Inaugural lecture of the Hugh and Ethel Kelly Lecture Series,
proudly presented by the Virginia Tech Institute for Critical
Technology and Applied Science and the College of Engineering
How to create a
Bell Labs 2.0
in today’s realities
with Nobel Laureate and distinguished
12th Secretary of Energy,
Dr. Steven Chu
Friday, October 11, 2013
1:00-2:30 pm, Burruss Hall Auditorium
Abstract
How to create a Bell Labs 2.0
in today’s realities
In a recent book, “The Idea Factory—Bell Labs and the Great Age of American
Innovation”, Jon Gertner notes that for a long stretch of the twentieth century,
Bell Labs was the most innovative scientific organization in the world. For three
quarters of a century, their scientists and engineers invented the transistor,
the laser, the solar cell, information theory, communication satellites,
digital transmission, Unix Operating System and C Language, digital signal
processing, cell phone technology and much more. The Labs not only invented
the future, it invented new ways of nurturing young talent that transformed
the communications industry, while many of its alumni have gone on to have
distinguished academic careers in science and engineering. Another great
research institution that has remained at the top of the scientific world for more
than a half a century is the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in
Cambridge, England. Beginning with the structure of DNA and the first protein
molecular structures, this laboratory laid the foundations of modern structural
biology, and its alumni have had similar impact in biological research.
Today, the country and the world needs innovation to help in the transition
to a sustainable world. Will it be possible to recreate the magic of Bell Labs or
the Laboratory of Molecular Biology to help solve these problems? Dr. Chu,
who spent nine formative years at Bell Labs, shares his thoughts on the special
features of these two laboratories and his views on how one might recreate these
magical research institutions.
Bell Labs Holmdel
photo by Wikipedia
Biographical Sketch
As a member of President Obama’s cabinet
from January 2009 until April 2013, Energy
Secretary, Dr. Steven Chu managed the DOE’s
annual budget of approximately $26 billion
with an additional $36 billion through the
Recovery Act. Having worked for AT&T’s Bell
Laboratories, Dr. Chu created for DOE a BellLabs-like culture where employees are valued
for their intellectual curiosity and the content
of their ideas. To this end, he personally helped
identify and recruit a number of outstanding
scientists and engineers into government
service. He used his leadership to begin some
important DOE initiatives including Energy
Innovation Hubs, Clean Energy Ministerial and
Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy
(ARPA-E). Created to nurture high-risk, highreward technologies that achieve gamechanging improvements instead of incremental
ones, ARPA-E quickly garnered a reputation for
its outstanding funding choices and incisive
program management.
Prior to accepting his Cabinet post, Dr. Chu
served as director of the Lawrence Berkeley
National Lab, professor of physics and professor
of molecular and cell biology at the University
of California, Berkeley, and professor of physics
and applied physics at Stanford University,
where he helped start Bio-X, a multidisciplinary
initiative that brings together the physical
and biological sciences with engineering and
medicine.
Dr. Chu recently returned to Stanford
University as the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor
of Physics and Professor of Molecular and
Cellular Physiology. He remains committed
to mitigating climate change through the
development of new technologies and business
models that will accelerate the transition to
sustainable energy. He is unique in his breadth
of interdisciplinary research, his international
experience and as a visionary leader in the
federal government. Dr. Chu remains active on
both fronts and is acknowledged as a pioneer
in both science and energy policy.
Dr. Chu is the co-recipient of the Nobel Prize
for Physics (1997) for his contributions to the
laser cooling and trapping of atoms. His other
research areas include tests of fundamental
theories in physics, atom interferometry, the
study of polymers and biological systems at
the single molecule level, and biomedical
research. He is the author of 250 scientific and
technical papers and holds 10 patents. He is a
member of the National Academy of Sciences,
the American Philosophical Society, and the
Academia Sinica; is a Foreign Member of the
Royal Academy of Engineering, the Chinese
Academy of Sciences, and the Korean Academy
of Sciences and Technology; an Honorary Fellow
of the Institute of Physics and an Honorary
Member of the Optical Society of America.
Dr. Chu received his B.A. in mathematics and
B.S. in physics from the University of Rochester
and a Ph.D. in physics from the University
of California, Berkeley and has since been
awarded 23 honorary degrees.
Following Chu’s lecture, ICTAS Research Day activities continue at Kelly Hall
on 325 Stanger Street, site of the institute’s headquarters building. A poster
session, laboratory tours, and reception are scheduled from 2:30 - 5 p.m. at this
location.
Hugh and Ethel Kelly
Lecture Series—
catalyzing new research
programs
Generous funding from the Kelly Gift to
the Institute for Critical Technology and
Applied Science (ICTAS) and the College
of Engineering has enabled ICTAS to invite
top speakers to the newly named the Hugh
and Ethel Kelly Lecture Series. Beyond the
immediate benefit of seminal presentations to
our faculty, students, and staff, ICTAS will also
work to capitalize upon the ideas generated in
the lecture series.
Hugh Kelly earned his bachelor’s of electrical
engineering in 1937 and a master’s degree
in 1938. Later, he worked at AT&T’s Bell
Laboratories, where he played important roles
in groundbreaking projects, including the 1962
launch of the Telstar communications satellite,
the first private venture in space.
Kelly Hall,
ICTAS Headquarters