Jim Garrett (E 1982, 1983, 1986), Former Dean, College of Engineering, and Current CMU Provost
James H. Garrett Jr. became dean of Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering in 2013. (Note: James Garrett became Carnegie Mellon provost, effective January 1, 2019.) He previously spent six years as head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dean Garrett is Carnegie Mellon plaid through and through, having received his B.S. (1982), M.S. (1983) and Ph.D. (1986) degrees in civil and environmental engineering from the institution. He joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1990 and was promoted to full professor in 1996. Throughout his research career, Dean Garrett focused on how sensors and data analytics can make our cities more adaptive and efficient. This approach aims to give our built infrastructure the ability to detect and report on problems directly to the humans charged with maintaining those structures, allowing for more proactive and cost-effective infrastructure management.
What books are currently on your nightstand?
"Fear" by Robert Woodward
"Thank You for Being Late" by Thomas Friedman
"The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough
"A Perfect Mess" by David Labaree
What's the last great book you read?
"Factfulness" by Hans Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund and Ola Rosling
What's your favorite book no one else has heard of?
"The Geography of Genius" by Eric Weiner.
Which genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?
Enjoy: Technical history, McCullough biographies, spy novels, Malcom Gladwell
How do you like to read? Paper of electronic? One book at a time or simultaneously? Morning or night?
Paper. At night or on a plane. I have a number of books going at any time.
How do you organize your books?
By author.
What book might people be surprised to find on your shelves?
"Scots Guards - Standard Settings of Pipe Music"
"To Sell is Human" by Daniel H. Pink
What's the best book you ever received as a gift?
"All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
What do you plan to read next?
"When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing" by Daniel H. Pink
