, it cannot allow us to smell the familiar scent of a bound book in Lind Hall, or to hold a circuit board, to truly grasp the excitement of a student who is building water supply systems in Honduras. Just come back.
If you are interested in helping with reunion planning, consider serving on the host committee. Members from the Class of 1966 are already planning for this May. Please contact Joelle Larson, director of alumni relations, jblarson@umn.edu or 612-626-1802.
SAVE the DATE
50-Year Reunion and Golden Medallion Society Thursday, May 12, 2016 Friday, May 13, 2016
Details will be sent in a separate mailing.
CSE alumni receive Outstanding
Achievement Awards
Two College of Science and Engineering alumni were recently honored with the Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA) for 2015. The award is given to University of Minnesota graduates, or former students of the University, who have attained unusual distinction in their chosen elds or professions or in public service, and who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership on a community, state, national, or international level.
Alumni receiving awards are:
Tu Chen (Metal Eng M.S. ’64, Ph.D. ’67, ChemE ’67) Co-founder and retired Board Chairman of Komag, Inc.
Often recognized as the father of the modern disk drive, Chen is honored for his work in developing a revolutionary sputtering process to produce vastly improved magnetic thin lms and disks. To capitalize on this technology, he co-founded Komag, Inc. in 1983 and directed its research and development activities. He built the company into the world’s largest independent supplier of hard disk media, a pivotal development in the growth of the personal computer industry. A superlative model of the international citizen and scientist, Chen actively supports political reform and technological development in Taiwan, his home country.
Thomas Rusch (EE ’68, M.S. ’70, Ph.D. ’73, M.S. MOT ’93) Co-founder and Chief Technical O cer, Xoft, Inc.
Rusch is honored for his work in developing electron and ion spectrosco- pies for surface chemical characterization. To bring his innovations to the marketplace, he founded Creekside Technologies, a consulting and device company. Considered an outstanding medical pioneer, Rusch co-founded Xoft, Inc. in 1998, and led the development of a microtube X-ray system that has already treated more than 6,000 patients with early-stage breast cancer in a minimally-invasive manner. As an extraordinary business leader, Rusch combines incisive knowledge and a keen ability to focus with warmth and humor, bringing out the best in his employees.
s University President Eric Kaler and CSE Dean Steven Crouch congratulate Outstanding Achievement Award winners Tu Chen and Thomas Rusch at the CSE Leadership event last fall.
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