Volume 3, Issue 2 March 2003

2003
2002
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Obituary: William S. Jewell, professor emeritus of operations research and early proponent of interdisciplinary research by David Pescovitz Printer-friendly version Years before nanotechnology and biotechnology demanded the building of bridges between myriad fields of research, College of Engineering professor emeritus of operations research William S. Jewell saw the value in cross-disciplinary collaboration. In 1989, Jewell drove the formation of UC Berkeley's Engineering Systems Research Center. The groundbreaking incubator is a hotbed of activity where researchers in industrial engineering and operations research, mechanical and electrical engineering, computer science, business, and public health come together to solve tough technological problems. "The center gives researchers from many fields a home where they can interact and work together," Jewell said when the Center opened. The pioneering professor died on January 27 of complications from pneumonia. He was 70 years old. Jewell joined the UC Berkeley faculty in 1960 and retired just six years ago. His innovative approaches to risk analysis — using mathematical processes and scientific methods to study and predict the consequences of certain events — earned him international recognition. Much of Jewell's research focused on actuarial science, specifically applying mathematics, statistics, and financial theory to insurance risk. From 1976 to 1980, Jewell chaired the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at the College of Engineering. An early advocate of interdisciplinary research, Jewell spearheaded the reinvention of the College's Operations Research Center into the Engineering Systems Research Center (ESRC) and acted as its director. Have a story about William Jewell that you'd like to share? We want to hear from you... Keeping alive Jewell's belief in scientific cross-pollination, the ESRC has grown to include more than 100 faculty participants, hundreds of students, and several dozen professional researchers from a wide range of disciplines. One of the primary ESRC efforts is UC-SMART, the Semiconductor Manufacturing Alliance for Research and Training. The $7 million cooperative program between the University and the private sector is designed to maintain California's leadership in the semiconductor industry. "Bill possessed a tremendous intellectual curiosity that covered a wide breadth of topics," says ESRC researcher C. Roger Glassey, professor emeritus of industrial engineering. "Throughout his life, he maintained a degree of optimism that was infectious." Engineering Systems Research Center William S. Jewell's Home Page "William S. Jewell, UC professor emeritus and expert at risk analysis" (obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle) Lab Notes is published online by the Public Affairs Office of the UC Berkeley College of Engineering. The Lab Notes mission is to illuminate groundbreaking research underway today at the College of Engineering that will dramatically change our lives tomorrow. Editor, Director of Public Affairs: Teresa Moore Writer, Researcher: David Pescovitz Designer: Robyn Altman Subscribe or send comments to the Engineering Public Affairs Office: lab-notes@coe.berkeley.edu. © 2003 UC Regents. Updated 2/28/03.