Honoring Donors and Endowed Professors at the Archimedes Dinner and Lecture.

The newest named chairs at Columbia Engineering showcase their current research and thank the donors who are supporting their work

December 16, 2024
Allison Elliott

Columbia Engineering hosted the 2024 Archimedes Dinner and Lecture Nov. 20 to recognize Archimedes Society donors and the most recent faculty members to receive endowed professorships. Guests gathered at the Italian Academy to honor the seven new named chair holders and hear more about their research. The newly endowed chairs thanked the donors present whose generosity would further their research and impact.

After dinner, the night’s featured Archimedes Lecturer Ke Cheng, from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, spoke about his research in pulmonary/cardiac bioengineering and regenerative medicine. He paid tribute to the namesake of his professorship, the late Alan L. Kaganov (BS’71, MS’72, EngScD’74), and thanked his benefactor, Kaganov’s widow, Carol Kaganov. Alan Kaganov was a pioneer in biomedical engineering who spent many years in R&D and management at medical device companies before transitioning to venture capitalism. 

The night’s honored professors and donors included: 

  • Ronghui Gu, Tang Family Associate Professor of Computer Science and donor Hong Maggie Zhu P: BS‘24, MS‘25
  • Carl M. Vondrick, YM Associate Professor of Computer Science and donors Yuanqing Yang and Medea Q. Meng
  • Ngai Yin Yip, La Von Duddleson Krumb Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering
  • Henry Yuen, Srivani Family Associate Professor of Computer Science. (Donor Krishna “Kittu” Kolluri was not present.)
  • Liliana Borcea, George P. Livanos Professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics
  • Daniel A. Steingart, Stanley-Thompson Professor of Chemical Metallurgy; Chair, Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering
  • Ke Cheng, Alan L. Kaganov Professor of Biomedical Engineering and donor Carol M. Kaganov

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