Hal Jurist ’61 and his wife, Heather, aspire to make an impact on some of the world’s greatest problems: climate change, world poverty, clean and accessible energy solutions, pandemics and access to healthcare. One way to advance these issues is through government action, Hal says, and another is through universities. Their gift will advance faculty research by establishing an endowed deanship through a bequest as well as by funding the Harold L. Jurist ’61 and Heather E. Jurist Dean’s Professors. Distinguished faculty who are named the Jurist Dean’s Professors are pursuing cutting-edge research in one of WPI’s multidisciplinary concentrations focused on the smart world: robotics, decision-making/autonomous robots, cyber security systems, biomedical devices/image analysis, climate change, sustainable fuels/energy, environmental science/adaption, and other disciplines closely aligned with these research areas.
The first Jurist Deans Professors were announced this fall and include Danielle Cote, mechanical engineering assistant professor and Pratap Rao, mechanical engineering associate professor.