Mudd Magazine, spring/summer 2025

Austin Brown ’02 is Driving America’s Clean Transportation Future

CONGRATS CLASS OF

Moyo Oyedeji-Olaniyan

Henry Connell, Scarlett Bonner, Skandda Chandrasekar, Lucie Batista

Emily Burger, Trevor Shepherd, Carmel Pe’er and Victoria Parizot

Download free images from HMC Flickr, bit.ly/gradimages2025

Video of ceremony: bit.ly/3GzKZU8

Commencement speaker Reshma Saujani

Ashley Song

Bryce Bailey and Fred Bolarinwa

Marcella Todd and Shreya Balaji

Brown

’02

Everything, everywhere, all at once is a good way to describe Devon Tao’s Harvey Mudd College experience.

Mudd Magazine is produced two times per year by the Office of Communications and Marketing.

Senior Director of Communications, Senior Editor

Stephanie L. Graham, APR

Art Director

Robert Vidaure

Senior Graphic Designer Joshua Buller

Associate Directors

Sarah Barnes, Muneeza Tahir

Contributing Writers

is Driving America’s Clean Transportation Future

As director of the Vehicle Technologies Office at the U.S. Department of Energy, Brown is leading the transition to a sustainable transportation future.

Neighborly bonds provide support, help in the fire-prone area where Mala Arthur ’82 lives.

Closer to Planet Nine?

Recent graduate Eritas Yang ’24 and her colleagues at Princeton discover a dwarf planet, bringing new insights to the Planet Nine problem.

Physician/neurologist Hayden Hatch ’12 shares how limb loss radically changed his life for the better and how the experience is inspiring others.

Dominic Indolino, Holly Leber Simmons, George Spencer

Contributing Photographers

Elisa Ferrari, Jeanine Hill, Dominic Indolino, Sam Kittner, Nancy Newman

Vice President for Communications and Marketing/Chief Communications Officer

Timothy L. Hussey, APR

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Copyright © 2025—Harvey Mudd College. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in the Mudd Magazine are those of the individual authors and subjects and do not necessarily reflect the views of the College administration, faculty or students. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced without the express written consent of the editor.

Mudd Magazine staff welcomes your input: communications@hmc.edu or Mudd Magazine, Harvey Mudd College, 301 Platt Boulevard, Claremont, CA 91711

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Engaging Problem-Solvers

Students worked throughout the spring semester to develop their technical skills, design, program and build underwater robots so that they could test them at Dana Point. On hand to view the launch of the bots were Experimental Engineering (E80) professors Josh Brake, Dre Helmns and Qimin Yang. I also enjoyed the event, especially talking with students and learning about their experiences of trial and error and their approaches to design.

Student

Leadership Elevated Following Commencement, Cindy Martinez, VP/dean of students, and I took seven of our President’s Scholars the students who worked closely with me as Annenberg Fellows to plan and host the Annenberg Leadership Forum events on a multi-day trek to New York, which included a visit to the United Nations. For several of them, it was a time of firsts: two experienced their first cross-country flights and, for some, it was their first time visiting New York. The trip presented a powerful mix of conversation, exposure, and personal and professional growth.

Reflections and Summer Momentum

even in the summer, harvey mudd College remains a hub of purpose and progress. Across campus, faculty are mentoring student researchers in climate modeling, accessible design and inclusive computing, while others prepare for fall classes and present at international conferences. Our students are exploring, creating, and learning—filling our makerspace with ideas, taking Summer Session courses, and working alongside faculty on research projects that matter.

This past semester was rich with moments that reflected Mudd’s spirit. From Family Weekend and our inaugural Innovation Showcase to Alumni Weekend and our celebration of aviation trailblazer Iris Critchell, our campus was active with learning, reflection, and connection. We celebrated the Class of 2025 at Commencement, gaining wisdom from Reshma Saujani, former Girls Who Code CEO, who reminded us that connection is the foundation of change.

This summer, I joined Trustee Jessica Skon in hosting Presidential Conversation Series events in London, where we engaged leaders in academia, industry, and philanthropy around the College’s role in preparing the next generation of STEM leaders who are both technically brilliant and deeply committed to making a positive difference in this world. In this issue of the magazine, you will find examples of how Mudders are living our mission and strategic vision of STEM for a Better World, from Austin Brown’s work with the Department of Energy (p. 20) to Hayden Hatch’s research and advocacy (p. 28).

While national debates around higher education continue to present challenges, we are charting a missionand values-driven path. Our strategic

planning Task Force on College Affordability recently released its first interim report of findings (p. 5), we advanced our Innovation Accelerator Lab projects (p. 6), and we continued aligning implementation of our strategic plan with urgent societal challenges. We also marked a milestone this summer as Harvey Mudd became the newest liberal arts college in the country to join the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ affiliate membership program, expanding opportunities for our students and faculty.

This fall, our Innovation Accelerator teams will share their work at the 2025 Saddle Rock trustee retreat, which will focus on linking mission-driven innovation with our comprehensive fundraising campaign and our yearlong celebration of the College’s 70th anniversary. As a part of those celebrations, we’re planning a minisymposium on Sept. 25 to spotlight Harvey Mudd’s seven decades of academic innovation and broader impact.

As we move into the new academic year, we continue to uphold the values that define Harvey Mudd: care for each other, a commitment to excellence, and a shared belief in building a better world— one idea, one student, and one action at a time.

Harriet B. Nembhard President Harvey Mudd College

Harvey Mudd Classified

a new carnegie classification reinforces the distinctive research program that provides opportunities for Harvey Mudd’s students to engage in meaningful, leading-edge discovery.

Awarded by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the designation Research Colleges and Universities recognizes institutions with at least $2.5 million in research and development expenditures and includes institutions who do not award a significant number of doctoral research degrees. Harvey Mudd spends about $4 million annually on research activities and is among the 216 institutions with this designation.

“Harvey Mudd College offers unparalleled, hands-on opportunities in both the laboratory and the field,” says President Harriet Nembhard. “A goal of the College’s Strategic Plan 2025–2035 is to enhance opportunities for research, innovation and societal impact.”

Students work as colleagues alongside faculty, who conduct cutting-edge research spanning biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, humanities, social sciences and the arts, and interdisciplinary fields such as computational biology and bioengineering. Most students graduate having completed more than a year of research—during the academic year or through the Summer Research Program—and many go on to graduate programs where these experiences prove invaluable. Harvey Mudd College ranks No. 2 in the nation for graduates earning the PhD, per capita.

Additional classifications for Harvey Mudd College: 2025 Institutional Classification (new)– Special Focus: Technology, Engineering and Sciences Institutions are considered for this category based on the types of degrees they award, the subjects in which they award degrees and the size of the institution. There are 42 schools in this classification, representing 1% of U.S. colleges and universities.

Student Access and Mobility Classification: Lower Access, Higher Earnings

A classification “that examines the extent to which an institution is enrolling students who reflect the communities it serves and whether an institution’s former students go on to earn competitive wages compared to peers in their area.” This ranking represents 10% of U.S. colleges and universities in the Student Access and Mobility classification.

Major announcement

The new biology and climate joint major aims to produce students who are biology and climate competent, computer and systems-thinking literate, and knowledgeable about impacts.

On the Move

Recent appointments and retirements

Karl Haushalter began his appointment as vice president for academic affairs and R. Michael Shanahan Dean of the Faculty on July 1. The former chair of the Department of Chemistry and Seeley Wintersmith Mudd Professor of Chemistry and Biology, he has been a member of the faculty since 2003.

As chemistry department chair, Haushalter spearheaded initiatives to strengthen the College’s chemistry program, including leading a successful reaccreditation with the American Chemical Society. His efforts have enhanced student involvement and secured philanthropic support for departmental initiatives. In addition to key roles in the chemistry department, he has served as associate dean of research and experiential learning, where he expanded opportunities for summer research and community engagement. He’s been

Report on College Affordability

The Task Force on College Affordability, charged with exploring tuition structures and innovative approaches to price differentiation released its first interim report in May. Task force members (made up of faculty, staff and trustees) aim to make recommendations that will support the College’s strategic plan goal to ensure access to a quality HMC education that is available to all students, regardless of personal financial circumstances.

Since its creation by President Nembhard in early 2024, the task force has gathered information from focus group meetings with alumni, trustees, and business and industry leaders to discuss the national climate around the issue of college affordability. These discussions were part of the Presidential Conversation Series events that took place in Burlingame, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Seattle and

instrumental in the College’s strategic planning process, co-chairing the Task Force on Clinic and Corporate Partnerships, and he serves as an ambassador for Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities, the flagship program of the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement.

Andy Davenport, chief technical consultant, special projects, retired after almost 43 years.

Theresa Lauer, senior director for facilities and emergency preparedness and safety, retired after 37 years.

R. Erik Spjut, professor of engineering and Union Oil Company Engineering Design Fellow, retired after 37 years.

Read about several of the retirees on page 32.

several other cities. The task force also gathered information on what HMC’s peer and aspirant institutions are offering students and families. They studied where gaps exist in HMC’s existing financial aid offerings that could be addressed to improve access for students.

Recent congressional discussions around budget reconciliation have brought to light potential hurdles that must be considered as the College explores ways to improve affordability, particularly regarding the federal student loan program.

Find the task force’s initial report at bit.ly/3Imni1T. Feedback about the report is welcomed at taskforce_ca@ hmc.edu. Recommendations that result from this work will help guide the College’s planning and fundraising efforts around affordability.

Trustees Update

Elected to board

Robert Shelton, past president, Giant Magellan Telescope

Reelected for three-year terms

Jim Bean ’77, Bruce DePriester ’74, Kathleen Fisher, Robert Gould ’87, Shamit Grover ’05, Dylan Hixon, Tony Li ’82, Michael Wilson ’63, Terence Wong ’09 (former recent graduate trustee)

Vice chair, reelected for an additional year

Laura Larson P’20

Advisory trustee

Laurie Girand

Alumni representatives

Kathy French ’97 (AABOG)

Eun Bin Go ’15 and Rebecca Thomas ’14 (recent graduate trustees)

Trustees emeriti

John Benediktsson ’01, Robert Hulse ’96/97, Gregory Rae ’00, Yvonne Wassenaar

Ideas with Impact

innovative ideas are jumpstarting Harvey Mudd College’s strategic planning efforts and helping lay the groundwork for the College’s comprehensive fundraising campaign. During fall and spring, HMC community members crafted bold, forward-thinking initiatives and then presented them April 4 during the Innovation Showcase.

Three projects will each receive $240,000 over the next three years to be further developed as part of the newly created Innovation Accelerator Laboratory.

“From the early stages of launching our first Innovation Accelerator and receiving 21 outstanding proposals, to presentations and pitches at our Innovation Showcase, and to the three projects selected to advance, this has been an outstanding celebration of innovation at Harvey Mudd,” says President Harriet Nembhard.

The selected Innovation Accelerator Laboratory projects are:

Data Science and Social Impact

Twelve proposers from the areas of community engagement, mathematics, statistics, climate science, chemistry and computer science will explore the potential of modern data science to have positive impacts in society. The team envisions making Harvey Mudd College a national hub for leveraging data science to address societal challenges by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, advancing data science research and

creating pathways to apply data-informed methods to real-world issues. Through several key initiatives, including national conferences, datathons, workshops and deep partnerships with community-based organizations, they will connect data scientists, students and practitioners to co-develop impactful solutions in areas of the team’s expertise, such as climate, education and health.

The team believes an emphasis on ethical frameworks, interdisciplinary research and real-world applications can model the integration of social impact into STEM fields worldwide, promoting a new generation of data scientists trained to responsibly address the world’s most pressing challenges.

Emerging Health Technology

Proposers from the fields of biology, engineering and computer science will expand career pathways for Harvey Mudd students into health technology by creating a robust support system that includes alumni networking, partnerships with academic and industry leaders, and hands-on research opportunities. By showcasing these opportunities and leaning into alumni networks in healthrelated careers, the team aims to inspire current and prospective students while solidifying Harvey Mudd’s reputation as a leader in training future innovators in biotechnology and health technology.

Health sciences rely on data,

engineering and artificial intelligence tools, and this initiative highlights the importance of cross-disciplinary approaches in modern healthcare. By fostering innovation and expanding career pathways, the program can inspire other organizations to adopt similar strategies, ultimately improving healthcare outcomes and advancing medical research worldwide.

Thriving

in the Core Curriculum

Proposers note that Harvey Mudd’s Core Curriculum, while foundational for developing STEM expertise and intellectual curiosity, can present significant challenges. Yet, through a tailored support program that addresses both academic and social needs, the College can increase academic achievement and joy in the Core Curriculum, thus fostering a sense of community and belonging and ultimately helping the College to fulfill its promise to prepare STEM leaders who can communicate fluently across disciplines and are ready to tackle to the messy, interdisciplinary problems of our time. The team will provide structured resources from pre-first-year summer through the sophomore year, including skills preview sessions, a Summer Institute, customized one-on-one tutoring, and cohort-based mentoring with both faculty and student mentors.

Collectively these programs will build a strong community that empowers students to thrive in the Core, achieve academic success and develop a lasting sense of belonging. This initiative can provide other institutions with a replicable blueprint for creating inclusive, supportive environments that empower students to succeed in STEM, contributing to a more diverse and resilient global STEM workforce. Also, it can make STEM education more equitable and accessible to all students of diverse backgrounds, ultimately enhancing STEM innovation and research outcomes, which drive progress in scientific and technological fields.

Visit hmc.edu/strategicplanning/innovation-showcase for highlights of the event.

On the Mudd Menu

Mudders are hungry for more than just STEM. Here are some stats from Hoch-Shanahan Dining Hall for the month of April.

PORK BELLY

516 lbs per month (used for bao buns, ramen bowls, bánh mì sandwiches)

EYE OF ROUND BEEF 400 lbs per month (for Wednesday’s beef pho noodle bowl)

CHICKEN WINGS 280 lbs per week (for Friday night Chicken Wings Bar)

NEW YORK STEAKS

260 lbs per week (for Monday Steak Night)

VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

80 lbs per week

Jay’s Place 20th Anniversary

The late-night campus hangout named in memory of Jay Wolkin ’99 is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The basement-level spot in Platt Campus Center formerly named The Little Pizza Place is famous around the 5Cs for delicious pizza, churros and quesadillas, for its laid-back vibe and for being a place to socialize and unwind. As one student remarked, “I have yet to meet someone at Mudd (or across the 5Cs) who doesn’t love Jay’s Place.”

Faculty Updates

Research, Awards,

Activities

Biology

Nature published research by Vivian and D. Kenneth Baker Professor in the Life Sciences Cathy McFadden and 14 student co-authors (12 Mudders, one Pitzer College student and one HMC Upward Bound program alum). Building on previous research on biogeographic patterns among coral reef taxa, scientists used a molecular approach to identify genetic lineages (i.e., molecular operational taxonomic units, or MOTUs) as proxies of nominal species. Using sequences from two DNA barcode markers (mtMutS, 28S rDNA), they assigned approximately 4,400 specimens to MOTUs in order to assess for the first time the overall biodiversity and biogeographic distribution of shallow-water, zooxanthellate soft corals across the Indo-Pacific. In addition to the paper’s co-authors, most of McFadden’s summer research students over the past six years contributed to this work.

Chemistry

Spencer Brucks, who was recently reappointed for a three-year term, has been recommended for a $55,000 Undergraduate New Investigator grant from the American Chemical Society for the project “Impact of Stereocontrolled Polymer Synthesis on Degradation.” With student researchers, Brucks, an assistant professor of chemistry, will take an alternate approach to plastics recycling: examining how the three-dimensional structure of existing polymers affects their degradability. Their studies will provide a fundamental understanding of how polymer backbone stereochemistry influences polymer shape and mechanical recycling.

EdSource.org published, “Make climate literacy a gen ed requirement across higher ed—before it’s too late,” an article by Lelia Hawkins, professor of chemistry, Hixon Professor of Climate Studies and director of the Hixon Center for Climate and the Environment.

“Acknowledging the problem is no longer enough,” Hawkins writes of the climate crisis. “Although 72% of U.S. adults recognize that our climate is changing, only 58% acknowledge that it is humancaused, and even fewer understand the scientific consensus—that over 97% of climate scientists affirm our role in the ever-warming planet. We need a climate-literate electorate if we want to drive effective climate action, because the solutions we choose to support are based on our individual understanding of the problem. To do this, we must make climate education part of general education. And we must move quickly.”

Alicia Hernandez-Castillo, assistant professor of chemistry, has been awarded a grant from the American Chemical Society’s Petroleum Research Fund, allowing her to further explore the molecular structures of succinimide derivatives while providing invaluable learning experiences for her students. The grant supports Hernandez-Castillo’s innovative work in molecular spectroscopy, a field that blends experimental and theoretical approaches to analyze molecular structures at a fundamental level. Her research has significant industrial implications—succinimides play a crucial role in engine oil dispersants, helping to prevent sludge and oxidation buildup—allowing students to immerse themselves in applicable research.

Work in the lab of Maduka Ogba, assistant professor of chemistry, has resulted in two papers and a grant. Ogba co-authored two research articles with Max Schernikau ’27, published in separate publications: “Effect of strain and π-acidity

on the catalytic efficiency of carbones in carbodiimide hydroboration” in Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry and “Computations illuminate emerging reactivity of metal-free carbones” in Trends in Chemistry. The research team is studying a class of carbon-based catalysts and is developing principles for designing and testing better systems. Ogba’s work is supported by the American Chemical Society, which recently awarded him a $70,000 three-year grant to investigate applications of zerovalent carbon compounds (carbones) as catalysts for CO2 reduction.

Donald A. Strauss Professor of Chemistry

David Vosburg is an Inklings Project Fellow, scholars who support the teaching of works by C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and other Inklings. Fellows also encourage the study of these authors and their influence on literature and culture. Vosburg, who has Tolkien-related art and Legos in his office, is occasionally seen on campus wearing a wizard robe.

Computer Science

Students in Lynn Kirabo’s Games for Climate Change Literacy class spent the semester designing transformational games for classmates with wideranging views/perspectives on climate change. To ground their game design decisions and mechanics, the students leveraged climate change inspiration prompts from Paul Hawken’s Project Drawdown, human-computer interaction methodologies, behavioral theories and Sabrina Culyba’s The Transformational

Seven chemistry faculty members joined alumni and students for brunch in San Diego in March.

Framework: A Process Tool for the Development of Transformational Games. They designed 32 non-digital games, recruited 65 external play testers (students outside the class and family members) for their games and conducted 13 in-class playtest sessions (four sessions included 5C faculty and staff members). Kirabo, Maria M. Klawe Assistant Professor of Climate and Computer Science, and her class also hosted a Games Café for the HMC community.

Xanda Schofield ’13 has earned tenure and promotion to associate professor. She uses tools from natural language processing for digital humanities and computational social science work, privacy in text models, and teaching about impact and ethics in all CS classes.

Engineering

Joshua Brake and Steven Santana have earned tenure and promotion to associate professor. Brake’s research interests are in biophotonics, a field at the intersection of optics and biology that is increasingly playing a role in biomedical diagnostics and therapies. In 2023, Brake received a National Science Foundation CAREER award to investigate the light-piping property of plant stems and roots to develop the next generation of optical tools. Santana, who holds the Joseph B. Platt Chair in Effective Teaching, has introduced students to microfluidics and nanofluidics and has established a microfluidics research program; his work is supported by the NSF and the Social Science Research Council’s Sloan Scholar Mentoring Network.

Albert Dato, Department of Engineering associate chair, has been promoted to full professor. With his research students, Dato identified a way to strengthen acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a plastic widely used in the automotive, aerospace and electronic device industries, without adding a significant amount of weight to it. Their research has been published by the American Chemical Society and is

supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Working at the intersection of engineering, chemistry, materials science and biology, Whitney Fowler and her student researchers are engineering molecular systems to address challenges presented by the global water crisis. The group’s research was published in 2024 by Peptide Materials, an invited special issue of Biomacromolecules. This spring, Fowler was reappointed to a three-year term.

The Claremont Colleges have participated in the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program since 2018. Last fall, Werner Zorman, Walter and Leonore Annenberg Professor in Leadership, taught Interpersonal Dynamics for the first time at the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco. “This was an experience in fostering vulnerability, bridging differences and creating an inclusive space for growth among 15 individuals with radically different life experiences,” he says. In spring, Zorman co-taught Interpersonal Dynamics alongside Barbara Junisbai, associate professor of organizational studies at Pitzer College. Harvey Mudd computer science professor Arthi Padmanabhan also taught an Inside-Out course during spring.

Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts

Shakespeare through Islamic Worlds, the book by Ambereen Dadabhoy, associate professor of literature at Harvey Mudd College, was a finalist for the Shakespeare Association of America’s Jerome Singerman First Book Award and received an Honorable Mention.

Dadabhoy and her students use discussions about race and race-making as tools for studying the past to better understand the present. She participated in the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies’ online teaching resource Throughlines, created to support educators in bringing these conversations into their classrooms and to offer new ways of engaging students in discussions of race and its nascent forms. Dadabhoy is

featured in a video that explains how she guides her students through early modern texts that reveal the relationship between Christian Europe and Muslim culture.

During his sabbatical this year, art professor Ken Fandell completed two artist residencies. The first, in January and February, was with the Joshua Tree National Park Artist-in-Residence Program in California. Fandell, who holds the Michael G. and C. Jane Wilson Chair in Arts and the Humanities, stayed at the residence in Big Rock Campground in Joshua Tree, making photographs of the park’s vast landscapes and unique geological features. In June, Fandell participated in the Wilappa Bay Artistin-Residence Program in Oysterville, Washington, where he collaborated with other visual, musical and literary artists on a multi-modal project concerning the ecosystem of Willapa Bay and its surroundings.

Jia Yi Gu, assistant professor of architecture, organized a one-day conference, Major Repairs, to address reparative practices and bring together historical and reflective perspectives on

the architectural and spatial responses to wildfire. From the documentary history of fire management to alternative development models, from bioregional material inventories to feminist ethics of care, the April conference addressed the current rebuild efforts by centering non-extractive architectural perspectives and ideas. Gu’s architecture and research studio Spinagu won a major competition organized by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ office and UCLA’s CityLAB. Spinagu demonstrated ideas for designing and building new starter homes for the 21st century. In the Gentle Density category, the firm was lauded for the “households’ material quality and focus on interiorexterior relationships.”

Economics professor Dede Long has received a three-year reappointment. She is an environmental economist who combines microeconomic theory and econometrics tools, along with observational and experimental data, to better understand the economic drivers and environmental consequences of environmental policies. She is co-principal investigator on a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that supports groundbreaking research aimed at developing a new set of economic measuring systems that capture the full value of forest ecosystems.

Mathematics

Art Benjamin, who holds the Smallwood Family Chair, is the National Museum of Mathematics’ 2025–2026 Visiting Professor for Public Outreach, beginning in September 2025. In addition to conducting in-person workshops on Games, Puzzles and Magic, Backgammon, and Fibonacci Numbers, he will conduct monthly online interviews with members of the mathematics and math education community, run a virtual book club and host a discussion group featuring a mathematics-related movie, play or other performance art.

Andy Bernoff and Heather Zinn Brooks attended the 2025 SIAM Conference on Applications of Dynamical Systems in May. Bernoff presented his research on agent-based and continuous models of

locust hopper bands. He discussed the development of two models of hopper bands in tandem; an agent-based model that tracks the position of individuals and a continuum model describing locust density. He also discussed ongoing efforts to improve these models and reflected on how recent lab work is revolutionizing our understanding of locust visual perception and navigation, spawning a new class of agent-based models.

Zinn Brooks, Barbara Stokes Dewey Assistant Professor in the Life Sciences, discussed her research on a mean-field sigmoidal bounded confidence model of opinion dynamics. Mathematical models of opinion dynamics are an important tool to gain insight into the qualitative dynamics of the evolution of opinions or ideologies over time.

Lisette de Pillis, Norman F. Sprague Jr. Professor of Life Sciences and professor of mathematics, co-authored the article “In Silico Trials using Simulation and Artificial Intelligence for Therapy Evaluation” with Rebecca Bekker, Renee Brady-Nicholls, Jana Gevertz and Harsh Jain.

Jamie Haddock, who holds the Iris and Howard Critchell Assistant Professorship, received a $402,235 CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation for a project that aims to develop new computational techniques that help solve large-scale mathematical problems in fields like data science and optimization. The project focuses on creating randomized iterative methods that are not only faster and more efficient but can also handle errors, adapt to real-world constraints and manage extremely large data. Students will participate in cutting-edge research opportunities and a new, advanced course in numerical linear algebra, featuring hands-on research projects that tackle real-world challenges in data analysis.

Andrés Vindas Meléndez co-authored a research paper that explores the behavior of local h-polynomials, a mathematical tool used in the study of lattice-point enumeration of

high-dimensional geometric objects known as lattice polytopes. The paper, “Local h-polynomials for one-row Hermite normal form simplices,” was published in Beiträge zur Algebra und Geometrie/Contributions to Algebra and Geometry. Vindas Meléndez’s study focuses on a special class of lattice polytopes that can be represented through matrices in Hermite normal form, a method for simplifying integer matrices. “This kind of research is useful in the mathematical areas of combinatorics and discrete geometry, particularly in understanding how shapes relate to counting problems,” he says.

For the Big Think multimedia site, Talithia Williams, professor of mathematics and Mathematics Clinic director, explains how math connects the natural world with deeper ideas of order and purpose in the video “How Math Brings Order to Our Universe.” Beginning July 1, she began serving as chair of the faculty for a three-year term.

Physics

Nine physics and engineering faculty members joined 92 alumni and student attendees for a reception in Anaheim during the American Physical Society Global Physics Summit in March.

New Faculty

The College welcomes three faculty members this fall

The

Hixon Center for Climate and the Environment and Department of Mathematics

Robert Sanchez is a coastal physical oceanographer interested in understanding how estuaries and coastal systems respond to climate change. He joins the Hixon Center for Climate and the Environment as associate professor of climate science and mathematics. While a postdoctoral researcher, Sanchez investigated the response of estuaries to various oceanic forces, including winds, sea level fluctuations and ocean salinity changes, He has also conducted research on the fluid dynamics of glacial fiords, which are intricately linked with the melting and retreat of Greenland’s glaciers. Sanchez’s field work experience includes a course on a large sailing vessel centered on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The course provided hands-on experience with modern and historical observations methods and local outreach in the Caribbean Sea.

A passionate mentor and proponent of interdisciplinary science, Sanchez looks forward to leading an undergraduate research program centered on climate change, including introducing new courses within the Hixon Center for Climate and the Environment that center the physics and mathematics underpinning climate science. Sanchez received his bachelor’s degree (geophysics) from Caltech and his master’s degree and PhD (both in oceanography) from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Mathematics

Harrison Li has pursued research in experimental design, causal inference and model interpretability. As a graduate student at Stanford University, Li studied various design problems that arise in modern experimentation under limited resources, motivated substantially by problems in the social

sciences. Experimentation is a powerful tool to ascertain the causal impact of one or more treatments of interest, but the effectiveness of an experiment depends on how the treatments are allocated (the design). Li is interested in designing experiments that eliminate an imprecise or biased estimate of the true treatment effect. He holds a PhD (statistics) from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree (statistics and mathematics) from Harvard University. Before entering graduate school, Li worked as a quantitative trader on Wall Street and in various capacities as a data scientist for Waymo and YouTube.

Physics

Physicist Eduardo Ibarra García Padilla is interested in problems that require ingenuity and modeling to study the diverse properties of materials that arise from the behavior of electrons in a lattice. His research focus is using computational physics to explore questions of condensed matter physics and atomic physics. He seeks to understand fundamental physics governing electron behavior in lattices by stripping the system down to its simplest form. Ibarra García Padilla received his master’s degree and PhD (atomic, molecular, optical, and condensed matter physics) from Rice University and his bachelor’s degree (physics) from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria.

Capstone Roundup

From examining why standard faucets don’t respond to all skin tones to designing and launching a 10-foot rocket into space to studying the defense tactics of competing ant species when nesting space is limited, students shared their senior thesis research and course capstone projects during Presentation Days. This selection of projects demonstrates some of the research achievements.

CHEMISTRY

1. Optimizing a Safer, Large-Scale Synthesis of a Medicinally Relevant Amide

Student: Kasey Chung ’25

Advisors: Dave Vosburg, Donald A. Strauss Endowed Professor in Chemistry; Greg Beutner, process chemist at Bristol Myers Squibb

Many common peptide coupling reagents used in industrial chemistry are known sensitizers, which can cause adverse health reactions to scientists who use them. Amidations are the most common reaction in medicinal chemistry and require identifying safer and more sustainable peptide coupling reagents, such as TCFH which doesn’t pose any significant health hazards. Chung’s thesis presents a scale-up of a model amidation reaction yielding a precursor to a PARP-1 inhibitor to treat breast cancer and shows the applicability of TCFH-NMI chemistry for industrial use with medicinally relevant targets.

ENGINEERING

2. Invisible Hands: Using IR Sensor Faucets as a Lens to Expose the Racial Bias in Everyday Technology

Student: Fred Bolarinwa ’25

Advisor: Asha Srikantiah, clinical professor of engineering

Throughout history, inequalities have continued to affect marginalized groups of people through social, systemic and legal structures. Often, these inequalities are disregarded, which is especially true in STEM work. Bolarinwa examined the biases in everyday products such as infrared sensor bathroom faucets, which don’t work for certain skin tones. He addressed questions of how this may have occurred from a racial bias lens, whether there are technological limitations and how STEM can be used to address those limitations to produce products that work for all.

BIOLOGY

3. Keep Your Enemies Close: Interspecies Nesting Competition in Ants Student: Marissa Douglas ’25

Advisors: Matina Donaldson-Matasci, associate professor of biology; Anna Ahn, professor of biology

Tropical arboreal ant species influence their communities and often compete over territories. Douglas investigated how two competing Florida species, native and nonnative, form nest networks within trees when nest sites are limited. She found that the native species preferred nests that were easiest to find, even when the neighboring nonnative species attacked them. The native species defended against attacks using specialized armor and large numbers, defending resources by guarding individual nests not territories, and creating simple nest networks, limiting risks during travel.

MATHEMATICS

4. Developing Algorithms for Solving the All-Pairs Vitality Problem

Student: Max Collins ’25

Advisors: Susan Martonosi, professor of mathematics; Alice Paul ’12

The all-pairs vitality maximization problem (VIMAX) is a novel network interdiction problem with applications in disruption of criminal networks and robust network design. Prior research has demonstrated that while VIMAX can be approximated successfully by heuristic algorithms, an exact solution can be computationally infeasible even for moderately sized networks. In this thesis we develop new tools for solving VIMAX. Collins leveraged tools from the theory of relaxations for mixed-integer programming, stochastic programming and decomposition techniques to create new algorithms capable of solving instances of VIMAX within a smaller timeframe than previously possible.

SHANAHAN PROJECT

PHYSICS

5. MARC Competition Rocket Students: Jacob Fain ’26, Drake Gonzales’27, Pierce Gruber ’25, Nikolas Hall ’25, Naomi Horiguchi ’26, Amy Liu ’24, Ben Simpson ’28, Rai Wandeler ’28 Advisor: Leah Mendelson, associate professor of engineering

The Mudd Amateur Rocketry Club (MARC) spent the school year designing and building a 10-foot-tall rocket, which they launched at a site in the Mojave Desert during the FAR-Unlimited rocketry contest in June. Their rocket Gladius III launched and “flew perfectly,” according to Nikolas Hall ’25. “We successfully recovered it and placed third in the competition. To my knowledge, this was the most ambitious, successful flight in MARC’s history.”

6. Chaotic Diffusion of Orbital Frequencies in the Solar System

Student: Hayley Walters ’25

Advisor: Jamie Haddock, Iris and Howard Critchell Assistant Professor of Mathematics; Gabriel Hope, visiting professor of computer science

Earth’s climate history has oscillated between warm and cold periods, largely due to variations in Earth’s orbit that affect solar radiation. One of the most stable of these cycles, the 405,000 yearlong eccentricity cycle (LEC), is often used as a metronome for dating geological records. However, recent work has challenged its stability. Walters investigated how often and why the LEC disappears by performing long ensemble integrations of the solar system. The findings could significantly impact our understanding of Earth’s climate history and the accuracy of geological dating.

Students Innovate Through Clinic

Via applications and working prototypes, Harvey Mudd Clinic teams provided solutions to technical problems for over 40 industrial clients. The projects ranged from designing solutions that promote renewable energy initiatives to improving manufacturing processes for life-saving medical equipment, one of several projects related to biomedicine, a field of study that is in high demand by students. Since 1963, Harvey Mudd students have tackled 1,989 projects for 613 clients.

ENGINEERING

1. Developing an At-home Intradermal Auto-injector for Inflammatory Acne Treatment

Indomo liaisons: Rick Bente ’04, Cara Davis

Seniors: Nico Del Villar, Anthony Tran, Scarlett Bonner, Emily Burger

Juniors: Kate Huefner, Wilson Zambrano, Caiya Coggshall, Daniel Kotkosky

Advisor: Sophia Bahena, assistant professor of engineering

Indomo is a clinical stage therapeutics company revolutionizing inflammatory acne treatment with the development of an at-home intradermal auto-injector. The device will provide a more accessible, cost-effective and time-efficient solution for patients seeking dermatological care. The Clinic team improved the existing injector model to incorporate a pre-filled glass syringe and provide better usability.

COMPUTER SCIENCE/MATHEMATICS

2. Characterizing Nocturnal Blood Pressure Changes

Ellison Medical Institute liaisons: Xingyao Chen ’20, Dr. Andrea Armani

Seniors: Shreya Balaji, Channing Christian, Luis Mendoza Ramirez (CMC)

Juniors: Adam Sage, Lydia Stone

Advisor: Jamie Haddock, Iris & Howard

Critchell Assistant Professor of Mathematics

Ellison Medical Institute is a research institute focused on innovative personalized healthcare treatment for cancer and cardiovascular disease. The Clinic team characterized the relationship between nocturnal blood pressure, sleep staging and cardiovascular disease risk by building a web application to aggregate blood pressure and sleep stage data from select wearable devices. Students performed predictive risk analysis on similar data from open-source datasets.

ENGINEERING

3. Evaluation of Landfill Gas Wellfield Data for Maintenance Optimization

LS Power liaisons: Madeleine Wass, Harold Emond Jr., Kathy French ’97

Seniors: Avani Anne, Wava Chan, Kopchon Sittithammachoti, Sid Tchanyoum

Juniors: Cristina Tzunun Palomo, Osa Omoregbe, Leran Hu

Advisor: David Nembhard, professor of engineering

LS Power is an energy company dedicated to creating lower-cost, cleaner solutions within the power and energy infrastructure sector. In collaboration with the Landfill Group, LS Power aims to use renewable natural gas sources by collecting methane gas generated in landfills, thus reducing the landfill’s atmospheric emissions. The LS Power Clinic team developed a methodology to more quickly identify problematic gas collection wells in need of attention by analyzing current and historical well metrics and ambient environmental data.

Kate Huefner ’26 and Emily Burger ’25

Kopchon Sittithammachoti ’25 and Avani Anne ’25

ENGINEERING

4. Improving the Manufacturing of Continuous Glucose Monitors

Medtronic Diabetes liaisons: Matthew Chesler, Keyana Cason-Rose

Seniors: Hannah Dearman-So, Liza Gull, Claire Rafferty, Castor Service

Juniors: Joseph Abdelmalek, Emily Barr, Jacob Fain, Betsy Wu

Advisor: Lori Bassman, Jude and Eileen Laspa Professor of Engineering

Medtronic is a global leader in medical technology, services and solutions. The Clinic team addressed an inconsistent step in the assembly process of one of Medtronic’s diabetes blood-glucose monitors. Two rings that seal the interface between the transmitter half and disposable sensor half of the monitor must be adequately lubricated to allow the user to easily change sensors. The existing lubrication process was inconsistent and time-consuming. The Clinic team designed an ergonomic system that quickly and consistently applied an adjustable amount of lubricant.

COMPUTER SCIENCE/MATHEMATICS

5. Aiding Detection of a Deadly Autoimmune Disease

Scleroderma.AI liaisons: Amyn Rajan P’27, Thomas Winkler, Jerry Wu

Seniors: Emily Auyon, Skandda Chandrasekar, Jade Kessinger, Norah Pack, Trinity Zhang

Advisor: Erin Talvitie, associate professor of computer science

Scleroderma.AI is a not-for-profit startup aiming to provide a solution that aids in the early detection of scleroderma, an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and thickening of the skin and body. The startup seeks to build a computer vision model to better the outcomes of patients with scleroderma by expediting diagnosis and treatment. The Clinic team researched, trained and tested models to improve detection accuracy. Their prototype web application integrates different detection models to demonstrate the a tool to aid clinicians or patients in detecting symptoms of scleroderma.

GLOBAL CLINIC

6. ExploraVist

The Hive—The Rick and Susan Sontag Center for Collaborative Creativity liaisons: Asha Srikantiah, Fred Leichter Seniors: Katie Baakkonen, Mauricio Bravo Guzman, Daniel Fajardo, Ket Hollingsworth, Taylor Levinson, Dominick Quaye Junior: Massin Ihs

Advisor: TJ Tsai, associate professor of engineering

The ExploraVist Clinic team developed a wearable device that will empower the visually impaired at an affordable price point. The device will improve accessibility by enabling users to read text, understand their surroundings and store personal notes while fostering independence and curiosity in the users’ daily lives. Students performed extensive user testing to ensure that the product is aligned with human-centered design principles.

Joseph Abdelmalek ’25 describes his team’s work.

Daniel Fajardo ’25 models an accessibility device for the visually impaired.

National Awards Proof

Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Fellows receive $40,000 for 12 months of travel and college loan assistance

Moyo OyedejiOlaniyan ’25 science management (CMC), computer science minor

Watson Proposal: She plans to explore expressions of worship in Sweden, South Africa, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Brazil and the Philippines by engaging with church leaders, youth directors, service planners, musicians and digital creators in diverse Christian communities.

Research: She has worked with Alberto Soto in the Lab for Autonomous and Intelligent Robotics designing an aquatic testbed for robotic fish experiments aimed at studying predator-prey interactions and fish locomotion. She

presented their research at several events, including the 2022 SACNAS Conference in Puerto Rico. For her senior thesis at the Keck Graduate Institute, she completed a yearlong Team Masters Project with biotech company Pfizer that integrated AI into clinical trials.

Other activities: Oyedeji-Olaniyan served as co-president of Black Lives at Mudd. She helped revive both the College’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and the 5Cs’ Black Campus Ministries. She worked for the Department of Computing and Information Services and was the senior class speaker at Commencement.

Goals: “As I leave Harvey Mudd, I want to grow into the kind of leader who sees the opportunities in challenges, who imagines new ways of connecting and who moves with integrity, responsibility and emotional maturity,” OyedejiOlaniyan said.

This sonnet by Emilynne Newsom ’25 won the college-level category of the 2025 American Mathematical Society Math Poetry contest, which celebrates creativity at the intersection of math and poetry.

There is a practice you will see in math. It is a way of showing what is true. In steady step-by-step it lays a path from what you know to what you seek to prove.

Barry Goldwater Scholarship

A prestigious national award for undergraduate researchers in STEM fields that provides up to $7,500 for tuition, fees, books and room and board

Mithra Karamchedu ’26 computer science and mathematics major

Research: Since his first year, Karamchedu has been involved in three main research projects. He conducted research in graph algorithms with Professor Lucas Bang, in Ramsey theory with his brother Chaitanya Karamchedu ’21 (PhD student at the University of Maryland) and former HMC President Maria Klawe and in phase transitions through a Santa Fe

Institute REU under Cristopher Moore and Gülce Kardeş. He is also working with HMC Professor Andrés Vindas Meléndez to continue his Ramsey theory research.

Other activities: Karamchedu is a tutor and grader in the computer science and mathematics departments and was recognized by the Mathematical Association of America for an essay on Claude Shannon.

Goals: He plans to pursue a PhD in theoretical computer science, with an emphasis on complexity theory and the design and analysis of algorithms. He hopes to teach and do research in this field at the university level.

A finding takes a lot of getting lost in circles that we cannot comprehend, but even patterns knotted up and crossed can find a line that leads us to its end.

There is an order to the way of things. Perhaps it is an order we can find. The math is in the universe—it sings in such a way that we can harmonize.

And when our logic comes out sound and clear we hear it in the ring of truth—we’re here.

Clearly and Ethically Communicating Data

Written by Dominic Indolino

a one-day datathon challenged students from across The Claremont Colleges to explore and visualize data while learning from experts about the far-reaching implications of data science. The event was organized by HMC’s Innovation Accelerator Laboratory for Data Science and Social Impact (DSSI. See page6), whose members include HMC professors in mathematics, computer science and climate science.

The DSSI seeks beneficial ways to instruct students, stakeholders and visiting faculty who want to educate people on how to do data science that is responsible, with an eye on context. The datathon took a picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words approach to data visualization, with an emphasis on honesty and ethics. “We brought in speakers who can visualize data as a key component of ethical and impactive data science,” said Susan Martonosi, mathematics professor and former chair of the faculty.

“At Harvey Mudd, we believe that if we cannot communicate our results in a way that is impactful and understandable, then the job is not done,” said Xanda Schofield ’13, assistant professor of computer science. “The datathon and having speakers active in social work was meant to give a holistic understanding of how we reach people through our work.”

Event speakers addressed the importance of data presentation methods. Mine Dogucu, professor of teaching at UC Irvine, focuses on creating statistics and data science classrooms and

curricula that are accessible, inclusive and relevant across all sciences. The strategic data and evaluation director at the Los Angeles Unified School District Jessica Bogner and her students create visualizations for research projects that show accurate data, specifically relating to wildfires. “But instead of relying on traditional methods of visualizations, Bogner challenges us to think about who our audience may be and how to best display information to them,” said Lynn Kirabo, the Maria M. Klawe Assistant Professor of Climate and Computer Science.

For the datathon, student teams used World Bank data from the UN Millenium Development Goals to create compelling visualizations that illustrate complex global issues. The work of 11 teams of 31 students was judged by DSSI team members and President Harriet Nembhard. Mudders Kavi Dey ’26, Alicia Luo’26 and Alyssa Sawyer ’26 received first place for their series of visualizations on the relationship between income and marine environmental protections. The team was inspired by Dogucu’s talk about how displaying data in unconventional and creative ways can often communicate a stronger message than the traditional ways.

Sawyer said, “Mudd has helped us grow as science communicators. From research opportunities to classes like Math Forum and Public Speaking for Science and Citizenship, there have been a lot of opportunities to practice presenting technical topics.”

Emrys King POM ’25, Charlotte Imbert POM ’25, Alicia Luo ’26, Alyssa Sawyer ’26 and Kavi Dey ’26.

STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL 1: INNOVATIVE EDUCATION

MY MUDD LIFE

A Reason to Be at HMC

Written by Sarah Barnes

devon tao ’25 didn’t want to be class president during their junior year. Tao ran, hoping it would inspire others to run and that someone, not Tao, would win. But with no opposition, Tao won in a landslide and decided to make the best of the new challenge. “I did a bunch of crazy things,” Tao says. “I had a class event every single week. I did a lot of meet and greets, a lot of watching Everything Everywhere All at Once, my favorite movie. The craziest thing I did was to spend $400, which was two-thirds of our class budget, to hire a mime. It was the most-attended class event I’ve ever seen.”

Everything, everywhere, all at once is a good way to describe Tao’s overall Harvey Mudd College experience. Tao has applied their limitless creativity, energy, quirky sense of humor and community-building instincts across the 5Cs. In addition to serving as class president, they’ve been a computer science grutor and student ambassador and founded 7C Ace and Aro Space, an affinity group for asexual and aromantic students.

Academically, Tao, a CS and mathematics major, co-authored and presented research at national conferences with CS professor Lucas Bang, completed an independent study with CS professor Ben Wiederman to develop an online video-based programming languages course and regularly contributed to their YouTube channel, CS Professor of Fun. In their final semester, with support from HSA professors Darryl Wright (philosophy) and Bill Alves (music) and Jill Knox (theater, Pomona College), they produced and performed Reason to Be, an original musical that they began writing as a sophomore.

The musical’s message resonates deeply with Tao’s own questions about purpose and the intersection of creativity and science. “It deals with the idea of value: what we value as a society, what

types of work are valued, compensated and not,” Tao says. “The heart of the story is really about the meaning of hope and the meaning of music in the face of these extreme challenges. Theater really is about people, and, on a larger scale, if we’re going to get through this climate situation, it’s going to be all about people.”

The tight-knit community coupled with the STEM and liberal arts focus at Harvey Mudd have provided a supportive environment for Tao, who is thinking a lot about how to build a career that combines a passion for music with a passion for teaching and also pays the bills.

“It's very important to me that I do something good in the world,” says Tao, the recipient of the 2025 Dorman Student Altruism Prize, which they were given, in part, for embodying “Harvey Mudd’s values of leadership, collaboration and social responsibility” and for having “shaped a more inclusive, compassionate and resilient community at Mudd.”

“It’s very important to me that I do something good in the world.”

–DEVON TAO ’25

“I think about the idea of understanding the impact of my work on society all the time,” Tao says. “I do a lot of valuable work that is impactful, but it does not compensate at all. And the kind of research that I want to do is a combination of human computer interaction and CS or math education research. I want to make software that helps people learn.” After graduation, Tao will embark on a PhD program in data science at UC San Diego.

“With my skillset and the Mudd degree, I could maybe have an easier life being a software engineer instead of being an artist and a teacher,” Tao says. “But I think, in the end, I need to be true to myself and to my values. I don’t think about specifically how I use science to impact the public. I just think of myself as a person that has all these aspects. But I know that being an artist makes me a better scientist, and being a scientist makes me a better artist.”

Photo by Dominic Indolino

Nurturing Potential

Community partnerships create a dynamic ecosystem that invigorates HMC students’ educational experiences, reinforces the College’s ability to carry out its mission and drives positive societal impact.

S.E.S.H.A.T. STEAM Conference

Sacred Sistahs and HMC hosted the 13th annual conference in April. With the theme “Entrepreneurship From Idea to Impact,” the conference provided middle and highschool girls with opportunities to discover the world of STEAM via keynote speakers, panel discussions and college readiness workshops.

Women Engineers and Scientists of Tomorrow (WEST) Conference

The Society of Women Engineers’ annual one-day conference in March, offered young women the opportunity to learn more about careers in STEM (with a focus on engineering and computer science) and engage with each other, Harvey Mudd students and faculty through workshops, panels and events.

Professor Talithia Williams (center) with participants.

Diana Lin ’22 and Yoo-Jin Hwang ’22

AUSTIN BROWN ’02 IS DRIVING AMERICA’S CLEAN TRANSPORTATION FUTURE

Written by Holly Leber Simmons

austin brown ’02, a technology and policy expert passionate about developing better, more efficient transportation systems, serves as the director of the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) at the U.S. Department of Energy. Brown leads critical research, development and deployment efforts aimed at accelerating the transition to a prosperous and sustainable transportation future.

“The transportation sector is essential to our quality of life and the economy, but it also contributes to some of our biggest problems,” says Brown. “Our mission is to fund impactful research that creates innovation, improves choices, makes transportation safer, cheaper and more accessible, and eliminates pollution while we’re at it.”

Photo by Sam Kittner

The VTO invests about $450 million a year, making it the largest public funder worldwide of applied research and development for clean mobility. Its initiatives encompass advancing battery and electric vehicle (EV) technology for cars and trucks, improving heavy-duty engines, building resilient domestic supply chains and exploring innovative solutions like vehicle-to-grid integration and automated transportation. Collaborating with other government agencies, private industry and academic institutions, the VTO funds projects that improve system efficiency while addressing societal challenges such as safety and affordability.

A Vision for Transportation

Brown’s journey toward applied solutions began during his undergraduate years as a physics student at Harvey Mudd, though he didn’t know it at the time as he focused on astrophysics. During grad school in biophysics, he found that his love of discovery was transformed into a desire to use knowledge for real-world impact. After earning a PhD from Stanford University, Brown served in Washington, D.C., first as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow at the Department of Energy, at the National

Renewable Energy Laboratory and as assistant director for clean energy and transportation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. For four years, he was executive director of the Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy at the University of California, Davis, and, most recently, he was senior director for Transportation Emissions at the White House Climate Policy Office. As head of the VTO since August 2023, Brown seeks to create solutions that benefit people and the planet.

“How do we move our people and our stuff and get access to the things that transportation gets us, like opportunity and family and education, but eliminate the emissions so that it’s not causing harm?” Brown asks. “Every project we fund and every technology we pursue is designed to make transportation work better for everyone while addressing its impacts.”

Tackling the Challenges of Electrification

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a part of the VTO’s strategy, and Brown notes both their advantages and challenges. With over a million EVs sold in the U.S. in 2024 (representing about 10% of new vehicle sales), the technology is rapidly advancing. EVs are cheaper to maintain,

quieter, and offer better performance compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. However, access to easy nationwide charging and mineral sourcing remain critical hurdles to address with research and deployment.

The VTO is driving innovation to lower battery costs—aiming for $75 per kilowatt-hour by 2030 (down from more than $1,000 in 2010 and around $120 today)—and exploring battery recycling and alternatives like sodium-based batteries to add technology diversity and ensure secure supply chains. Recent VTO funding initiatives include $43 million for improving EV battery safety and $72 million for developing charging infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

In addition to advances in EV technology and infrastructure, the new interest in electric mobility is transforming personal transportation in myriad ways. In addition to cars, an area of growth in this space is one that Brown enjoys with his wife and 5-year-old son: electric bikes. U.S. sales of e-bikes exceeded $1 million in 2022. “I love how our family e-bikes get us around with exactly as much workout as we want, and I hear from folks all the time who find them to be a great part of their personal transportation toolkit.”

VTO Director Austin Brown remains connected to Harvey Mudd, serving as a member of AABOG, teaching and, here, hosting Mudders during a recent spring break visit to D.C.

“We have an ethical requirement to develop safer systems, eliminate transportation barriers and reduce pollution for disadvantaged communities.”

–AUSTIN BROWN

Addressing Pollution Burden

Increasing fairness and improving health is central to Brown’s work.

“Local pollution from transportation disproportionately impacts communities that have the burdens of our system put upon them and receive fewer of the benefits. Transportation—the second biggest expense for households—is a big deal. If you can cut or eliminate their gasoline bill, that’s got ethical advantages as well,” he says.

By investing in clean technologies and locally driven programs, the VTO seeks to ensure that every community has a voice and receives benefits from the clean energy transition. “We have an ethical requirement to develop safer systems, eliminate transportation barriers and reduce pollution for disadvantaged communities.”

Preparing for the Future: Automation and Beyond

Vehicle automation represents both an opportunity and a challenge for Brown and his 40-member team. While automated vehicles have the potential to reduce traffic fatalities and improve convenience, their environmental impact is uncertain. Automation could lead to

increased energy use if it encourages more traffic. “We need to ensure automation aligns with our shared goals rather than exacerbating existing problems,” Brown says.

“Every realistic solution in energy has its downsides and issues,” he says. “One solution to a problem often creates some other problem as well. It’s a constant effort to think ahead to the unintended consequences.”

New Generation of Transportation Leaders

The VTO is preparing for what’s next by fostering the inventiveness of the next generation. One of Brown’s favorite projects, the EcoCAR EV Challenge, builds upon a 35-year history of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions, which include more than 30,000 students as alumni. The four-year collegiate automotive engineering competition provides a hands-on educational experience to students at 15 North American universities—two in California (UC Riverside and UC Davis). Teams are in their third year engineering a nextgeneration battery electric vehicle—a GM Cadillac LYRIQ—that utilizes automation and vehicle-to-everything connectivity to implement energy-efficient and customerpleasing features while meeting the decarbonization need of the automotive industry.

In an October 2024 interview with Great Day Live Tampa Bay, Brown said, “There are dozens of companies demonstrating automation and connectivity features, but they’re all doing it in their own research ecosystem and very fiercely protecting what they find. One of the benefits we’ll get from this competition is that we’re taking 13

approaches to connectivity, automation and propulsion systems, and pitting them against each other in a friendly competition where we’re able to compare apples to apples.

“Teams will be showcasing what [their cars] can do on a real road and in laboratory environments, where you can precisely measure energy use. We believe that this can help us showcase what are some of the standard tests that we should be able to use for the broader transportation innovation ecosystem to understand the implications of these different technologies in terms of their energy use reductions.”

Brown is also personally passionate about teaching anyone interested about how they can help build a better transportation system. Since 2012, he has taught at Johns Hopkins University, and since 2023 he has taught the elective Transportation Technology and Climate Policy as part of HMC’s Hixon Center for Climate and the Environment.

A Team Effort

Brown believes that the greatest impact is achieved by working together. He points out that his office’s investments need to catalyze billions in follow-on investments from industry to help improve the trillion-dollar-scale transportation system, so leverage is essential. From funding cutting-edge projects to engaging with communities, collaboration is key to navigating the complexities of clean mobility because the real decisions are all made by individuals, companies, local governments and states. Brown and his team at the Vehicle Technologies Office are laying the foundation for a sustainable transportation future—one that balances innovation, equity and environmental stewardship.

As president of her homeowner’s association and Fire Safety Council, Mala Arthur ’82 teams with neighbors on emergency resilience.

Ready in the Glen

Neighborly bonds provide support, help in fire-prone areas

Written by Stephanie L. Graham

Photos by Jeanine Hill

pasadena glen is a small, tightknit neighborhood north of Pasadena between Altadena and Sierra Madre, where 150 residents share quiet, wooded acres with bears and bobcats. It’s where sleek, modern homes mix with European-style architecture, remodeled Craftsmans and traditional homes. Neighbors here know each other well, as was evident one afternoon when Mala Arthur ’82 provided a tour of the place she’s called home for 16 years.

Each driver traversing the sloped, single-lane road leading in and out of the unincorporated area stops to greet Mala. Updates and well wishes are exchanged. Jody is out and about again after an illness. Tim, who experienced the 1993 Kinneloa fire (5,485 acres torched; 28 of 66 homes here burned), is on his way to help a friend

impacted by recent fires. Another neighbor greets Mala as he heads out in his convertible to enjoy the day.

Neighbors are the reason Mala’s Pasadena Glen home still stands after the January 2025 Eaton Fire. And Mala is one key reason the neighbors were prepared for it.

Mala, who has a background in computer systems, educational technology and instructional makerspaces, is president of the Pasadena Glen Improvement Association, one of the oldest neighborhood associations in California. She and her husband, Phil Wolf ’83, and son, Zephram, lived for 20 years in Altadena before moving to Pasadena Glen in 2009. She also is president of the association’s Fire Safe Council (FSC), a group that unites to make their neighborhood more fire resistant and emergency resilient.

After the 2009 Station Fire (160,557 acres torched, 89 structures burned), Pasadena Glen neighbors decided to be proactive about taking care of their area, which firefighters have difficulty reaching due to limited access and very steep hillsides. After forming the FSC, Mala registered for grants—securing over $1 million to date—much of which have been used for clearing brush and trees around homes and on the surrounding hillsides. Her work with the FSC expanded beyond her neighborhood when she became a regional representative during COVID, helping Southern California residents be better prepared to survive a wildfire. In her own neighborhood, Mala has hosted guest speakers and has led drills, community emergency response team (CERT) training and workshops. Her evacuation training sessions addressed things like what to do when you must evacuate quickly. Repetition of training and information is important for readiness, she has learned. By noon the day of the Eaton Fire, Mala said they were already on high alert. “We’d been getting all of the weather warnings, Edison had shut the power off at four that afternoon, and the winds were crazy, so everybody knew there was a lot of danger.” Pacific Palisades was already fiercely on fire, with hundreds of homes burned. To get more information about local fires, she turned to apps: Pulse Point for emergency agency activity, Watch Duty for active fires and number of units called to fight them. The Eaton Fire started at 6:17 p.m. and had around 30 units dispatched immediately to fight it. Mala thought, “It’s going to be huge.” Using Slack, email and emergency notification system One Call Now, around

6:30 p.m. she notified neighbors— many of whom had been preparing to leave—“You need to evacuate now.” An image Mala took around 7 p.m. as the neighborhood evacuated shows the flames frighteningly close to Pasadena Glen.

Mala and Phil helped evacuate a neighbor’s horses then returned to their own home and closed windows, turned off the gas, and pulled out and turned on the water for hoses. As the emergency response leader, Mala was the last in the neighborhood to leave—she thought. Several in the neighborhood, including a neighbor’s son, who is a firefighter, stayed behind to douse spot fires, saving her home and others. All the homes in Pasadena Glen were spared.

But when they left Pasadena Glen to stay at a friend’s house in northeast Pasadena around 7:30 p.m., the fire was expanding. “During dinner at our friend’s home, we got another evacuation notice, because the fire was not only burning the wilderness near Eaton Canyon but was starting to eat away at houses in Pasadena and Altadena. So, we evacuated to my mother-in-law’s in West Los Angeles,” she says. “We went to bed at 3 a.m. and then got up at 7 a.m. and turned the news on. We learned our rental home in southwest Altadena, miles from the mountains, was in danger. That street was on fire, and houses were burning down. We thought, What in the world is going on? Because that’s just insane. How could it have

burned through that many houses? But it did. It did.”

Remarkably, their home in Altadena, a 1909 all-wood bungalow, still stands, once again thanks to neighbors. Their renters evacuated safely and have since returned to the remediated Altadena property. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the homes on that block are gone.

Throughout Altadena and Pasadena, there are structures within devastated neighborhoods that survived. “Most of those houses are still standing because somebody was there with a hose or a pool and a pump, because many of the firefighters were already away fighting the Palisades fire,” Mala says. The 100 mph winds were blowing the embers everywhere, so anything that was prone to ignite, did.”

Mala says her family is incredibly grateful to those who sacrificed their safety to save lives and property (14,120 acres burned; about 7,500 structures destroyed in the Eaton Fire alone). In the aftermath, intense storms on February 13 and March 13 caused all of the loose materials on hillsides where supporting vegetation was burned to flow down the Pasadena Glen stream. The fastmoving debris flows were full of gigantic boulders, trees and other materials. Many properties’ yards were damaged by the mud/rock slurry, including Mala’s and Phil’s, but no one was injured.

Now Mala is working with another

Pasadena Glen organization, the Pasadena Glen Community Services District, to have the neighborhood stream channel and roads repaired, get water service restored and clean up the remaining mud along the roads and in many yards.

Those winter rains also deposited rich ash and silt from the uninhabited hills above the neighborhood, resulting in abundant weeds, vibrant flowers and overflowing fruit trees (Mala’s plum tree is sagging). It’s a seeming paradise that Mala and other residents realize may not last.

“Global warming makes me feel like what we’re doing is a little bit in vain

Disaster Prep Tips

because it’s just going to get hotter and the storms more extreme,” she says. “We can keep ramping up our efforts to prevent damage, but I don’t think we’re going to keep up. We’re going to start losing ground faster and faster. I don’t want to stop trying. I just think it will eventually become untenable to live in a neighborhood like this.”

Mala says she will continue leading neighbors in home hardening workshops and evacuation training so that, together, they’ll be prepared for whatever comes next.

Keys to a New Beginning

“Whether it’s fire, flood, debris flow, earthquake, plane crash, riots, whatever, we all need to be prepared,” Mala says. “Emergency services from the city or county will not be able to help everybody. We have to depend on ourselves and neighbors.”

Get to know your neighbors’ strengths, equipment and availability. Sign up for the Map Your Neighborhood program through the Red Cross. Or, set up a neighborhood meeting.

Find out from your neighborhood or community leadership which emergencies are most likely in your neighborhood, then research how to prepare. See L.A. County Fire Department’s Ready! Set! Go! booklet on how to prepare for fire. fire.lacounty.gov/rsg

Think about how you’ll get information in an emergency, especially if power, cell network and/or internet is out. Do you have a battery-powered FM radio? Is there a HAM radio operator in your neighborhood? Who can go doorto-door in your neighborhood to warn everyone?

Discuss with family, roommates, etc. evacuation plans based on how much time you have: from five minutes to several hours or days. Include communication in the plan, so everyone knows everyone’s location and that they are safe. Do this now, before any disaster! Have one out-of-state phone number that everyone knows to call with status updates. It’s often easier to call out-of-state when phone communications are impacted by an emergency.

Enroll in free CERT training to learn how to prepare for and respond to emergencies. bit.ly/FEMA-CERT

Have a go bag and keep its contents updated. See ready.gov/kit or NPR’s guide, bit.ly/3GAcLQ4

Have a plan. bit.ly/LACo-emergency-prep

Harvey Mudd College donated its Bösendorfer grand piano to Jeanina Quezada, a pianist, teacher and director of a Foothills Music Together program whose Altadena residence was among the 6,000 homes destroyed during the Eaton Fire in February. The Bösendorfer, a high-end Austrian piano known for its quality and craftsmanship, resided for years on campus in the Garrett House (past HMC presidents’ residence). “This piano—that has brought music to this campus for so many years—to have this special new home is a heartwarming thing in the midst of this great tragedy in our community,” says music professor Bill Alves. Quezada credited the piano donation and other community support with helping her rebuild her professional life. “Being able to keep teaching gives my students—and myself—normalcy,” she says. “This gift ensures that my students and I can continue our work.”

Fire in the Core

In The Conversation article “California Wildfires Force Students to Think About the Connections Between STEM and Society,” professors Erika Dyson (religion) and Darryl Yong ’96 (mathematics) describe HMC’s new Core Impact course, taught by a team of eight professors who share their own disciplinary perspectives and help students critically analyze proposed interventions for increasing wildfire risks. bit.ly/Conversation-020725

FROM LOSS TO EMPOWERMENT

Physician/neurologist Hayden Hatch ’12 shares how limb loss radically changed his life for the better and how the experience is inspiring others.

Written by George Spencer

hayden hatch ’12 gets mixed reactions. When he is out for a jog and people see the curved carbon fiber running blade that replaces his right leg below the knee, some say “That’s super cool.” Others tell him they didn’t know such a super strong yet springy thing existed.

“It’s a common misconception that people who are missing a limb aren’t that active because they can’t be,” says Hatch, a resident physician at Boston Children’s Hospital. “But if you think of the Paralympics, with the technology that exists nowadays almost anything is possible for someone with a limb difference.”

Hatch does get around. Last fall, he volunteered on a 10-day trip to Zambia’s capital Lusaka with the Limb Kind Foundation. While there, its physical and occupational therapists made prostheses for 30 children, none of whom had ever walked without crutches.

Of all the children, the one Hatch got to know the best was a boy born with bilateral hip disarticulation—he had no legs. He got about by using both of his hands to push himself on the ground. “He went from being carried around to walking. It was incredible to see,” says Hatch who plans to return to Lusaka next year or visit Sri Lanka or Ethiopia, two other nations where Limb Kind does charity work.

Looking back, Hatch calls his Zambia experience “life changing.” He spent time with the children’s parents and learned that for many of them, just traveling to the Beit Cure Hospital, which specializes in children’s orthopedic issues, was a

challenge. In this central African nation where the average annual income is $1,300, artificial limbs are unaffordable. Few adults expect children missing limbs to go to school. They are seen as hopeless cases. Besides their disabilities, social stigma sullies them—and their families.

“Parents were awestruck when I told them I was a doctor in the United States and was able to become one despite missing a limb. That wasn’t something they could imagine for their children,” says Hatch. “My story inspired them to have faith and hope their child could become a physician.”

Hatch was born with a congenital condition in which his tibia, the weightbearing bone that connects the ankle and knee, was curved. To make matters worse, he practically had no fibula, the bone which supports the tibia. His condition has no name. To this day Hatch doesn’t know what caused it.

Diagnosed at 10 months, he got along reasonably well. He ran a mile in fifth grade in the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, though he was slower than other children. He took part in all gym activities and suffered little teasing. “People around me were very supportive,” he recalls.

But his life changed one day in sixth grade gym class. He was running around, and his tibia snapped. “I felt excruciating pain,” he says. For the next 20 years, Hatch used crutches. He endured surgeries and corrective braces that failed to correct the leg. Chronic pain became his companion. By 2021, when he had the limb amputated, it was six inches shorter than his left leg.

Even before the accident, doctors had advised his parents to remove the limb. “Whenever my orthopedic surgeon mentioned the word amputation, I would faint in his office. My dad had to sit behind me on his examining table to prevent me from falling backwards when that word was said.”

His parents rejected such advice. They wanted their son to have as much autonomy in his life as possible. They feared that a decision to remove the limb might limit future choices their son might want to make.

“It’s my goal to get rid of that

“I want to show them that something that sounds scary can be empowering and that it can give them multiple skills they’d never dreamed of.”

–HAYDEN HATCH ’12

feeling shared by children with similar conditions,” says Hatch. “I want to show them that something that sounds scary can be empowering and that it can give them multiple skills they’d never dreamed of.”

When asked whether he regrets not having the surgery sooner, he grows pensive and replies, “It’s hard to tell. If it wasn’t for that, I don’t know if I would be in the same field I’m in now,” he says. The years of suffering “radically changed my life for the better,” according to him. “I think it convinced me to help others. If I’d had the surgery early on, I might not be in the same position in the medical field, showing kids what they could become.”

Hatch plans to become a boardcertified neurologist and see patients while also doing research into the neurogenetics of neurodevelopmental conditions. A decisive moment came during his work in the Pomona College neuroscience lab of Karen Parfitt, the wife of Steve Adolph, a Harvey Mudd biology professor under whom Hatch also studied. “That was the light bulb moment,

like, Oh, this thing called neuroscience is interesting to me,” he recalls. One day he would like to lead an organization that bridges science, medicine and advocacy work.

A turning point in his life came prior to his amputation when he joined a Facebook group for parents and caregivers of children who have the condition Claes Jensen syndrome. At the time, he was studying this rare neurodevelopmental disorder in a lab while getting his MD and PhD in biomedical sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, but the syndrome seemed abstract.

One day, he decided to bring together children with the syndrome at a Long Island event on Rare Disease Day. (It falls each year on Feb. 28.) It was the first time they had met anyone else who shared their condition. “Seeing children with the same rare syndrome meet each other convinced me this was the field I wanted to be in, and it convinced me to get the surgery. I realized there was something I could do to enhance my well-being.”

Those families still talk about Hatch.

“He showed them he truly cared about them and that his research was trying to better their lives,” says geneticist Julie Secombe, his PhD thesis advisor at Einstein. According to her, his efforts led to the formation of a foundation which seeks to find a cure for the syndrome.

“Hayden has overcome incredible obstacles to get where he is,” says Dr. Myles Akabas who oversees the dual MD/ PhD degree program at Einstein. “He has amazing strength of character. When he told me he had finally come to grips with the fact that they had to amputate, I started crying, and he told me it was going to be okay.”

Hatch foresees amazing developments in 10 to 20 years in the field of prostheses. An emerging technology called osteointegration might connect artificial limbs to bone by being screwed in like a dental implant. Some prostheses might even link to the nervous system. “A recipient will control his foot as though he has an actual limb. It amazes me,” says Hatch whose titanium lower leg has a hydraulic ankle. “That, to me, is cool.”

Hayden Hatch ’12 poses with two of the 30 children who received prostheses during his 2024 trip to Lusaka, Zambia with Limb Kind Foundation. A prosthesis recipient walks the red carpet to cheers and encouragement.

Mentors, Coaches and Leaders Honored

The College honored teachers, a political scientist, U.S. Air Force pilot, U.S. government attorney, catering manager and longtime coach, with awards from the Alumni Association Board of Governors.

Outstanding Alumni Awards

Nate Cook ’95

Cook was recognized for his 30-year career in education, engineering and service with the U.S. Air Force. He held leadership roles at WrightPatterson AFB, Edwards AFB, and Eglin AFB and pioneered the use of digital video in live fire testing, instituted a water rocket competition (EGGS Prize, modeled after the X-Prize), mentored a high school robotics team and graduated from the USAF Test Pilot School as the only civilian in his class. He accumulated over 118 hours of flight time in 25 types of aircraft and led significant technical efforts on the F-16. He developed safety programs, coordinated multicommand test operations and served as chief flight test engineer. Most recently, he was chief data officer for the 96th Operations Group, where he also organized a data hackathon.

David Goodsell ’61 (Awarded posthumously)

A self-described “average student” at Harvey Mudd and later Harvard, Goodsell had a diverse career. He began as a physics instructor at Tustin High School in California and later served as assistant dean of admission for Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna and Pitzer colleges. He became an associate professor at Valdosta State College in Georgia but found his most gratifying role as headmaster of Heritage Hall School in Oklahoma City, where the administration building bears his name. In 1988, Goodsell became a director of The Desert Sun Science Center in Idyllwild, California. Outside of education, Goodsell was a magician for more than 40 years, serving as national president and journal editor of The Society of American Magicians.

In 2007, he was named a literary fellow of the Academy of Magical Arts and Sciences and honored for his work as a writer, editor and historian.

Jack S. Levy ’70

Levy is one of the preeminent political scientists in the United States. A Board of Governors Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University, he is also a senior research scholar at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University. His research foci are the causes of interstate war, foreign policy decision-making, political psychology and qualitative methodology. He has held tenured positions at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Minnesota, and visiting or adjunct positions at Tulane, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Columbia and NYU. Levy is past president of the International Studies Association and of the Peace Science Society. His awards include the Distinguished Scholar Award for lifetime achievement from the International Security Studies Section of the International Studies Association (2022).

John Lulejian ’90

Lulejian has made significant contributions to humanity and society through his work as an assistant United States attorney and as a past president of HMC’s alumni association. He worked as an engineer before earning a J.D. from Temple University. After a federal judicial clerkship, he was admitted to the Bar, practiced at two international law firms, then joined the U.S. Department of Justice. His career as a federal prosecutor includes charging the “D.C. Sniper,” and prosecuting international drug trafficking and money laundering organizations, violent criminal street gangs, the first person charged under a 2003 statute that prohibits U.S. citizens and permanent residents from engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, the extraditions of an individual charged for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, and a suspected serial killer. Lulejian also litigates cases before the federal trial and appellate courts. As the Department of Justice’s resident legal advisor, he promoted the Rule of Law in the Republic of Armenia. The U.S. Departments of Justice, State, and Homeland Security have recognized him for his domestic and international achievements.

Jerry Van Hecke ’61 presents David’s award to Jann Goodsell and daughter, Crickett Goodsell Willardsen.

Honorary Alumni Award and Lifetime Recognition Award

Theresa Lauer

Lauer, senior director for facilities and emergency preparedness and safety, served as a key leader in the Office of Facilities and Maintenance for over 37 years. She made significant positive impacts to the day-to-day facility operations and promoted a culture of safety on campus. She brought a breadth of knowledge and trusted care while managing facilities administration, operations, events, maintenance, the mail room, custodial, grounds, safety, training and emergency planning. A recipient of the Henry T. Mudd Prize in 2008 for her outstanding contributions, Lauer retired from Harvey Mudd on May 19.

Mike Sutton CMC ’76

Sutton was lauded for his transformative role in the success of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Athletics, both as a coach and athletic director. Since becoming athletic director, he has led CMS to national prominence among NCAA Division III programs, including a best-ever 11th place finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings and five consecutive Top 25 national finishes. Under his leadership, CMS has won numerous SCIAC All-Sports Trophies and become the top-rated athletic program in the West Region. He championed the growth of women’s sports, improved athletic facilities, and expanded intramural and physical education offerings. He has hired and mentored 22 head coaches and bolstered support staff, significantly enhancing the student-athlete experience. Before becoming athletic director, Sutton led the CMS men’s swimming and diving program to 18 SCIAC titles in 19 years and six NCAA national runner-up finishes. He coached 22 individual national champions and was named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year in 1983. In recognition of his legacy, Sutton was inducted into the inaugural class of the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America Division III Hall of Fame in 2024.

Additional Honorary Alumni Awards

Ramona Campoy

As assistant manager, catering/dining services, Campoy managed catering operations and dining services staff and oversaw the dining hall during mealtimes. She supported numerous events, including Commencement and weekend events for parents and alumni. Nominators noted her significant impact on students and alumni.

Jeff Groves

Groves was recognized for a 40-year career at Harvey Mudd that is marked by significant achievements in teaching and leadership. He helped organize unique experiences, and his courses spanned various disciplines, including Middle English literature and environmental analysis. He taught a Shakespeare course for 22 years, which, starting in 1989, included a full production every spring. Dickens, Hardy, and the Victorian Age, a course he co-taught with physics professor Jim Eckert, included a trip to England with students every other year between 2000 and 2023. He co-taught Building Los Angeles, in which students ventured to Los Angeles to learn about its history, infrastructure and architecture. As vice president and R. Michael Shanahan Dean of the Faculty, Groves played a crucial role in curricular changes and racial inclusion initiatives. An inaugural director of the College’s makerspace, Groves oversaw its development and facilitated planning for its use.

R. Erik Spjut

Spjut, professor of engineering and Union Oil Company Engineering Design Fellow, has built a remarkable 37-year career at Harvey Mudd defined by intellectual curiosity and a passion for teaching. Spjut brought to HMC deep expertise in radiative heat transfer, high-temperature heterogeneous kinetics, containerless materials processing and non-contact temperature measurement. His research spans process control and optimization, computerized data acquisition, automatic test equipment, and digital audio processing and synthesis. He has published widely in these areas, including two chapters in The CSound Book. His work has been supported by the NSF, NASA, Department of Energy and Southern California Edison, and he has consulted for many organizations, including JPL and Advanced Energy Dynamics. Spjut has taught nearly every required HMC engineering course, plus electives like Music Fundamentals and Psychoacoustics. He has served as Engineering Clinic director and has helped students build and fly rockets.

Theresa Lauer and Kathy French ’97

Honoring Iris

May 4, the HMC community gathered for a celebration of Iris Critchell’s extraordinary life (1920–2025). Her legacy spans the lives she influenced, the programs she built and the enthusiasm for aviation she instilled in students. Along with comments from President Harriet Nembhard, alumni, friends and family members shared stories and memories about Iris’ life and her impact, including the Bates Program, the Barnstormers, the Aero Scholarship Program and HMC’s Aeronautical Library Special Collection. Read comments shared on Iris’ memorial page: hmc.edu/in-memoriam/iris-cummings-critchell/

The HMC Alumni Association ratified its constitution in 1965, and the first AABOG meeting was held in 1966. Original officers: Robert Hall ’62 (president), David Goodsell ’61 (VP), Janet Cook ’60 (secretary), Dennis Diestler ’64 (treasurer).

Friends and alumni who participated in the Bates Program celebrate Iris Critchell.

CLASS NOTES

1962

Gregory Milman (physics) says, “Still moving and grooving!”

1966

The Wall Street Journal published an article on the career and accomplishments of aerospace engineer, anesthesiologist and educator Steven Barker (physics).

1969

Andrew Kaye (math) writes, “Having just passed the fourth anniversary of my retirement (my fifth attempt at retiring), I think maybe this time I am finally really retired. Getting myself kicked off LinkedIn has helped, as I no longer get out-ofthe-blue calls, seducing me with filthy lucre to go back to work! Since my wife’s Stage 4 cancer has somewhat curtailed our travel plans, I do have more time to spend on ‘lifelong learning’ with courses from The Teaching Company (I think Prof Art Benjamin will vouch for them, and their HQ just happens to be right here in my zip code!). I have just finished their course, Epic Engineering Failures (TGC_10130), which I think most Mudders would find both intriguing and elucidating. And their courses on The History of the United States and on The American Civil War provide a depth of understanding that most of us do not otherwise have. I knew a lot when I graduated from HMC, but there is just so much more to know!”

1970

The Decision Intelligence Handbook by L.Y. Pratt and Nadine Malcolm (math) was released on Audible in June 2023. The foreword is by John Elkington, and it’s narrated by the brilliant and award-winning Daniel Henning. Nadine says, “This is your hands-on ‘recipe’ book for making complex decisions simple again, plus it’s what’s next, after AI. It also includes AI, but connects it to outcomes and actions.”

1972

Bruce Ross (accounting and psychology/PZ) says, “Randy Ellen Ross (also a graduate of Pitzer) and I are finally retired. We ran our own business, and it took almost two years to wind it down. We are also the new grandparents of identical twin girls. Whole new areas of life are opening up.”

After 52 years of developing computer architecture, most prominently for AMD, Apple, Intel and Microsoft, John Sell (engineering) retired in February. He writes, “Now I have more time for several charitable endeavors, and activities like skiing, though I’m still involved with technology, like the Hot Chips computer conference. Hot Chips 2025 is Aug. 24–26 at Stanford.”

1975

After decades of financial and strategy consulting work post graduate degrees, Mark Chang (math) retired early at age 60 and returned to a passion of his younger years. He became a volunteer leader for Sierra Club National Outings. He takes members into the wilderness on backpacking and backcountry skiing adventures, “sharing the joy of exploration and the responsibilities of protecting what we love. Now over age 70, I look for easier and more mellow trips. Join me: outings.sierraclub.org.”

1979

Kurt Lieberman (engineering and eonomics/CMC) says HMC was a great choice for him. “I developed problemsolving skills that helped me across my career. These skills were applicable in the business world, despite the difference in subject matter.”

1980

After retiring from Hewlett Packard Enterprise in 2019, Robert Kossler (engineering) started working as an Episcopal priest. His focus is churches in transition, between pastors. He is at his fourth church, helping the congregation understand its past and reimagine its future.

1982

Douglas J. Arent (chemistry) is a non-resident fellow of The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs. Douglas is also the executive director of Strategic Public-Private Partnerships at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the principal research laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. He has worked in research on energy and sustainability for more than 30 years, publishing extensively on topics within clean energy, renewable energy, power systems, natural gas and the intersection of science and public policy.

Edmond Yue (engineering) still remembers his senior year: that useful Clinic session with ExxonMobil (then Standand Oil ) on PV cells and renewable energy. “Amidst all the silly sanction from the U.S. to China, I wish more technology exchange should be allowed for both benefits in China’s Great Bay Area, including Hong Kong.”

1985

Forty years after graduating from HMC—and joining the Peace Corps in Tanzania— Darwin Popenoe (chemistry) is repeating the second part. Both he and his wife, Flora, jointly trained in Ghana to become Peace Corps volunteers. Their sector is health education. “I plan to use my Mudd problem-solving skills and chemistry bits to collaborate with my community in the Water, Sanitization and Hygiene (WASH) program.”

Nicole Sampson (chemistry) was named the permanent provost and chief academic officer at University of Rochester in February. Nicole stepped into the role of interim provost on August 1, 2024, and since then has worked closely with faculty, students, staff and leadership to advance the university’s academic mission and related initiatives within the Boundless Possibility strategic plan, including reimagining the undergraduate and graduate education experience.

For the past 35 years, Mark Vande Pol (engineering) has led an ambitious native plant restoration project on a property once overwhelmed by invasive species like Acacia, Eucalyptus and Genista. Located along a historic branch of El Camino Real and previously terraced for apple orchards, the land had just 60 native species clinging to survival when he began. Today, the “Wildergarten” supports over 400 native plant species, along with 100 fungi and as many insects.

Mark’s work, detailed in a free 2,000-page online photo book at wildergarten.org, is recognized as one of the most extensive native plant restorations in the world—particularly for its focus on small native annuals. He has developed novel ecological methods, earned a patent for the first free-market environmental management business method and is exploring how native plants can support more sustainable living practices. His work critiques traditional environmental “preservation” and the legacy of population control ideologies that he argues have led to flawed policy and ecological decline.

Mark credits his interdisciplinary education at HMC—especially under professors Tad Beckman, Bill Purves, TJ Mueller and Bill Allen—for laying the foundation for his life’s work. He is writing a book on his findings and the societal shifts needed to support long-term environmental resilience.

1986

Bill Consoli (math) writes, “In February 2025, the Missouri Athletic Club celebrated the 25th anniversary of the St. Louis Rams Super Bowl XXXIV victory. Coach Dick Vermeil invited me and my wife to be a part of the celebration and to sit at his table. Had a great time catching up with players and staff, some that I hadn’t seen in a long time.”

1988

Julia Freer (engineering) recently rebranded her 11-year-old business as Material Value Consulting. Her mission is to ensure that companies prioritizing human and environmental health don’t just survive, they lead. “I believe in a business landscape where responsible manufacturing is recognized, rewarded, and sets the standard for what’s possible.”

The latest book in the Empowering Women in STEM Series from CRC Press includes a chapter where Julia tells her story, including discovering the field of materials science during her junior year at Mudd. “I quote the HMC mission statement and a sentence from my senior yearbook page.”

1989

Varsity Brands, a platform for team sport and spirit solutions, appointed Javier Idrovo (engineering) as chief financial officer. Javier brings extensive financial leadership experience, most recently serving as CFO at Blue Triton Brands, where he helped lead the near doubling of profitability in under four years through strategic revenue management and process optimization. Prior to Blue Triton, he was CFO at The Hain Celestial Group, leading global financial transformation initiatives.

He also held key leadership roles at The Hershey Company, supporting global expansion and served as president of Dole Packaged Foods, overseeing business growth and operational improvements.

Angelyn (Williams) Moore (physics) is celebrating her 38th anniversary at JPL, where she’s spent the bulk of that time in geodetic GPS. Along the way, she was awarded a NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement medal, an Association of Women Geoscientists Professional Excellence Award and a JPL Ranger Award. She and Kevin Moore ’87 are hoping to break ground on a house in San Luis Obispo County soon.

1991

After over 20 years of intense commitment, Matt Albee (physics) sold Eleven Winery to a group of three women employees. “It was time for me to pass the punchdown tool to a new generation of owners with the energy and passion to continue to build on our traditions of making great wine, making it fun and contributing to our community. With both of our kids launched to college, my wife of 25 years, Sarah, and I are relocating this fall to a houseboat in Victoria, British Columbia (where she is from). What’s next for me? A return to my first love, bicycle racing, and other adventures TBD.”

Scott Burke (physics) was named one of The Top 25 Healthcare AI Executives of 2025. In its announcement, The Healthcare Technology Report said that leaders like Scott are applying artificial intelligence to some of the most persistent challenges in healthcare—accelerating drug discovery, improving diagnostic accuracy and supporting overburdened clinical teams. Scott is the chief technology officer at Verily, where he leads the company’s software and hardware engineering, AI and data science, and UX teams in the development of innovative products and platforms that power precision health. Prior to Verily, Scott was co-founder and CTO of Helix, a leading population genomics company. Before Helix, he worked for nine years at Yahoo, most

recently as senior vice president of advertising and data platforms. He also previously led engineering teams at two mobile startups, Seven Networks and PacketHop, and was vice president of engineering for WebMD. Scott started his career as a computational physicist at Hewlett-Packard.

1994

Michelle Gordon (biology) retired from general surgery and took up obesity medicine, lifestyle medicine and longevity medicine. “I’m now able to travel a lot more and opened my telehealth practice in the new year.”

1998

Sarah Jacobson (engineering) continues to stay very busy with work at Williams College, where she is a professor of economics and chair of environmental studies.

2003

Raymond Fong (engineering) co-founded Deviate Labs, a growth marketing agency, over a decade ago, drawing on the skills developed at HMC. From that journey, Up Paint was born, a company that collects discarded paint and upcycles it into high-quality new paint. In 2022, Time honored Up Paint as one of its Best Inventions, marking a proud milestone in the company’s commitment to sustainability.

2006

In a May 2024 YouTube post, the JADES (JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey) team shared news of a release of “a trio of papers describing the confirmation, properties and implications of a new, ultra bright high-redshift galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0. At a redshift z = 14.32, this galaxy is seen only 290 million years after the Big Bang. In a YouTube video (youtube.com/watch?v=YXRJH4-bOSA), JADES scientist Kevin Hainline (physics), who initially discovered JADES-GS-z14-0

photometrically in 2023, describes how it was selected and subsequently confirmed and why its discovery is so thrilling for the future of high-redshift science.”

Marguerite Leeds (mathematical biology) and Eric got a lot of paperwork done! They formalized their 16-year relationship into marriage and completed the adoption of two wonderful children: Serenity and Christopher. Marguerite continues to work as a public health nurse in Anchorage, Alaska, mostly mitigating TB and other interesting diseases.

2007

Craig Weidert (CS/math) continues his work at Google as the tech lead for a team measuring ads’ effectiveness. He lives with his wife and two children in Los Angeles.

2008

In February 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Karen Morrison (chemistry) director at the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Karen has held multiple positions at the Department of Pesticide Regulation since 2018, including chief deputy director and science advisor since 2022, assistant director and chief science advisor from 2019 to 2022, and environmental program manager and science and policy advisor from 2018 to 2019. She was a senior environmental scientist and policy advisor at the California Department of Resources, Recycling, and Recovery from 2014 to 2018. Karen was a Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the California Council on Science and Technology from 2013 to 2014.

2009

Matthew Lawson (physics) moved to Stockholm for a postdoc with Frank

Wilczek, designing axion dark matter detectors, then finally left academia and does “consulting” now. “Except this exact minute [November 2024] I’m working as a marine biologist on a tall ship about to leave Fiji to sail to New Zealand. Life is weird, I never liked bio or chem at Mudd, and now I’ve worked professionally as both a biologist and a chemist.”

2010

Chiara (Giammanco) MacPherson (chemistry) achieved tenure as a professor of chemistry at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California.

Jeff Taylor (physics) was promoted to vice president of product management at AristaMD, a technology-enbabled clinical services organization that helps primary care providers manage and deliver specialty care. Jeff’s focus is accelerating business momentum surrounding AristaMD’s recent launch of SpecialtyCare360, a suite of services to improve care delivery, support, design and performance oversight that provides PCPs with greater visibility and control of patient access to specialty care. He has a decade of experience in healthcare and highly regulated industries, with expertise in developing user-centered solutions that empower providers and improve patient outcomes. Before joining AristaMD four years ago, Jeff led the development of patient navigation tools at Sharp HealthCare, where he managed the long-term vision, growth and daily usage of patient portals and spearheaded patient experience aspects of data interoperability and Cures Act compliance. His earlier experience includes co-founding Xiara, a cybersecurity startup, and serving as head of product management at Gurtin Municipal Bond Management, where he launched products that enabled the management of $14 billion in assets.

2014

Obosa Obazuaye (CS) notes this hobby milestone: “Completed an associate of arts in music (focus on violin performance) from MiraCosta College earlier this year. Started

Closer to Planet Nine?

Written by George Spencer

Eritas Yang ’24 has made a far-out discovery. After two colleagues spotted a new dwarf planet in our solar system, a key moment came when they asked Yang to contribute her physical intuition and numerical skills to their deep space investigation.

Yang majored in physics and was in the first year of her astrophysics PhD program at Princeton. Soon she noticed something strange about the dwarf’s orbit, a finding that could shake up scientists’ understanding of our planetary system.

The temporary name of the celestial body is 2017 OF201, and it joins the group of extreme trans-Neptunian objects (eTNOs) due to its extremely wide orbit. Astronomers created the category of dwarf planets in 2006 for objects larger than asteroids that are too small to sweep their orbits clear of other bodies. With its estimated 435-mile diameter 2017 OF201 is substantially larger than other eTNOs and might be qualified as a dwarf planet, the same category as Pluto.

“From our observations, we realized that the orbit of 2017 OF201 is an outlier to the observed clustering of other TNOs, which has been interpreted as indirect evidence for the existence of a hypothetical Planet Nine,” says Yang. “Once we realized that, we got excited, because that meant we could bring new insights to the Planet Nine problem.”

Astronomers have speculated that this yet-to-be found far away ninth planet exists because orbits of other TNOs are in similar orientations they seem to be influenced by the gravity of an unknown larger object. But 2017 OF201’s orbit deviates from their pattern. Whether or not this serves as a counterargument to the Planet Nine hypothesis depends on the stability of this object. Yang is currently analyzing the long-term stability of its orbit with and without the presence of Planet Nine through numerical simulations.

When asked if she believes another planet lurks in the outer darkness, Yang says, “I’m neutral on this. I’m simply excited to see that this discovery has led to more studies and discussions of Planet Nine.”

Like other eTNOs, 2017 OF201 is fantastically remote. At its greatest distance, its elliptical orbit careens 157 billion miles from the Sun. Much of the difficulty in finding eTNO’s is that they spend almost all their time so far away they can’t be detected. Yang’s team got lucky spotting it because it was close enough to the Sun (8.3 billion miles) at the time of the discovery. Interestingly, it made its nearest approach of 4.1 billion miles in 1930, which coincidentally is when Pluto was discovered. The last time 2017 OF201

sped so near Earth was 24,256 years ago when hunter-gatherers are believed to have first reached North America. The fact that Yang’s team observed this one object opens the possibility that hundreds of other eTNOs remain unfound in the outer solar system; they are just too far away to be detectable.

Yang credits her knowledge of planetary dynamics to Harvey Mudd Assistant Professor of Physics Dan Tamayo. They wrote a paper on an analytical model for the long-term orbital dynamics of planetary systems. Thanks to her insights, Yang won the American Physical Society’s 2024 LeRoy Apker Award, the most prestigious honor that group bestows on an undergraduate.

“Eritas is a tenacious problem solver and thinker who won’t let go of a problem until she figures it out, and she’s also soft spoken and humble,” says Tamayo. “She blew all my expectations out the window and did an incredible job. It’s mind blowing that in her first year of grad school she’s involved in detecting something like this.”

“Amazing” is how Yang describes her experience with Tamayo. “He gave me lots of confidence in my ability to do future research.”

She says her path toward astrophysics was “super-random” and began with an interest in quantum mechanics while she was a high school student in Shanghai. “I felt it would be a real pity if I lived my whole life without knowing how the world functions in a scientific way,” she recalls.

At HMC, she loved to hike Mount Baldy, especially at night. She liked to persuade people to join her at 2 a.m. so they could see the sun rise from the summit. On one occasion she witnessed a meteor shower from the peak.

“It’s fun to hike in the dark,” she says. “You can feel yourself breathing. You feel the existence of yourself.”

Princeton University scientists Sihao Cheng and Jiaxuan Li with PhD student Eritas Yang, center.

violin at Mudd with beginner lessons through Pomona College, very grateful to be able to keep up with it in the 10 years since graduating!”

2016

Robert Bennett (math) was awarded Patent #12141424-B1 for a “System and method for image creation and display.”

Sarah Paek (engineering) is a member of the 2025 Emerging Executives Committee of The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, which aims to fast-track the next generation of Asian and Pacific Islander assistant and coordinator-level employees. The initiative builds on the CAPE Leaders Fellowship, which has now completed its eighth year as a coveted industry-leading accelerator that equips rising senior creative executives with the skills and professional network to break into the VP ranks and beyond. Sarah is the film coordinator at James Wan’s Atomic Monster. She initially started her career as an aerospace engineer at Northrop Grumman. However, her passion for storytelling led her to post-production on iZombie, followed by development at Daniel Dae Kim’s 3AD. With a deep love for horror, Sarah now enjoys bringing chilling tales to life at Atomic Monster.

in the Seattle area after seven wonderful years together. Mudders in attendance were Professor Talithia Williams, Heather Young, Russell Salazar ’19, Hannah Smart, Sid Srinivasan, Vincent Fiorentini and Matt Wilber

2017

mar (marisol) beck (physics) writes, “In the last few years, i found myself drawn to working with wood and building furniture and decided to pursue it. This June, i graduated the nine-month furniture intensive

program at the port townsend school of woodworking, where i finally found my calling. I’m still working on establishing a shop space back in Portland, but my goal is to transition to a full-time woodworker building custom furniture and sculptural pieces. My work can be seen on my site: marbeckwood.work.”

Sam K. Miller (engineering) finished his PhD in mathematics at UC Santa Cruz after being awarded a dissertation year fellowship and, in fall 2025, began a postdoctoral research position at the University of Georgia in Athens. His research areas include representation theory, the study of "representations," vector spaces with additional symmetry and, more recently, tensor-triangular geometry, a metamathematical field involving understanding certain mathematical theories (tt-categories) by turning them into geometric objects. He writes: “I’m super excited to join the mathematics department at UGA, as it is one of the major departments in the U.S. for my fields, and also super terrified of living somewhere that is not California for the first time since the pre-Mudd era. I’ve also loved teaching in graduate school. UCSC has let me be an instructor of record a number of times, and my pedagogy has come a long way since my days of grutoring (hopefully). I also joined an indie rock band (made entirely of UCSC math graduates) and a jazz combo, the first time I’ve really played music regularly since Mudd! Otherwise, I’m keeping myself mostly lucid by climbing, backpacking, snowboarding, playing chess at breweries, watching weird movies and obsessively digging for music and DJing, though thankfully I’m long past the days of playing the stuff I’d play at Mudd parties.”

2019

Check out USC’s Viterbi Voices podcast (youtube.com/watch?v=_ Il3GeXMLnQ), featuring Nathan Justin (CS/math), an NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the USC Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society. He discusses his journey from HMC to working in industry to his

computer science PhD program at USC and offers insights to undergrads beginning their careers in CS and other STEM-related fields.

2022

Skylar Gering (CS/math) is one of 30 selected for the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship program. She is a PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program, where she is studying offshore wind farm performance under the supervision of Professor Michael Howland. The 2025–2026 incoming fellows are learning to apply high-performance computing (HPC) to research in disciplines, including machine learning, quantum computing, chemistry, astrophysics, computational biology, energy, engineering and applied mathematics. Fellows receive support that includes a stipend, tuition, and fees, and an annual academic allowance. Renewable for up to four years, the fellowship is guided by a comprehensive program of study that requires focused coursework in science and engineering, computer science, applied mathematics and HPC. It also includes a three-month practicum at one of 22 DOE-approved sites across the country, and an annual meeting where fellows present their research in poster and talk formats.

2024

Brandon Bonifacio (IPS, math/physics) works at Samsara, a company known for its positive impact on the world (featured on Fortune’s Change the World List) and for its great workplace environment (featured on Glassdoor’s top companies to work for 2024 & best-led companies).

2025

Jason Bowman (engineering) is commissioning into the U.S. Army Reserve Adjutant General Corps. His follow-on assignment is with the 11th MP Brigade in Los Alamitos, California. Jason, participated in CMC’s Army ROTC program.

Aleina Wachtel (math) married Joshua Weaver

In Memoriam

Lauren MacKenzie Allen ’09 (engineering) passed away on March 5. After HMC, she attended the School of Massage Therapy in Texas, focusing on integrative medicine for children and adults. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Lauren was renowned for her generosity and selflessness, consistently prioritizing the needs of others above her own. She had a passion for crafting unique jewelry, writing poetry, traveling to exotic locations, mentoring and tutoring young people, and spending time outdoors. Her adventurous spirit was equaled only by her unwavering dedication to her family. Read full obituary at legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/lauren-allenobituary?id=57862354

Michael W. Blasgen Jr. ’63 (engineering), a distinguished researcher, engineer, investor, philanthropist and devoted trustee, passed away Feb. 21. His exceptional career in computing and his deep commitment to education and the arts left a lasting impact.

Michael earned a B.S. in engineering from Harvey Mudd, an M.S. from Caltech and a PhD from UC Berkeley, where he later taught before joining IBM. At IBM Research, he made foundational contributions to computer graphics, relational databases and RISC architecture. He helped develop System R, precursor to DB2, and led the team behind the first 1GHz microprocessor.

He later served as vice president for research at Sony’s U.S. lab and was named a Fellow of both the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for his groundbreaking work. With his late wife, Sharon Blasgen SCR ’63, he supported scholarships and arts programs at Harvey Mudd, Scripps College and beyond. They donated over 500 artworks to major museums and established multiple scholarships.

An HMC trustee from 2005 to 2023, Michael played a key role in supporting students and faculty. Of his time at Mudd, he said, “The time I spent at Mudd has served me well.” Find Michael’s full obituary and add a remembrance at hmc.edu/in-memoriam/ michael-blasgen-63

Wendell Goring ’70 (physics) passed away March 9 in Phoenix. After a stint in the U.S. Army at Fort Huachuca, Wendell earned a master’s degree in optical sciences in 1980 at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He made a career of providing technical and computer support on University of Arizona projects ranging from the Multiple Mirror Telescope on Mount Hopkins to medical research in Russia, and finally for many years with the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation where he referred to himself as the office’s “computer dentist.” Read full obituary at azcentral.com/obituaries/pazs1157118

Frederick James Hollinger passed away on Feb. 22. He attended Harvey Mudd before transferring to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he indulged his love of history. Upon graduating, he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force, serving 27 years with distinction and retiring as a colonel. Upon retirement from the Air Force, Fred put his computationally prolific mind to work in banking and financial services, where he adroitly managed the integration of disparate large databases. He worked full-time into his later years. An avid explorer, Fred lived overseas for 11 years, visited 47 states and traveled to one-sixth of the world’s countries. He is survived by his wife, Gay, children, grandchildren and countless friends. Read the full obituary at legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/frederickhollinger-obituary?id=57746983

Tim Quilici ’74 (physics) passed away on Oct.27, 2024. He leaves his wife Lois—married 50 years—son, Bryan (wife Sarah, son Andrew), and son, Jason (wife Megan, sons Jake and Luke). Tim founded a software company, QuickScores.com, dedicated to full-service sports league scheduling, registration and more about 20 years ago. Tim stepped back to become chief innovation officer a couple years ago, and son, Bryan, moved up to president. Quickscores continues to thrive thanks to Tim’s early innovations, years of solo software development and willingness to strike out on his own after a career in high-tech. (Information shared by Tim’s older brother Steve Quilici ’67)

Lauren Winkler ’14 (biology), age 33, died from injuries sustained from being intentionally struck by a driver on April 30 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She began playing the violin at age 8 and continued playing throughout her life. After HMC, she earned a PhD in molecular biology from Yale University. In 2022, Lauren began her career as a technical specialist with McNeill PLLC, a law firm specializing in patent prosecution and counseling for biotechnology and chemistry. She learned patent law, passed the patent bar exam and became a registered patent agent. Lauren made valuable contributions to the firm and its clients by drafting patent applications, negotiating the scope of patent rights with the USPTO and providing advice and insight on the scope of issued patents—her dream job. Lauren was a masterful writer and addressed very complex scientific issues with ease. As a final act of love and kindness, Lauren donated organs to three individuals.

In Lauren’s memory, her family has partnered with the Como Zoo, where Lauren loved volunteering, and with her alma mater, Harvey Mudd College, to establish an endowed scholarship (hmc.edu/giving, “Give Now” button. Select “Other” and type “Lauren Winkler ’14 Endowment.”) Full obituary available at legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/lauren-winklerobituary?id=58378983

Recipients of 2025 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

The GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions.

Recipients

Alum (major)

Helen Chaffee ’23 (physics)

Nicolas Espinosa Dice ’22 (CS/math)

Laney Goldman ’25 (CS/math)

Research Area

Materials Research – computationally intensive research

Comp/IS/Eng – robotics

Algorithms and theoretical foundations

Michelle L. Johnson ’23 (math/computational biology) Life Sciences – genomics

Andy Liu ’23 (CS/math)

Nathaniel Rhyn Luis ’23 (chemistry)

Anna Rogers ’25 (chemistry)

Rohan Subramanian ’25 (CS)

Shifa Somji ’23 (CS)

Lucien Tsai ’24 (physics)

Elena Williams ’25 (CS/physics)

Honorable Mentions

(major)

Britney Baez ’25 (chemistry)

Ezra Kawika Bacon-Gershman ’23 (chemistry)

Skylar Gering ’22 (CS/math)

Erina Iwasa ’23 (engineering)

Mavis Stone ’23 (physics)

Comp/IS/Eng – natural language processing

Chemistry – chemical catalysis

Chemistry – macromolecular, supramolecular

Machine learning, biology

Comp/IS/Eng – human computer interaction

Engineering – materials science and engineering (including polymers, ceramics)

Physics and Astronomy – condensed matter physics

Graduate School/Industry

Colorado School of Mines

Cornell University

Georgia Tech

Caltech

Carnegie-Mellon University

Octant

Northwestern University

NYU Courant Institute

Purdue University

Princeton University

Caltech

Area

Chemistry – macromolecular (including polymer chemistry), supramolecular

Chemistry – macromolecular (including polymer chemistry), supramolecular

Engineering – environmental and/or ecological engineering

Engineering – electrical and electronic engineering

Geosciences – geomorphology

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

University of Washington

MIT

UC Berkeley

Stanford University

Alum

REUNION CLASS PHOTOS

Weekend 2025

1965 Randy Hanvelt, Eric Thorsos, Dee West, Jay Powers, Arunas Rudvalis, Robert Luke.

1975 Front: Mike Anderson, Brad Bobbs, Carl Carrera, Jim Eliason, Jim Erickson, Jim Goecks, John Good, Ben Hancock, Reggie Jue, Andy Lees, Clare Livak. Back: Tony Lucero, Greg Lyzenga, Hugh McLaughlin, Jon Mersel, Cory Morse, Greg Nelson, Jim Potter, Dan Rawsthorne, Fred Seitel, Linda St Cyr, Doug Hudson.

1980 Front: Liz Basler, Mike Lopez, Craig White, Polly Heninger, Frances Ferris, Victoria Cagle, Dan Strich, Skip Mansur, Jay Himmelman, Jim Wall. Row 2: Mark Anderson, Doug Hathaway, Jules Muszynski, Bob McBride, Lisa Hebert, Bryan Rowe, Darren Chinn, Earl Shults, Ken Dreshfield, David Sonner. Row 3: Russ Paulus, Jeff Cade, Ron Lloyd, Leonard Daly, Phillip Novak, A.J. Shaka, Bob Kossler, Jim Seastrom, Alec Kercheval.

1970 Eric Adams, Steven Bellenot, Ed Fey, Doug Hulbert, Fred Kleinschmidt, Steve Powers, Cary Reich.

1985 Wendell Wenjen, Kenrick Koo, Lyndon Oku, Greg Felton, Todd Honda, Yesh Subramanian, Rahul Deshpande, Christine Chee-Ruiter, Mark Farris, Laveille Voss, Dee Anguiano, Mo Clifton. Back: James McBride, Daren Reid, Albert Kuo, John MacDonald, Mark Vande Pol, Karl Ruiter, Clay Ross, Stan Voynick, Allen Wang.

1995 Front: Ocie Mitchell, Nate Cook, Kelly Yang, Tom Heaps-Nelson, Tim Lin. Row 2: Tim Preusch, Karen Martien, Lia Kenyon, Liz Orwin, Stephan Zuercher, Paul Orwin, Phillip Lockwood, Dan Meacham, Kien Phung, Chun Chen, Jose Mota. Row 3: Stefan Martula, Ollie Chaine, Gregg Snodgrass, Gary Okerson, Alan Harder, Matt Meyers, Doug Cowell, Matt Chang, Colin Edwards, Jason Regier.

1990 Front: Dan Burnett, Jenny Ellsworth, Jim Seidman, Brian Evans, Ashley Stroupe, Lisa Tamura, Julia Tamm, Marty Berliner. Back: John Lulejian, Bryan Marten, Don Hosek, Dan Borton, Dave Morrone, Douglas Dunston.

REUNION CLASS PHOTOS

Alumni Weekend 2025

2010 Front: Mas Honda, Jessica Wen, Corinne Cho, Camille Sultana, Hufsa Ahmad, Emma Liu, Steven Berler, Josh Swanson, David Melchior, Kaylin Spitz, Mike Lee. Row 2: Jon Hubbard, Raffi Attarian, Scott Butters, Marc Badger, Arthur Eigenbrot, Jaakko Karras, Martijn van Schaardenburg, Florian Scheuler, Bob Chen, Aaron Guillen, Jackie Lam, Michelle Halloran, Dan Halloran. Row 3: Chris Koo, Chris DeBoever, Julian Freed-Brown, Will Scott, Matt Wodrich, Joshua Ray, Alex Young, Richard Bowen, Dorian Scrima, Max Willis, Christopher Strieter, Clark Zhang, Lou Zellinger.

2000 Front: Belinda Shreckengost, Jenni Peterson, Carolyn Dharm, Erin Sun, Andy Cosand, Gregory Rae, Joey Kimdon, Mark Wang, Walt Nissen. Back: Pete Scheidler, Chris Sherwin, James Benham, Mike Cope, Brandon Duncan, Jimmy Tuck-Lee, Josh Wentlandt, Fred Schaefer.

2005 Front: Edward Kim, Emily Ross, Viji Surampudi, Tommy Leung, Sarah Bundick, Gwen Spencer, Ryan Yamada, Kevin Alley, Malia Alley, Elliott Temkin, Katherine Perdue. Row 2: Eric Flynn, Eric Hall, Margot Molander, Shelley McCormack, Mjumbe Poe, Juliana Wortman, Brian Merdian, Jacob Pinheiro, Kamil Wnuk, Cal Pierog. Row 3: Daniel Roche, Carl Yerger, Chad Foerster, Elijah Bogart, Jospeh Wellhouse, Christopher Jazwa.

REUNION PHOTOS

2015 Front: Yukun Lin, Naja Bulous, Mimee Xu, Christopher Eriksen, Katherine Yang, Eli Gadd, Marie (Kirkegaard) Gadd, Nicole Kowtko, Kaitlyn Dwelle, Rachel Roley, Chris Sugino, Celeste Melamed, Rojesh Koirala, Misha Vysotskiy. Row 2: Eun Bin Go, Huong Nguyen, Kaew Tinyanont, Vivian Steyert, Kathleen Schaefer, Priya Donti, Honey Rosenbloom, Vanessa Ronan, Mary May, Coline Devin, Michelle Wei, Aaron Rosenthal, Victor Bhattacharyya, Michael Baeder. Row 3: Daisy Hernandez, Ji Su Lee, Lucy Lu, Viona Lam, Stephanie Kong, Jackie Ong, Mengyi Tao, Emma Davis, Allison Mis, Alejandro Alderman, Justin Bai, Will Clausen, Ryan Seldon, Leif Park Jordan, In Sung Song, Emma Zang-Schwartz, Aarthi Sridhar. Row 4: Alberto Ruiz, Martin Loncaric, Matt Lam, Brett Berger, Kevin McSwiggen, Jonathan Ashley, Alexander Swafford, Paul Jerger, Peter Orme, Stephen Ibanez, Rachel Sherman, Michelle Chesley, Sophia Williams. Row 5: Mitch Horning, Ari Hartman-Cohen, George Aspesi, Devon Stork, Nick Carter, Philip Woods, Eric Storm, Cody Crosby, Ivan Wong.

2020 Front: Owen Gillespie, Toty Calvo Polanco, Kira Favakeh, Danielle Michaud-Dubno, Marcelo Almora Rios, Maya Martinez, Xingyao Chen, Ivy Liu, Tiffany Madruga, Celeste Cerna, Mariah Ewing. Row 2: Julia Wang, Squid Wallace, Adrian Garcia, Richard Zhang, Emily Zhao, Makoto Nara, Mao Lee, Julia Read, Jane Watts, Michael Hamlett, Celena Chen. Row 3: Holly Frank, Douglas Raigosa, Nick Koskelo, Djassi Julien, Ben Baral, Spencer Rosen, Josh Morgan, Peter Johnson, Vicki Moran, Madeleine Kerr, Sidd Chandra.

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Congratulations, Class of 2025! Graduates are moving on to employment (60.9%), graduate school (20.8%), a gap year (6.3%) or other pursuits (internship, volunteer work, fellowship).

Thirteen percent of seniors identify as being first-generation: neither parent or guardian completed a four-year degree.