Nobel Laureate Eric Cornell Inspires Students At CETYS University During The Honeywell Initiative For Science & Engineering

The program helps students aspire to careers in science and engineering

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Feb 19, 2014, 12:00 ET

MEXICALI, Mexico, Feb. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today brought Nobel Laureate Eric A. Cornell to Centro de Ensenanza Tecnica y Superior (CETYS) University, Mexicali, for a two-day program of inspirational exchanges with students and faculty.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140219/NY65878 )

Honeywell today brought Nobel Laureate Eric A. Cornell to CETYS University, Mexicali, for a two-day program of inspirational exchanges with students and faculty. (PRNewsFoto/Honeywell) (PRNewsFoto/HONEYWELL)

Organized by Honeywell Hometown Solutions through its Honeywell Initiative for Science & Engineering (HISE), the visit aims to cultivate and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers and provide an opportunity for students to interact with laureates as well as technology leaders from Honeywell.

Professor Cornell received the 2001 Nobel Prize in physics for the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, which is the cooling down of gases to a millionth of a degree above Absolute Zero. This new state of matter, called Bose-Einstein Condensate, allows scientists to study the properties of atoms in a suspended state. The name comes from Indian researcher Satyendra Bose and Albert Einstein, whose combined ideas predicted the new state of matter.

As a result of this discovery in 1995, there has been an explosion in experimental and theoretical science. For example, in 1998 scientists were able to slow the speed of light traveling through a Bose-Einstein Condensate, opening the way to new types of light-based telecommunications, optical storage of data, and quantum computing. Other potential applications for Bose-Einstein Condensate include quantum information processing, and developing precision measurements for some of the world's most sensitive devices, such as an atomic clock.

During his visit to the CETYS campus, Cornell shared experiences of his long and distinguished scientific career, offering students advice on how they can follow their goals upon graduation.

"Pursue the career path that truly interests you, not one that you think will win an award," he told more than 2,500 students and faculty, including many who viewed the event through live streaming at university campuses in Mexico and Puerto Rico. "Success often happens unexpectedly, and to deliberately set out on a career because you think you can be the next laureate is an approach that will likely lead to disappointment."

"At CETYS University, we are committed to developing well rounded, globally competitive leaders in a rapidly evolving world for the economic, social, and cultural improvement of Mexico," said Fernando Leon Garcia, President, CETYS University. "Our strong partnership with Honeywell, involving the strategic cultivation and preparation of talent, academic exchanges, R&D and internships, as well as high-visibility programs like HISE, helps students see the possibilities of their future."

Luis Sanchez, President, Honeywell Mexico, noted, "Honeywell is committed to investing in the next generation of engineers. The students at CETYS represent the next wave of innovators, scientists and engineers who will create new industries, better standards of living, and a brighter future for Mexico and the world. Programs like HISE are a critical component to inspiring these students to pursue careers in science and engineering and make a positive impact on the world in the years to come."

Through HISE, Honeywell partners with top universities in China, Czech Republic, India, Mexico and other high growth regions to inspire students to pursue careers in science and engineering. The initiative includes a series of lectures by laureates, career discussions with Honeywell's top engineers in the region, and informal and interactive exchanges between the laureates and students.

CETYS University is one of two Mexican universities selected to take part in the HISE program, along with Universidad Autonoma de Baja California. To date, Honeywell has brought the program to Mexico four times. In addition, Honeywell sponsors scholarships, research and development projects, and intern opportunities for students.

Cornell is a physicist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He is also professor adjoint in the Physics Department of the University of Colorado, and Fellow of Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA), a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado.

Cornell's work on Bose-Einstein Condensation has been recognized by a number of awards, including the Samuel Wesley Stratton Award from NIST, the Zeiss Award in Optics, the Department of Commerce Gold Medal, the Fritz London Award for low temperature physics, the Rabi Prize of the American Physical Society, the 1997 King Faisal International Prize for Science, the 1998 Lorentz Medal, the 1999 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics. In 2000, Cornell was elected as a Fellow of the Optical Society of America and a Member of the National Academy of Sciences. He shares the 2001 Nobel Prize in physics with Carl Wieman and Wolfgang Ketterle.

About Honeywell Hometown Solutions
The Honeywell Initiative for Science & Engineering program is part of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company's corporate citizenship initiative, which focuses on five areas of vital importance: Science & Math Education, Family Safety & Security, Housing & Shelter, Habitat & Conservation, and Humanitarian Relief. Together with leading public and non-profit institutions, Honeywell has developed powerful programs to address these needs in the communities it serves. For more information, please visit: http://citizenship.honeywell.com/.

About Honeywell
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For news and information about Honeywell, visit www.honeywellnow.com.

About Honeywell in Mexico
Mexico has been an important growing region for Honeywell since 1947. All four of its strategic business groups: Aerospace, Automation and Control Solutions, Performance Materials and Technologies, and Transportation Systems, are operating in Mexico with approximately 14,000 employees in 11 manufacturing sites, three engineering and test laboratories in Baja California and Chihuahua, and three corporate offices located in Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi and Mexico City. Honeywell's technologies are being used in Mexico, and are helping to make the country safer and more secure, more comfortable and energy efficient, and more innovative and productive.

About CETYS University
CETYS University (www.cetys.mx) is one of the top private, not-for-profit universities in Mexico. Founded in 1961 by business and community leaders in Baja California, CETYS has evolved into a highly internationalized multi-campus system-established university with campuses in Mexicali, Tijuana, and Ensenada, bordering with California, with over 6,600 students in more than twenty undergraduate and graduate programs in Business, Engineering, and Social Sciences, with over 29,000 alumni, with more than 50 years of history, and currently the only institution in Latin America accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (www.wascsenior.org).