IUPUI Reorganized and Renamed "Indiana University - Indianapolis".

IUPUI becomes Indiana University - Indianapolis

Effective July 1, 2024, IUPUI was reorganized and its name changed to Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI). The legislature wanted to enhance the reputation of IUI and granted it 60 Million dollars, over and above its normal yearly budget. This will build a new Science building and upgrade existing research facilities. In addition, two new Institutes were created; one is Health and one is BioScience. Each was funded with 16 Million dollars to create new faculty positions.

In an amazing coincidence, earlier in February, the Forrest Meiere Endowed Physics Chair was created. (Endowed Chairs are a big deal in academic circles.) However, creating the Chair is not enough; the University has to create a new position for physics at the Full Professor level. This has never happened before; the highest new level was Associate Professor (who soon rose to Professor). However, the department has been authorized to recruit and has already turned down nine applicants. Word is getting around.

In November, 2024, IU-I named several Distinguished Alumni. This covers many schools including the IU School of Medicine, the largest in the US and the IU Dental School which invented Crest Toothpaste leading to fluoride in many water systems to prevent cavities. Scott Imhoff, a Physics graduate was named a Distinguished Alumnus, our first. Scott and Forrest attended the sit-down dinner for 200 people downtown. For some reason, the Chancellor singled out Forrest in her welcoming speech, the only person she recognized by name.

IU-I Physics Department Profile

The March 2013 meeting of the American Physical Society was broadcast live as streaming video for a week. Incidentally, this was the largest APS meeting in history. Throughout the broadcast there were profiles of ten physics departments interspersed throughout the live video. Among those ten profiles were the physics departments of IUPUI and MIT. Since Forrest received his Ph.D. from MIT and worked at IUPUI for many years, he thought the juxtaposition was nice. The video was professionally done and the department came across very nicely.       Click image for video.

IU-I has recognized Forrest with several honors since he retired.

Forrest Meiere Research Symposium

Each year, the Forrest Meiere Research Symposium brings a distinguished scientist to IUPUI. Scientists are selected by a faculty panel for their distinguished and ongoing contributions to a field related to the current research efforts of our department. During their stay at IU-I, visitors interact with faculty and graduate students on scientific issues; give an undergraduate level talk; and deliver the keynote presentation in a half-day symposium highlighting work at IUPUI related to their own.
There were two Keynote Speakers for 2024, both speaking on the theme Magnetism: Marcelo Jaime and Alexis Emelianoff.

From 2000 to 2023, Marcelo Jaime was a staff scientist at LANL's Pulsed Magnetic Field Facility, where he pioneered techniques to measure quantum materials' properties in magnetic fields up to 150 Tesla. In 2023, he moved into a scientist position at the Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt (German Metrology Institute) in Braunschweig, Germany.

Alexis Emelianoff is a sound artist based in Montr al, Canada, inventing and performing with acoustic and electronic instruments.

The full program can be seen at 2024 Meiere Symposium
Links to previous symposiums and brief descriptions are given below.
There were two Keynote Speakers for 2023, both speaking on the theme Complexity: Dr. Jean Carlson of University of California, Santa Barbara and Dr. Scott Imhoff of Raytheon Technologies (now known as RTX).

Jean Carlson is Distinguished Professor of Physics and Dynamical Neuroscience at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Scott Imhoff is a Technology Fellow Raytheon Technologies (RTX). The on-line invitation to the symposium, showing all five speakers and the schedule, can be seen at 2023 Meiere Symposium
There were two Visiting Scientists for 2022, both associated with the LIGO Experiment which won the Nobel Prize in 2019 for the discovery of Einstein's Gravitation Waves: Dr. Gabriela Gonz lez of Louisana State University and Dr. Jorge Pullin of Louisana State University. The on-line description of the 2022 symposium, showing all five speakers and the schedule, can be seen at 2022 Meiere Symposium.
The 2019 Visiting Scientist was Dr. Shohini Ghose of Wilfrid Laurier University. Shohini Ghose is President, Canadian Association of Physicists and Director, Laurier Centre for Women in Science. Dr. Ghose is Co-Editor in Chief, Canadian Journal of Physics and holds a number of other prestigious positions which are listed on her website. The department was honored to have such a distinguished scientist on campus. The on-line description of the 2019 symposium, showing all five speakers and the schedule, can be seen at 2019 Meiere Symposium.
The inaugural speaker was Dr. Anne Carpenter of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Anne Carpenter is director of the Imaging Platform at the Broad Institute where she is also an Institute Scientist. Dr. Carpenter is an NIH MIRA investigator, an NSF CAREER awardee, and has received recognition and research funding from numerous other groups including the Human Frontiers in Science program and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The department is honored to have such a distinguished scientist on campus. Another interesting coincidence, other than the MIT connection, is that Dr. Carpenter received her BS degree from Purdue. The on-line description of the 2018 symposium, showing all five speakers and the schedule, can be seen at 2018 Meiere Symposium

President's Circle

On September 17, 2021, Forrest Meiere was inducted into the President's Circle at Indiana University. This is Indiana University's highest Donor Recognition Society. The two day ceremony started with a luncheon at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis, followed by each donor receiving a framed medallion struck from carillon bells which have historic significance to the University. A plaque with the recipient's name is displayed on the President Circle honor wall at the Indiana Memorial Union. This was followed by a chat with the President, Pamela Whitten. The next day, honorees watched a Indiana University football game from the President's Box in Bloomington. (Fortunatly no one knew that Forrest roots for Purdue, IU's arch rival.)

Philanthropy Award (2006)

Most of our Indianapolis family accompanied Forrest as he received this year's 'Philanthropy Award' from the School of Science. The ceremony was held in the main hall of the Scottish Rite Cathedral, which was a bit overwhelming. Each of the thirteen schools at IUPUI makes an award so Forrest was mixed in with some 'heavy hitters'.

The awardees were accompanied to the front podium while one of the newscasters from an Indianapolis TV station read some flattering comments and the reason for the award. Each shook hands with the Chancellor and had their picture taken holding the award. One of the awardee was a guy who had been the chairman of a five year fund raising drive that brought ONE BILLION Dollars to Indiana University. Billion! I thought I had wandered into the wrong room.

Update, 2022: Forrest's gift established the Forrest Meiere Research Fund for Physics. There have been contributions to the fund by others so the fund has more that $200,000 to support faculty research.


Click to see four pictures of the presentation.

Philanthropy Award (2023)

This year's award was for establishing the "Forrest Meiere Endowed Physics Chair". The department is actively attempting to identify a person to fill the position. This may take some time. In fact, there are a number of steps needed within the School before an offer can be made.

Forrest could not attend the ceremony but quite a few friends from the School of Science plus daughter Kristen attended to accept the award in his honor.

Click on brochure cover to see inside.

Forrest Meiere Prize (Recurring)

Several years ago, the Physics Department renamed the 'Outstanding Physics Major' award. It is now the Forrest Meiere Prize. We usually attend the Honors Day dinner where the prize is awarded. This year it was held several weeks before the Philanthropy Awards and we decided we weren't up to two trips so close together. However, the University invited Keith and Kristen to attend the dinner, and after reading some flattering remarks about me, asked Keith and Kristen to present the award. In many ways, that touched me more than my own award later.

The 2006 student winner was very impressive. He was awarded a B.S. Degree in Physics and a Master s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the same time. The student wrote a nice Thank You note to the department and a nice letter to me. He has accepted a job with Rolls Royce and his supervisor is a former student of mine who won the Outstanding Physics Student Award twenty years ago.

More pictures from Philanthropy Award Ceremony.

There were enough old friends from Physics faculty who attended that we took up full table and half of another. That was nice. In addition, the Physics Chairman had a gift for Pat and me. It was a painting by a student from our Herron School of Art which depicted the Wood Fountain. That was my favorite display on campus and my old office looks right out on Wood Plaza and this fountain.

After the Philanthropy Award Ceremony the Department took us out to dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant. I felt like a Seminar Speaker again - that is how invited speakers are treated. ( I really miss the Physics but I don't miss writing grant applications.)

Life has some ironic twists. Research was the main focus of my career and took up most of my time. Although I am proud of what I did, Physics has moved on and now very little is said about my research. Apparently I am best remembered for everything else.

Click on the painting to see the real fountain.

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