Feb 27, 2007 - Claremont, Calif. - Professor of Chemistry Shenda Baker has been named director of the HMC Global Clinic Program, succeeding Professor of Engineering Tony Bright, who began the program. Baker is working toward beginning a new project in Singapore in 2007-08.

"Tony Bright has been the visionary, champion and tireless founder of the Global Clinic Program," said Dean of Faculty Daniel Goroff. "A lot of people talk about globalization, but Tony has shown us how to take one of our signature programs and make it even better by going international. Because Tony will be away on sabbatical next year, I am especially delighted that Shenda Baker will be ble to bring her energy and experience to carrying forward this promising initiative."

Two Global Clinic projects in 2006-07 are being sponsored by Hewlett-Packard and Amgen, both multinational firms with facilities in Puerto Rico. Two Clinic teams of engineering students from HMC and the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez have been working together since last summer. The student teams have been collaborating virtually: via e-mail, teleconferences and videoconferences with project liaisons. Results of these projects will be presented on Projects Day, May 1, 2007.

Baker will head up the Global Clinic effort starting with this summer's project, which will be sponsored by Applied Biosystems, and collaborate with one of the two major universities in Singapore: the National University of Singapore or Nanyang Technological University.

"I will be recruiting students for this exciting project in the next week or two, so that we can assemble a great team to work with our partner university in Singapore," Baker said. 

The HMC Clinic Program engages students in the solving of real-world, technical problems for corporate clients in projects that draw upon the unique talents of students and faculty advisors.  Students work in groups of four or five under the guidance of a student project manager, a faculty advisor and a liaison from the sponsoring organization. Sponsors retain full rights to all intellectual property developed by the team.