Tufts to lose Miaoulis at end of semester

After 21 years as a student, teacher, and administrator, Dean of Engineering Ioannis Miaoulis will be leaving Tufts at the end of the semester to take a new position as president of the Boston Museum of Science. The interim replacement will be Associate Dean of the School of Engineering and Professor of Mechanical Engineering Vincent Manno, who was named Associate Dean just this year.

Miaoulis' colleagues and students are sad to see the bright and talented administrator leave Tufts after his six years as a student and 15 years as a professor here. Since arriving in the United States from Athens in 1980, Miaoulis earned bachelor's and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering, as well as a master's degree in economics, at Tufts. He also received a master's degree in mechanical engineering from MIT.

Miaoulis has been a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Tufts since 1986, Dean of Tufts' School of Engineering since 1994, Interim Dean of the University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 2000, and Associate Provost for the past year.

But Miaoulis says that he feels it is time for someone new to take his place. "I think it would be a perfect time to find a new leader, while the school is doing so well," Miaoulis said, because it will be easier to attract national candidates with a successful program. "The School of Engineering right now is on an exciting trajectory," he said.

Under Miaoulis' eight years of leadership, the School of Engineering has doubled its applications, raised $100 million, tripled its female faculty enrollment, and doubled its number of research grants.

A search committee has not yet been formed to find a replacement for Miaoulis, according to Provost Jamshed Bharucha, although he said there would be a national search for the new dean.

As for what Miaoulis' future holds at the Boston Museum of Science, Bharucha is only optimistic. "Miaoulis' skills, vision and experience will be invaluable to the museum," he said.

The chance to head a museum program is considered by many to be a tremendous opportunity for a researcher, especially one with Miaoulis' devotion to scientific knowledge. One of his best known programs at Tufts is his development of a curriculum for students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade to increase "scientific literacy" _ students' knowledge of and comfort with science.

Miaoulis' interest in students' scientific literacy is one of the reasons the museum selected him for the position, but it was not the only factor. "We selected him because of his obvious interest in science and technology... and his commitment to increase the base" of students involved in scientific learning, said Malcolm Sherman, who chaired the Boston Museum of Science's search committee for the position. Practically everything about Miaoulis' resume led the museum to choose him, Sherman added.

The opportunity to have a significant role in helping students gain an interest in science made the decision to leave easier for Miaoulis, but he has no plans to end his involvement with Tufts. "If anything, through my new position I'll be able to contribute more to Tufts" by bringing Tufts and the Museum of Science closer together and allowing them to take part in collaborative efforts, Miaoulis said. "There are wonderful opportunities for partnerships for Tufts," including internships and organized discussions.

In fact, Miaoulis does not see any way he can extricate himself from the school after being here for half his lifetime _ 21 of his 42 years. "I am a Tufts product and I owe a lot to Tufts," he said. Miaoulis said that he is hoping to stay involved through a number of committees and boards as soon as he steps down as Dean.

Miaoulis has received a number of awards during his time at Tufts, including the Presidential Young Investigator Award, the William P. Desmond Award for outstanding contributions to Public Education, and the Boston Jaycees Outstanding Young Leader Award.

For four years, he served on the Massachusetts Math and Science Advisory Board and is currently Chair of the Massachusetts Technology/Engineering Advisory Board.

The Boston Museum of Science describes its mission as stimulating "interest in and furthering understanding of science and technology and their importance for individuals and for society." The museum is over 170 years old, and has more than l.6 million visitors a year.

The current museum president is David Ellis, a chemist and a former college president who is stepping down after 12 years of leadership. Ellis is credited with financially bolstering the institution while simultaneously increasing community outreach and diversity.