with Charles M. Vest When planning this commemorative section on the future of engineering, Charles Vest was an obvious choice of someone to interview. Vest is the president of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and president emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has authored multiple books and received honorary doctoral degrees from 17 universities. He received the 2006 National Medal of Technology and the 2011 Vannevar Bush Award. Luckily for us, Vest is also a Mountaineer and a friend. We are excited to share some of his experiences and thoughts with our alumni and friends. Charles Vest speaks warmly about growing up in Morgantown in the 40s and 50s, then a very small town. “It was a wonderful place to grow up,” he recalls, “with great social and economic diversity and a beautiful environment.”
long run, however, Vest said that another teacher who influenced him, WVU mechanical engineering Professor Bob Slonneger, convinced him to major in mechanical engineering.
Vest said he got interested in science very early in life, thanks, in part, to the ready availability of surplus electronics— microphones, headphones, and radio components following World War II.
Vest knew early that he wanted to go into education. “I loved teaching from a young age,” he said, “and I found universities to be exciting places that created opportunity for young people. These really were the driving force of my career.”
“I got interested in tinkering with these small electronics that were everywhere,” he said. “I also loved reading Popular Mechanics and Scientific American; looking at color photos of planets and galaxies; reading science fiction about trips to the moon and to Mars. Later, of course, came the excitement inspired by Sputnik.” Vest’s parents were major influences on him in differing ways. “My father, M.L. Vest, was a mathematics professor at WVU, a very precise mathematician as well as an extraordinary classroom teacher. I had him as a teacher later on at WVU. My mother, Louise Vest, passed on to me a great interest in history, art, and people. Looking back, I see much of what I have done as reflecting a combination of their influences.” After high school, Vest attended WVU and says he considered majoring in physics, in which department Professor Harvey Rexroad was a favorite professor. In the
By any measure, that career has been a resounding success. After graduating from WVU, Vest earned master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, where he worked under Professor Vedat Arpaci, whom he calls “an extraordinary mentor.” He then joined the Michigan faculty, where he rose to full professor, and moved into administration, serving as associate dean of engineering, dean of engineering, and, finally, provost and vice president of academic affairs. He was named president of the MIT in 1990 and held that position until 2004. He became the president of NAE in 2007.
Throughout the insert are some things Vest had to say in our conversation about the future of engineering, with supporting stories of our alumni and faculty, who are contributors.