This week started off with numerous meetings in my office on Monday including visits with a visiting scientist, students, staff, and a prospective eminent scholar chair. I also received an update from architects on our residential construction and campus lighting projects. I traveled to Shreveport on Tuesday to attend a meeting of higher ed, business, community, and legislative leaders to review the status of higher education and to discuss issues to be considered in the upcoming legislative session. I welcomed Miss Tech Anna Blake to the office for a visit on Wednesday morning, and also had meetings with the President of our University Senate, a prospective student, and my Administrative Council. Wednesday evening, Kathy and I headed over to J.C. Love Field to join a record-breaking crowd who saw the Bulldogs defeat the ULL Ragin’ Cajuns in a battle of Top 25 teams. The game lasted 13 innings and was won with a walk-off single by Chase Lunceford.  It was a great night for Bulldog baseball. Early Thursday morning, VP Stan Napper, Engineering and Science Dean Hisham Hegab, IfM Director Niel Crews and I flew to Purdue University to visit with their research leadership to discuss potential research collaborations. It is always beneficial to visit other campuses, particularly when there are opportunities to work together on projects that bring value to both institutions. While Purdue is significantly larger than Tech, we found the institution to have similar focus areas and missions.  I was pleased to spend some special time with Tech alumnus and Purdue Eminent Professor Byron Pipes who took time to show us his Manufacturing Institute facilities. Byron is a former President of RPI in Troy, New York and has been a special friend and mentor to me for 30 years. Byron even showed us the lab where he manufactures the costume head for Purdue Pete, Purdue’s Boilermaker mascot. Byron was able to significantly reduce the weight through the novel use of composites. On Friday morning, I welcomed to my office Distinguished Biomedical Engineering Professor Jose Principe from the University of Florida to discuss ongoing research collaborations that he has with a team from Tech led by our Rhodes Eminent Scholar Leon Iasemidis. VP Stan Napper, Dean Hisham Hegab, Associate Dean Ramu Ramachandran and Director Jim Palmer joined us for a breakfast and discussion in my conference room. After a meeting with a prospective student, Kathy and I headed out to Dallas to watch the Lady Techsters play SMU in the first round of the WNIT. Go Techsters! Here are some of my favorite pics for the week.