David G. Luenberger Professor BS EE Cal Tech, 1959 MS EE Stanford, 1961 Ph.D. EE Stanford, 1963 Stanford faculty since 1963

At Cal Tech I discovered the value of a fundamental approach to education; that is, learning the fundamental principles that later can be applied in various areas. For example, we were taught physics, chemistry, and mathematics rigorously, and later branched out to various areas of engineering. As a graduate student at Stanford, I met Prof. William K. Linvill who shared this vision of education, and felt that it was the most effective method for teaching graduate students in the discipline of systems engineering. He coined the phase "portable concepts" to characterize this kind of teaching.

Much of my career has been directed toward teaching this way--organizing theory around portable concepts and actually "porting" the concepts to applications where, in the process, the germs of new concepts are often discovered.

The search for fundamentals explicitly directed my research in the fields of control, optimization, planning, economics, and investments. It also motivated my textbook writing projects. Conversely, the application of the concepts and the search for new ones has motivated my practical experiences at Westinghouse Research Laboratories, The President's Office of Science and Technology in Washington DC, and various consulting assignments. As a graduate student I participated in an internship, and this led to my dissertation. I have encouraged internships for many of my Ph. D. students.

I have been helped in my endeavor by the wonderfully rich environment at Stanford, and have had the opportunity to work with talented and motivated students who have, in turn, come to understand and appreciate the power of a fundamental education.