Alumni

Electrical engineering students (from left) Junyang Yao, Junkun Guan, Yaxin Deng, Yongxi Li and Eric Tram present the current version of the Bubtech wound-healing device at UCI Samueli School of Engineering’s 2019 Winter Design Review.

Anna Lynn Spitzer

Engineering. John Duffy, Ph.D. electrical engineering and computer science, and Joanna bequeathed $600,000 to establish the Samueli School John and Joanna Duffy Graduate Student Fellowship.

Duffy, who passed away in 2006 and his wife, who died on Easter last year, were lifelong learners who always valued education, according to their daughter Linda Duffy. The couple, who married in 1962 and had three children, were longtime supporters of the Engineering Annual Fund and the Chancellor’s Club for Engineering, and they wanted to ensure that their philanthropic efforts would continue.

Duffy earned his doctorate while working at Rockwell International’s Autonetics Divison, where he spent his entire 30-year-plus career. He led a team of software engineers in a variety of aerospace projects, including some related to the space shuttle program, his son, John Duffy, recalls. “Each year Autonetics would have a family day where we got to see firsthand some of the projects he was working on. He and his team were at the forefront of computer engineering.”

“My dad was very pleased to get his Ph.D. From UCI. What we believe they wanted, and what we want, is to provide opportunities for others, especially older adults who are going back to school later in life,” Linda Duffy says. “It’s much harder when you already have a family to support, a job, and other responsibilities. We hope to make it easier on people like that to afford an education.”

Samueli School Interim Dean Michael Green said the fellowship will have an ongoing impact on engineering graduate students, especially now. “Graduate fellowships are more powerful than ever during the challenges brought on by COVID-19,” Green says in a letter to the Duffy children. “With many students facing a decrease in resources and income, this support can be life-changing, not only for the individual who will receive the funding but also by the large community who may benefit from the research performed by our grad students.

“We are honored to receive this gift and are appreciative of the ways it will promote discovery and learning, and contribute to the success of our students for years to come.”

The first of those students is Kelly Richardson, a doctoral student in chemical and biomolecular engineering, who recently was selected to receive the inaugural Duffy fellowship. A disabled veteran who served four years in the Air Force, Richardson began community college after his discharge. He ultimately transferred to UCI, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. Richardson now works with his adviser, Ali Mohraz, and mentor Han Li to research the use of biological cells as catalysts for producing chemicals from renewable resources.

“When I graduated from high school, the opportunity for higher education was not an option; joining the military was a way for me to achieve the means to pursue a life beyond the socioeconomic limitations that I faced as a young adult,” says Richardson, who added that his return to civilian life was challenging, and that his education has helped him cope. “Higher education has provided me with a means to set positive goals for myself and channel my focus on achieving something meaningful and productive.”

He expressed enormous gratitude to the Duffy family for their support. “My pursuit of a graduate degree has been challenged by financial limitations,” he says. “John and Joanna Duffy have made the opportunity for me to continue my research and further my academic career a reality. I am eternally grateful to them, and I aim to make them proud of their investment in me.”

Richardson was nominated for the fellowship, which includes one year of student fees and tuition as well as an $18,000 stipend, by professor Han Li, to whom he also expressed appreciation. “Her continued support and mentorship have been a guiding light for me, and she is an inspiration for my pursuit of research.”

“Our parents would be thrilled with the choice of Richardson for the inaugural award,” says the Duffy’s daughter Diane. “Not only did both support active service members and veterans, but helping someone return to school later in life is exactly what they envisioned with the Samueli School John and Joanna Duffy Graduate Student Fellowship. We all three wish Richardson all the best with his pursuit of his graduate degree.”

Lori Brandt

A teacher and director of the Tustin High School T-Tech Academy of Technology & Engineering, Hernandez is a first-generation college graduate who is now using his experiences to help a new generation of college hopefuls achieve their goals. After graduating with his bachelor’s degree from UCI, Hernandez worked in the semiconductor industry for 13 years before becoming an educator.

“I still loved technology but I no longer felt passionate about my work,” he explains. “I began pursuing my master’s in education at night and quit my job to do my student teaching. It was definitely a leap of faith, but it has proven to be the right move – I look forward to going to

work every day; not everyone can say that.”

Soon after becoming a math teacher at Tustin High School, Hernandez was asked to lead the development of a new engineering academy model, meant to introduce students to multiple engineering and computer science disciplines. Four years later, he switched completely to engineering and became lead instructor of the academy. Over the subsequent 12 years, hundreds of his students have benefited from a handson, immersive technology education previously unavailable at most public schools. His methods include introducing relevant technology skills like 3D modeling, material science, electronics, fabrication methods, coding and more. Many of his students also take part in engineering summer internships to gain an authentic tech industry experience at places like Boeing, UPS, EON Reality, Edwards Life Sciences, Medtronic and others. Hernandez has also been instrumental in the development and implementation of interscholastic engineering competitions throughout Orange County like the OC Maker Challenge, UCI’s Energy Invitational vehicle competition, and STEM on the Sidelines in cooperation with UCI and the LA Chargers football team.

According to Grant Litfin, assistant superintendent of the Tustin Unified School District, “Ed not only has used his electrical engineering and computer science degree from UCI to contribute professionally to the field, but he has also taken direct action to impact engineering and the world in the strongest way possible. He teaches and motivates students to be engineers on a grand scale. He has undoubtedly made a ripple-effect that has changed hundreds of lives for the better.”

In the 16 years since becoming an educator, Hernandez has been recognized with numerous awards, including Tustin High School’s Teacher of the Year, Orange County’s Engineering Teacher of the Year, OC Parenting Magazine’s High School Teacher of the Year and California’s Career Technical Education Teacher of the Year. The T-Tech Academy has been named Orange County’s Best High School Engineering Program by the Orange County Engineering Council and was also selected as a winner of the Golden Bell Award by the California School Board Association.

“I am a proud UCI alum and this recognition means so much to me,” says Hernandez. “UCI was a huge challenge to get into and an even bigger challenge to get out of with my degree. This really means the world to me.”

Hernandez arrived in the United States at the age of 12 and was the first in his family to graduate from high school and college. He credits his time at UCI as the most formative experience of his life and constantly shares advice and stories from his time in college with his students. Today, his immigrant success story, industry experience and passion for learning make him uniquely qualified as a teacher and role model for the next generation of engineers and scientists.

“I am super proud of my role in inspiring students, but sometimes it is the unexpected successes that stand out,” he says. “A few years ago, I got an email from a former student thanking me for inspiring him to pursue a career in aerospace. He is now working for NASA. Wow.”

Hernandez has guided many students to pursue engineering at all Cal State and UC campuses, including UCI, and many of the country’s top private universities. Today, you’ll find graduates from his program working for companies like Boeing, NASA, Google, UPS, JPL and SpaceX.

As a Hall of Famer, Hernandez is now part of the group of exceptional UCI engineering graduates who have been recognized for making a significant impact in their profession or for bringing distinction to engineering and their alma mater. Fifty-five people have now been named to the engineering alumni Hall of Fame since it was established in 2015 to coincide with UC Irvine’s 50th anniversary.

“I was proud to induct these engineers into the school’s alumni Hall of Fame,” says Green. “Each is deserving of this honor as they all are contributing to making the world better in some way.”