UCLA Samueli Honors Class of 2021 at In-Person Celebration and Virtual Commencement The UCLA Samueli
School of Engineering and Applied Science recognized its Class of 2021
with an in-person, engineering procession at Drake Stadium on June 12
and a virtual commencement on June 13. NASA astronaut and aerospace
engineering alumna Megan McArthur '93 is this year's commencement
speaker. She delivered her remarks from aboard the International Space
Station.
Dean’s Message to Class of 2021 Dean Jayathi Murthy offered her congratulations and words of encouragement to the nearly 2,000 UCLA Samueli graduates.
UCLA SAMUELI IN THE NEWS
Tech That Gives Robots a Sense of Touch CBS' Mission
Unstoppable program featured mechanical and aerospace engineering
professor Veronica Santos' research on giving robots a sense of touch
and making prostheses more human-like.
The Rise of the Climatarian The New York Times
featured civil and environmental engineering professor Jennifer Jay on
how one's diet and the climate are intertwined. She has taught a UCLA
course on the topic.
Is This Concrete’s Breakthrough Moment? New York Magazine
highlighted civil and environmental engineering professor Gaurav Sant,
who led the UCLA CarbonBuilt team that won the $7.5 million grand prize
in the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE competition for developing ways to
convert CO2 emissions into usable products.
Soft Focus: A Flexible Future for Robots UCLA Magazine
highlights five Engineering faculty members working on research that
will give robots an entirely different feel — softer, more pliable and
better suited for human interaction.
Exploring Biology at the Nanoscale with Quantum Sensors The Nano Matters
podcast featured Clarice Aiello, assistant professor of electrical and
computer engineering, on her research exploring biology at the nanoscale
using quantum sensors.
UCLA and UIC Researchers Discover Foam “Fizzics” UCLA Samueli chemical
and biomolecular engineering assistant professor Samanvaya Srivastava
and colleagues at the University of Illinois Chicago have answered
longstanding questions about the underlying processes that determine the
life cycle of liquid foams.
2021 Biomaterials Science Lectureship Awarded to Nasim Annabi Nasim Annabi, an
assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, received
the award honoring an early-career researcher who has made significant
contributions to the biomaterials field.
Two Professors Receive Amazon Research Awards Suhas Diggavi,
professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Yizhou Sun,
associate professor of computer science, have received the 2020 Amazon
Research Awards.
Jun Chen Named 30 Life Sciences Leaders to Watch in 2021 Jun Chen, an assistant
professor of bioengineering, has been named one of the 30 Life Sciences
Leaders to Watch in 2021 by In Vivo, which highlights entrepreneurs and
innovators who represent the next wave of creativity in health care.
UCLA ASCE Chapter Recognized for Outstanding Performances The UCLA Chapter of
the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) has received four
recognitions over the past two months for outstanding performance in
member support and at various competitions.
ACEC California Announces 2021-22 Scholarship Foundation Recipients Two UCLA civil
engineering students, Brigid Ahern (BS) and Honor Fisher (MS) have
received scholarships from the American Council of Engineering
Companies, California, which recognizes accomplished graduate or
undergraduate college students working toward a degree in engineering or
land surveying.
UCLA Rocket Project Successfully Launches Student-Built Liquid Bipropellant Rocket Students in the UCLA
Rocket Project club successfully launched a self-built rocket on June 4,
breaking their own altitude record to reach 22,000 feet above sea level
while managing to recover one of their liquid rockets with all major
components intact.
UCLA Engineering Outstanding Bachelor Awardee Champions Equity for LGBTQ+ Community UCLA Samueli Class of
2021 Outstanding Bachelor of Science awardee and soon-to-be computer
science doctoral student Arjun Subramonian graduated summa cum laude in
March, amassing not only multiple top awards, but also raising awareness
of LGBTQ+ and other underserved communities.
UCLA Engineering Alumnus on Equity for LGBTQ+ in STEM Calvin Cam ’13, chair
of alumni engagement for the UCLA Engineering Alumni Association, has
been a champion for the LGBTQ+ community with a goal to promote
long-lasting pride in UCLA Engineering and in the larger STEM fields.
STUDENTS
UCLA Engineering Senior on Being a Bruin Entrepreneur When Yash Moondhra
first came to UCLA, he used to stand in front of Jackie Robinson’s
statue every day, feeling amazed that legendary alumni like Robinson had
walked the same steps as he did. Moondhra realized then that UCLA is
where anything is possible.
ALUMNI
UCLA Engineering Alumna Inspires Others through Work at NASA JPL As a child, Kat
Echazarreta ’19 was fascinated by electricity. Now, this UCLA electrical
engineering alumna is working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory where
she designs, builds and tests equipment vital to the Europa Clipper
mission.
IN MEMORIAM
Ivan Catton, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Influential Heat Transfer Expert Ivan Catton, a
distinguished professor emeritus of mechanical and aerospace
engineering, died June 12 after a hard battle with ALS. He was 86.
Catton, an alumnus who joined the UCLA faculty in 1967, was an
internationally acclaimed scholar in the field of heat transfer.