Alumni Spotlight

Alumnus Matt Lee Starts Groundbreaking Carbon Capture Company

Matt Lee ’12, Ph.D., has invented a game-changing carbon capture solvent that catches one thousand more times carbon than a forest - and it does it for less than $100 a ton, a goal set by the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Q&A with Alumna Veronica Swanson '23

Veronica Swanson ’14 (B.S.), ’16 (M.A.), ’23 (Ph.D.)  earned all three of her degrees in mechanical engineering at the UCI Samueli School of Engineering before joining the U.S. Digital Corps (USDC) as a data science and analytics fellow. 

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Q&A with Alumnus John Olivier ’85

Since earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UCI in 1985, John Olivier has established himself as a prominent and respected advocate of the architectural, engineering and construction industry in Southern California.

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Q&A with Alumna Elizabeth San Miguel ‘02

Elizabeth San Miguel has worked in numerous capacities at Northrop Grumman for nearly 18 years. She devotes herself as equally to her career in aerospace engineering as to supporting young women in the field.

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Q & A with Alumna Cecilia Richards ‘90

A mechanical engineering professor at Washington State University and a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Cecilia Richards has led innovations inside and outside of the classroom.

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Class of 2022 Celebrates and Embraces Change at In-Person Commencement

From selfies to Spider-Man to self-empowerment and embracing change, this year’s commencement marked a joyful return to an in-person celebration.

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2022 Hall of Fame Celebrates Alumni Excellence in Engineering and Computer Sciences

Boats bobbing atop soft ocean waves on a warm spring evening set the perfect Southern California backdrop to celebrate exceptional Anteater engineering and information and computer sciences alumni – in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

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Engineering Alumni Draw on Their Own Experiences to Give Back to Their Communities

A look at two Asian American and Pacific Islander alums, Sitara Nayudu ’11 and Satoshi Suga ’08, during AAPI Heritage Month.

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Electrical Engineering Alumnus Earns Dissertation Recognition

Samueli School alumnus Joe Khalife ’20 Ph.D., electrical engineering, has received the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society ‘s 2021 Robert T. Hill Best Dissertation Award.

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The Blue Box Wants to Democratize Early Breast Cancer Detection

In a world of instant gratification, clinical test results are no exception calling on researchers to work around the clock to find the fastest, most accurate way to deliver test results.

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Making CAMP Home

Soon after being accepted to UCI and declaring as an aerospace engineering major, Wendy Robello received an invitation to participate in the California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) Summer Science Academy (CSSA) Program.

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Aerospace Engineering Alumnus Earns Isakowitz Fellowship

Samueli School alumnus Alessandro Verniani ’21 is one of 30 students to win a 2022 Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship, a summer internship and executive mentorship program developed to inspire the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders.

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Turning Trash into 3D Printed Treasures

What started out as a school project eventually evolved into Wayfinder startup Closed Loop Plastics’ full-fledged business.

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Alum’s Philanthropy Helps Others Follow in His Footsteps

There are two very different types of jobs at Coca-Cola, Victoria Alegria Tracy told her son, John, as they visited the bottling plant in Los Angeles when he was a child: In one, you watch the bottles go past on an assembly line and verify the level of liquid in them – and get paid near-minimum wages.

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2021 Hall of Fame Inductees Honored for Contributions to Profession and Alma Mater

The Samueli School of Engineering has inducted three engineering alumni into the 2021 Hall of Fame. Interim Dean Michael Green announced and inducted each of this year’s honorees virtually in May.

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Alumna Elizabeth Gayle Reflects on Returning Home to Guam, Breaking Barriers and Anteater Life

Elizabeth “Betty” Gayle ’87 didn’t set out to shatter thick glass ceilings. Inspired by her parents’ grit, strength and love, she strove for excellence in engineering and the barriers broke away.

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Q & A with Alumnus Faraz Milani ’14

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Samueli School of Engineering, Milani headed home to the Silicon Valley, where he worked for several startup companies.

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Engineering Their Legacy

If you’ve ever flown on an MD-80 or seen a cockpit with flight instruments displayed on screens, you’ve probably experienced the ingenuity of Bob Altman ’79.

When Altman graduated from UCI, he launched a three-decade career at McDonnell Douglas and later Boeing, melding his training in mechanical engineering with his love of computer programming.

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2020 Hall of Fame Celebration Honors Achievement and Opportunity

With much of the world now socially distanced to stem the tide of a global pandemic, it seems a lifetime ago that more than 220 attendees gathered on the evening of Feb. 28 to attend the 2020 Hall of Fame Celebration for the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) and Samueli School of Engineering.

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Alumni Couple Carol and Eugene Choi to Receive UCI’s Extraordinarius Award

The University of California, Irvine Alumni Association will bestow its highest honor, the Lauds & Laurels Extraordinarius award, to alumni couple Carol Choi ’85 and Eugene Choi ’86, MBA ’01, for their exemplary service and contributions to the university and community.

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Alum Jordan Edmunds Named a Hertz Fellow

Jordan Edmunds, who earned bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and biological sciences at UCI in 2018 before becoming a doctoral student in electrical engineering & computer sciences at UC Berkeley, has been named a 2019 fellow by the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing groundbreaking applied science with real-world benefits for all humanity.

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Samueli School Inducts Four into 2019 Hall of Fame

More than 300 alumni, family, faculty and friends from three UC Irvine schools – Samueli School of Engineering, Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences and School of Physical Sciences – gathered in early February for the 2019 Hall of Fame event at the historic Tustin Hangars.

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Alumna Earns NSF Early Career Grant

The National Science Foundation has awarded UC Irvine alumna Alice Alipour ’10 a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award.

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Q & A with Alumna Joan Wada ‘85

A systems engineer and technical fellow at the Boeing Co., Joan Wada has had an extensive engineering career in the defense industry. She has 17 awarded patents and was recognized as the Asian American Engineer of the Year in 2007 by the Chinese Institute of Engineering. 

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Eleven Alumni Inducted into Hall of Fame at Joint Celebration

Eleven Alumni Inducted into Hall of Fame at Joint Celebration

Alumni, family, faculty and friends of UC Irvine’s schools of engineering, information and computer sciences and physical sciences came together Friday night, March 2, in a sparkling celebration of accomplishment as 11 new members were inducted into their school’s Hall of Fame.

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Q & A with Alumna Newsha Ajami ‘06

Newsha Ajami, director of urban water policy for Stanford University’s Water in the West and NSF-funded ReNUWit initiatives, earned her doctorate in civil engineering.  

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Engineering Alumnus Named a Game Changer in Health Care

Forbes’ contributor Robert Reiss of the CEO Forum has named Nick Desai ’91 one of 10 CEOs who are transforming health care in America.  

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Wound Warriors

For Ahmed Zobi, it’s his mother. For Hugo Salas, a beloved grandmother. For Justin Stovner, a male relative who has endured 10 surgeries. For Dr. Derek Banyard, it’s his father and the largely African American patients whose limbs he’s had to amputate or who have died too young.  

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Q & A with Alumnus Joe King ´14

Q & A with Alumnus Joe King ´14

Joe King transferred to UC Irvine from a community college in Fresno. He graduated in 2014 with a double major in mechanical and aerospace engineering and now works for Scaled Composites, an aerospace and specialty composites development company offering design, build and test capabilities.  

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Q & A with Alumnus David Cuccia ’03, ‘06

David Cuccia’s company, Modulated Imaging, Inc., traces its roots back to his UC Irvine undergraduate days.  

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Alumnus Honored for Exceptional Scholarship, Research

Hamid Moradkhani ’05 has received the Branford Price Millar Award at Portland State University (PSU) where he is a professor of civil and environmental engineering, director of the Remote Sensing and Water Resources Lab and fellow of the Institute for Sustainable Solutions.  

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Five Engineers Inducted into 2017 Hall of Fame

The Samueli School of Engineering and the Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences recognized 11 distinguished alumni at the 2017 Hall of Fame Celebration held last month at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin.  

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Behind the Games

Gaming and entertainment giant Electronic Arts has a winning hand when it recruits new talent: Who would turn down a job that pays you to play games and create fun? 

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Q & A with Lauds and Laurels Winner John Labib '94

John Labib, winner of this year’s Lauds and Laurels Distinguished Alumnus Award in Engineering, graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1994. 

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Q & A with Alumnus Ed Hernandez ‘91

Ed Hernandez, an engineering teacher at Tustin High School, was named the 2015 California Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year by the Association of College and Technical Educators and the 2014 High Impact Teacher of the Year in STEM by Project Tomorrow, an Irvine-based organization that supports educational excellence in STEM. 

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Alumnus Wins ACES Award

Samueli School alumnus Salvatore Campione has been awarded the 2017 ACES Early Career award by the Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society. 

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Q&A with Alumna Cynthia Guidry '92

Cynthia Guidry received her bachelor’s in civil engineering from UCI’s Samueli School of Engineering in 1992.

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Samueli Alumni Among UCI's Top 50

They’re accomplished, they’re award-winning, they’re Samueli School alumni … and they’re among UC Irvine’s very best. 

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Anteaters Unite

“I only came because my girlfriend wanted to see the Skyslide,” said UC Irvine alumnus Bhavin Patel, a former software engineer turned entrepreneur. 

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OC Business Journal Recognizes Alumnus

The Orange County Business Journal named UCI alumnus Benjamin Park, founder and chief technology officer of Enevate Corp., as a 2016 Innovator of the Year. 

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Alumnus Earns National Recognition

Samueli School alumnus Salvatore Campione, who earned a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering in 2013, has been named the 2016 Outstanding Young Professional by the IEEE Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) honor society.

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Engineering Alumna Recognized

Anteater engineering alumna Claire Robertson has received a 2015 For Women in Science Fellowship from L'Oreal USA. 

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Engineering Alumnus Receives Congressional Fellowship from American Nuclear Society

UC Irvine engineering alumnus Jeremy Pearson has been selected as the 2015 American Nuclear Society (ANS) Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow.

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Thomas Yuen ’74 earns UCI Alumni Association’s Extraordinarius award

Thomas Yuen, entrepreneur, philanthropist and community leader, will receive UC Irvine’s Extraordinarius award May 15 at the 44th annual Lauds & Laurels ceremony, sponsored by the UCI Alumni Association.

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