As we gather with family this holiday season, we have much to look forward to and to be thankful for. However, one thing we may not be looking forward to, or be thankful for are the inevitable awkward conversations with family members we haven’t seen since last holiday season. Let’s face it, interacting with distant family can be tough. When the conversation takes a turn toward topics like politics or religion, the time we intend to spend with joy and laughter suddenly transforms into tumult. Maybe I can offer some advice.

As a proud Lehigh alum, why not engage in conversation about your alma mater?

Here are a few current topics that may help ignite the Lehigh conversation :

The Rivalry

Although you may not be ready to talk about the outcome of Saturday’s football game, I am sure family members would love to hear about your experiences at Rivalry 150, where thousands of fellow alumni gathered in the Big Apple. Events like these give alumni spectacular opportunities to reconnect. This past weekend left us thinking: so when is the next one?

John D. Simon

As Alice Gast settles into her new position at Imperial College in London, Lehigh welcomes a new president, John D. Simon. Simon will be relocating from the University of Virginia where he served as executive vice president in addition to his role as professor and research scientist within the school’s chemistry department. His fellowships from the American Physical Society and American Association for the Advancement of Science just touch on the many recognitions Simon has received for his research. Additionally, in 2002, he was chosen International Scientist of the Year by the International Biographical Center of Cambridge for his work with the bodily chemical melanin. It is always entertaining to try to predict the changes a new president will make after stepping into office.

Engineers Without Borders

Both undergraduates and graduate students in the P.C. Rossin School of Engineering are taking their research across the world, in order to improve the lives of those less privileged. Recently, PhD student Mike German, along with professor Arup SenGupta from Civil and Environmental Engineering, recently received support from the United States-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund to transform water-remediation systems into self-sustaining commercial enterprises in countries like Kenya. Lehigh engineers have a long history of using the skills they have acquired at Lehigh to improve people’s lives around the globe. This topic of conversation might even inspire you to take your work to a new level.

Lehigh has made an outstanding impression on all of our lives, so what better way to show our Lehigh pride than to share it with family this holiday season?