http://engineering.tufts.edu

http://engineering.tufts.edu

http://www.tufts.edu/development/news/2008/haber.html

http://www.tufts.edu/development/news/2008/haber.html

http://www.tufts.edu/development/news/2008/haber.html

http://engineering.tufts.edu

http://engineering.tufts.edu

http://www.tufts.edu/development/news/2008/wittich.html

http://www.tufts.edu/development/news/2008/wittich.html

http://www.tufts.edu/development/news/2008/wittich.html

http://engineering.tufts.edu/1181647321152/Engineering-Page-eng2w_1181647321329.html

http://engineering.tufts.edu/1181647321152/Engineering-Page-eng2w_1181647321329.html

http://fletcher.tufts.edu

Tufts University - Index

Tufts University - Beyond Boundaries Newsletter Winter 2008 - Index

BEYO ND BOUNDARIES
8
As a young chemical engineer
at Exxon Mobil 25 years ago,
Robert J. Haber, E79, EG80, got a
close-up look at the international oil
crisis of the late 1970s and early
’80s. As a result of that formative
experience, the engineer-turned-fundmanager
at Fidelity Investments,
and current member of the Board
of Overseers of the School of
Engineering, strongly advocates the
importance of energy sustainability.
“The crisis then was sparked by an
interruption in supply,” he recalls of
the time when oil prices skyrocketed
due to a decrease in production.
“Today, we’re experiencing dramatic
increases in demand from emerging
markets. We’re confronted with
News of the Campaign for Tufts Winter 2008
GIFTS AIM TO MAKE DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL FU
CROSS-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
“Leadership by universities such as Tufts can
help develop the alternative systems needed for
environmental sustainability.” — Peter Wittich
The Wittich family: Peter, Denise, and their
children—Courtney, Jenna, Sabrina,
and William.
EndowEd ProfEssorshiP
TargETs EnErgy susTainabiliTy
In an engineering design class
he took with Professor Percy Hill,
Peter Wittich, E83, learned one of
the most valuable lessons of his
college career. “Professor Hill used
to say that you could design anything
to solve any problem,” recalls
Wittich of the late professor emeritus,
chairman of the Department
of Engineering Graphics and
Design, and inventor of the Reach ®
toothbrush.
Inspired by Hill’s faith in the power
of problem solving, Wittich maintains
a solution can be found to the
world’s reliance on fossil fuels. He
also believes the Tufts School of
Engineering can play a role in finding
it. Through the Peter and Denise
Wittich Family Fund for Alternative
Energy Research, Wittich aims to
support research efforts that will
lead to the discovery of new, more
the inability of supply resources to
meet the ever-growing demand. As
the energy paradigm shifts, today’s
world calls for new solutions.”
To help spark the discovery of these
new solutions, Haber and his wife,
Marcy, have pledged $2 million to
establish the Robert and Marcy
Haber Endowed Professorship in
Energy Sustainability at the School of
Engineering. As the school continues
to enhance its expertise in developing
alternative energy technologies,
the professorship will provide new
leadership in current cross-cutting
research efforts in the departments
of chemical and biological engineering,
as well as in electrical, civil, and
mechanical engineering.
a fund To suPPorT alTErnaTivE-EnErgy
sustainable ways of producing and
using energy.
“Tufts is uniquely suited to help find
these new solutions because, first
and foremost, it recognizes that
there is a problem,” says Wittich.
“Secondly, Tufts has already established
itself as a center of engineering
excellence, and third, thanks
to the leadership of Dean [Linda]
Abriola, the school is committed to
addressing the problem early rather
than when it’s too late.”
The collaborative nature of engineering
research at Tufts, combined with
the policy expertise available at
the Fletcher School, also are major
assets, according to Wittich.
Through the purchase of new equipment
and the provision of salary
support for research fellows and
technical assistants, the fund will