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Charles M. Vest is President Emeritus and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr Vest earned his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University in 1963 and both his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan in 1964 and 1967, respectively. He is the recipient of seven honorary doctoral degrees.
Dr Vest served as President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1990 through 2004. During this time, he placed special emphasis on enhancing undergraduate education, exploring new organizational forms to meet emerging directions in research and education, building a stronger international dimension into education and research programs, developing stronger relations with industry, and enhancing racial and cultural diversity at MIT.
As a member of the mechanical engineering faculty at MIT, Dr Vest has research interests in the thermal sciences and the engineering applications of lasers and coherent optics.
Dr Vest has worked to bring issues concerning education and research to broader public attention and to strengthen national policy on science, engineering and education. He chaired the President's Advisory Committee on the Redesign of the Space Station and serves on the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology and the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board. He chaired the U.S. Department of Energy Task force on the Future of DOE Science Programs, was vice chair of the Council on Competitiveness for a decade, and is a past chair of the Association of American Universities. Dr Vest recently completed service as a member of the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction and has just begun service on the U.S. Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education.
Dr Vest currently sits on the board of directors of IBM, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, and the Kavli Foundation.
Dr Vest is married to Rebecca McCue Vest. They have two children and three grandchildren.
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