Dr. Gail DePuy was named acting dean of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering as of July 1, taking over for Dr. John Usher, who stepped down after two years as acting dean.

DePuy has been a part of the Speed School since 1995 and most recently has served as an associate dean for Academic and Student Affairs. A professor of Industrial Engineering, DePuy鈥檚 research focus is in the areas of production planning, health care engineering and operations research.

She has written more than 80 technical papers and has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than $2.4 million of funded research.

DePuy is a professional engineer and member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, Institute of Operations Research and Management Science, and American Society for Engineering 成人直播.

She earned her bachelor鈥檚 from North Carolina State University (1988), a master鈥檚 degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1990), a masters鈥� degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology (1992), and a PhD from the Georgia Institute of Technology (1995).

Usher is taking a sabbatical through December and will return to UofL in January as a tenured professor in industrial engineering.

A national search for a permanent dean will begin in the fall.

Meanwhile, Brandeis School of Law Professor Lars Smith is filling in as interim dean prior to Colin Crawford鈥檚 arrival Jan. 1.

Smith, who holds the Samuel J. Stallings Chair in Law, arrived at UofL in 2000. He teaches in the areas of intellectual property and business law and incorporates practice-based exercises into his Trademark Law and Business Planning courses.

In 2012, Smith received the University of Louisville Distinguished Faculty Award in Teaching. In 2011, he received a Fulbright Scholarship Award to teach at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in Wuhan, China, where he taught Chinese Masters of Law students about U.S. intellectual property.

He has been serving as associate dean for academic affairs at Brandeis for the past two years. Smith received his JD from the New England School of Law (1992).

Crawford was appointed dean of .听

He is currently finishing his obligation as the Robert C. Cudd Professor of Environmental Law at Tulane University, where he also directs Tulane鈥檚 International Development Studies in the School of Liberal Arts and the Payson Graduate Program in Global Development in the School of Law. He succeeds Susan Duncan, who was recently named dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law.

The university announced April 27 that will be the next dean.

He is currently the Robert C. Cudd Professor of Environment Law at Tulane University. He also directs Tulane鈥檚 International Development Studies in the School of Liberal Arts and the Payson Graduate Program in Global Development in the School of Law.

鈥淚 look forward to Colin鈥檚 arrival,鈥� said Acting Provost Dale Billingsley. 鈥淗is extensive research, global view and focus on finding solutions to important and current legal issues are a perfect fit for UofL.鈥�

Until Crawford officially begins his new role, law professor Lars Smith will lead the school July 1 to Dec. 31, 2017, as interim dean. is associate dean for academic affairs and the Samuel J. Stallings Professor of Law for the school. He听received the Distinguished Faculty Award in 2011 and has traveled and taught widely, focusing on intellectual property law.听

Crawford, a native of Denver, joined Tulane in 2010. He previously taught at Georgia State University College of Law where he founded and co-directed the Center for the Comparative Study of Metropolitan Growth. He has been a visiting professor at many universities, including the University of the Andes in Bogot谩, Colombia; the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, also in Brazil; and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

He was a Fulbright scholar at the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. During the current spring semester, he is visiting at the Carlos III University in Madrid, Spain, where he holds that university鈥檚 Santander Chair of Excellence.

鈥淚 am honored and delighted to be able to join the University of Louisville community as the next dean of the Brandeis School of Law. Louisville and Brandeis have long and impressive traditions, and I look forward to building upon the solid foundation laid by my predecessors,鈥� Crawford said. 鈥淔or me, this is a homecoming of sorts. My father was born and partly raised in western Kentucky and the state has always had a special place in my heart. So the chance to work with Louisville faculty, staff, students, alums and the larger community is an unparalleled and very special opportunity indeed.鈥�

Crawford earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Columbia University, a bachelor鈥檚 and a master鈥檚 degree from University of Cambridge and a law degree from Harvard University.

He is an expert in international development and law and has lectured and written worldwide on environmental and urban issues and related topics. His teaching and research focus is on land-use issues, particularly comparative and cross-cultural environmental justice concerns, with an emphasis on Latin America and the Caribbean.

In a note to the campus community that announced Crawford’s appointment, Billingsley thanked Susan Duncan who has served as interim dean of the law school for the past five years.

“Many changes and improvements were accomplished during her tenure as dean. We wish her the very best as she takes on a new challenge as dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law,” Billingsley said.

Kagan told the audience of about 350 that while she wasn鈥檛 entirely sure she was going to like law school, she ended up loving it.

鈥淔rom the first week, I knew I just loved studying and thinking about law,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he most important thing, I think, about law school is that it teaches you how to think.鈥�

The Brandeis Medal is the law school鈥檚 highest honor. It recognizes those who reflect ideals similar to those of Justice Louis Brandeis: individual liberty, concern for the disadvantaged and the importance of public service.

Law school Dean Susan Duncan said this year is especially important for the law school because it marks the 100^th anniversary of the nomination and confirmation of the school鈥檚 namesake, Louis D. Brandeis.

鈥淚n addition to tracing her seat on the Supreme Court to Justice Brandeis, her work in the areas of individual freedoms, equal opportunity and human rights reflects his life鈥檚 values,鈥� Duncan said.

Kagan was interviewed by law school professors Laura Rothstein and Justin Walker. Rothstein is a former dean of the law school and dedicated to the legacy and history of Justice Brandeis.

Walker knew Kagan when he was a student at Harvard Law School and she was school鈥檚 dean.

Kagan regaled the audience with stories about the lighter side of her work as a Supreme Court Justice.

She said the justices are a collegial group who often go to lunch together and avoid allowing legal disagreements to divide them.

She called Justice Sandra Day O鈥機onner 鈥� who often solicited people for her morning aerobics class 鈥� a 鈥渉oot鈥� and recalled late Justice Antonin Scalia as 鈥渋ncredibly enthusiastic, warm and wonderful.鈥�

Kagan gave especially high praise to late Justice Thurgood Marshall as a master storyteller with a great sense of humor and 鈥渢he most important lawyer of the 20^th century.鈥� Kagan clerked for Marshall when he was on the high court.

On the topic of contributions made by Justice Brandeis, Kagan said, 鈥淚 love the way he writes. I think he (was)听a brilliant, brilliant writer. He believed in facts and knew the way the world works. There鈥檚 a kind of wisdom in his opinions.鈥�

Kagan was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2010 to replace Justice John Paul Stevens. She is the youngest sitting justice and her resume includes legal counsel and adviser to President Bill Clinton, Harvard Law School鈥檚 first female dean and the nation鈥檚 first female solicitor general.

is the court’s 112th justice and fourth female justice.

Other U.S. Supreme Court justices who were awarded the Brandeis Medal include Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Harry Blackmun, Sandra Day O’Connor and John Paul Stevens.

Check out video from the ceremony below.听