Harvey Mudd College Magazine, spring 2010 by Harvey Mudd College

Spring 2010

INSIDE

Insights from Alumni Experts

2 New HMC Homework Hotline

6 Earthquakes: Perception vs. Reality

SPRING 2010

16 The Experts’ Guide

Harvey Mudd College

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Demonstrating Excellence

A community that exceeds together, succeeds together

hat a wealth of talent we have associated with Harvey Mudd College! Throughout this issue, the expertise of our alumni, faculty, staff and students is highlighted, and, as you’ll see, the result of their efforts is excellence. Excellence happened to be the theme during HMC Board of Trustee meetings in January. Faculty and staff gave presentations on what we view as “excellence” with respect to admissions, students, faculty and alumni. I invite you to view the wonderful presentation given by Vice President and Dean of Faculty Bob Cave at hmc.edu/amazing-mudd. It aptly captures our strategic vision goal of unsurpassed excellence and diversity at all levels. The spring semester has been a flurry of activity and accomplishments. While working on an array of research projects and class work, students are also busy with annual competitions. A team of three students won the regional competition then went on to earn an honorable mention at the 34th Annual World Finals of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest, the world’s most prestigious computer programming competition (see page 12). Students who enjoy mathematical problem-solving and represent a cross-section of majors once again did exceptionally well in this year’s Putnam competition, with one team placing 12th in the team category out of 546 colleges and universities and one student placing 12th nationally. We are proud of the faculty coaches for these teams as well: Zachary Dodds for ACM and Andrew Bernoff, Nick Pippenger and Francis Su for Putnam. I am also thrilled with several recent announcements about prestigious external fellowships won by our students. Named a Thomas J. Watson Fellow is Rob Best ’10, an engineering major. He will spend a year studying the social, economic, cultural and political factors which contribute to sustainability efforts in China, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya and the United Kingdom. Receiving Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships this year are juniors Matthew Keeter and Alicia Schep (see page 11). These are exceedingly competitive scholarships and it is an impressive accomplishment for HMC to have two awardees in a single year.

As part of the implementation of our strategic vision, one of our priorities this year has been to provide students with more opportunities to have a positive impact on society. I am especially proud to report on the progress of our new Homework Hotline, a tutoring program created by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Forty HMC students are involved, with eight students handling questions about math homework each evening five nights a week. The schools in Pomona and Claremont school districts are very excited about this initiative and the call volume has been steadily increasing. In addition to the Hotline, this spring HMC student organizations have held several community engagement activities that have exhibited our expertise in science and math to local grade-school children, parents and teachers (see page 13). We are committed to encouraging interest in the STEM fields and inspiring future scientists. Last, but certainly not least, planning for the new teaching and learning building continues on schedule (see page 3), with the design development phase completed and construction drawings underway. The demolition of the Thomas-Garrett building may occur this summer, moving us one step closer toward the muchanticipated realization of a modern facility that will unite the campus community, showcase the creativity on campus, enable modern teaching techniques, and so much more! Importantly, the construction of the new building will mark the beginning of HMC’s journey toward the fulfillment of a larger, planned comprehensive campaign to strengthen the college for the 21st century. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do to make Harvey Mudd College such an extraordinary institution.

Maria Klawe President, Harvey Mudd College

Spring 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS Alumni Experts

FEATURE

Gr eg Ly zen g

16 The Experts’ Guide HMC Alumni have expertise in just about everything. We’ve gathered a diverse group, who offer advice about topics for which they have unique insight.

 How to select the best method of education for your child  How to find a job in a recession  How to find inner peace  How to run a successful family business  How to prevent repetitive strain injury (RSI)  How to save an endangered animal species

 How to expose those embedded ideas  How to produce and record your own music  How to create a successful construction project  How Not to communicate science to the masses

a ’7

lity ea s. R v n 5 on o Earthquakes: Percepti

 How to develop emerging artists  How to make an impact on your alma mater  How to segment the dynamic Chinese healthcare market  How to be the center of attention

page 2

DEPARTMENTS

page 9

2 Campus Current HMC Homework Hotline, Trustee Update, Teaching and learning building news, Annenberg Speakers, Spring conferences, Faculty Innovator Greg Lyzenga, Michael Moody Lecture Campus News Faculty News Staff News

•

• •

24 Alumni Mudderings News and events 27 Class Notes Alumni Profiles: YouTube video creator, Jeffrey Wong ’01 • 29 Chilean earthquake witness, Elaine Shaver ’09 • 31

•

page 21

2 6

Stu dent News

page 31

The Harvey Mudd College Bulletin staff welcomes your input: communications@hmc.edu or HMC Bulletin, Harvey Mudd College, 301 Platt Blvd., Claremont, CA 91711. Find us online at www.hmc.edu/hmcmagazine

CAMPUS CURRENT

College News

hMC Answers Calls for homework help

long tradition of service to surrounding communities continues with Harvey Mudd College’s new Homework Hotline. Generous funding from donors James and Marilyn Simons and a successful collaboration with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology enabled the successful start of the program, which began Feb. 1 with HMC undergraduates standing by to provide free math tutoring for local students in grades 6-12. The program’s mission is to help students reinforce math concepts, develop problem-solving skills and become independent learners. The Homework Hotline employed 39 HMC students and had about eight tutors available “Tutor was great!” each evening. Claremont and Pomona Unified School District students call the – 10th grader from Chino High School in Chino Homework Hotline toll-free at 1-877-8 ASK-HMC, Sunday through Thursday, from 7 to 10 p.m. and speak to HMC’s high-achieving math and science undergraduates, who are trained in overthe-phone tutoring. Tutors have access to district-adopted mathematics textbooks, as well as supplemental math resources. During the opening month, February 2010, the Hotline had 107 successful tutoring sessions with 73 students from grades 7-12 and 19 students in grades 4-6. The top three subjects were Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2. During the second KEVIN MAPP month of operation, tutors handled 318 Mentor tutors Andy Kearney ’13 and Elly calls—97 students in Schoﬁeld ’13 answer Homework Hotline grades 7-12 and 83 calls. students in grades 5-6. The top three subjects were Math 6, Algebra 1 and Geometry. The HMC Homework Hotline is based on the successful Homework Hotline model at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, an Indiana college that also specializes in engineering, science and mathematics education. RoseHulman’s Homework Hotline, started in 1991, reinforces math and science concepts and helps students develop better

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

“I like it when they help me with my homework.”

problem-solving skills through – 5th grader from Arroyo Elementary tutoring via a toll-free phone call, in Pomona e-mail and online resources. Its staff and students see HMC’s new program as an open partnership and are supporting the development by agreeing to share training materials, promotional strategies and other resources. A $125,000 grant from donors James and Marilyn Simons, ardent supporters of advancing research in basic science and mathematics, provided the necessary funding to launch the Homework Hotline. HMC President and Math for America Los Angeles board member Maria Klawe visited Rose-Hulman, located in Terre Haute, Ind., in 2008 and met with the institution’s Homework Hotline director. Darryl Yong, associate professor of mathematics, also visited RoseHulman Homework Hotline staff, to study the program and determine how it could be implemented at HMC. Yong is codirector of the HMC Professional Development and Outreach Group, which supports middle- and high-school mathematics teachers in the Los Angeles area. Homework Hotline administrator, Gabriela GamizGomez, a Pomona native and former administrator of Upward Bound, a program for first-generation, college-bound high school students, draws from a wealth of experience in the local community. The Hotline concluded May 7 and will reopen in the fall. For more information, call 909.607.4015 or go to the Homework Hotline website www.askhmc.org.

Happy and we know it Harvey Mudd College is one of the Happiest Colleges in America according to the Daily Beast blog. In a March survey, HMC ranked 5th out of 100 U.S. colleges, joining No. 1 Claremont McKenna and No. 3 Pomona College to round out the top five. See www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-04-11/the-100-happiestcolleges/#

BOORA ARCHITECTS

College News

Design Approved for Teaching and Learning Building

Taylor

The HMC Board of Trustees approved the design of the innovative teaching and learning building which will provide students with state-of-the-art laboratory and classroom facilities that will create a cross-disciplinary, exciting learning environment. The building will be financed entirely through private fundraising, not tuition. HMC is currently seeking support through major gifts to enable the building to open for the 2012 entering class. KEVIN MAPP

Jonsson

In Memoriam

Taylor and Jonsson, Steadfast Dedication Harvey Mudd College Trustee Trude C. Taylor, whose service to the college spanned five decades, died Feb. 22 at the age of 86. He was co-chair with trustee Walter Foley ‘69 of the 1989-94 Campaign for Harvey Mudd College, HMC’s last comprehensive fund-raising campaign, which raised $75.5 million. Taylor was the eighth person to receive an honorary degree, was made an honorary alumnus of HMC in 1994 and received the Alumni Lifetime Recognition Award in 2006. Taylor served as chairman of Electronic Memories and Magnetics Corporation and was director of several privately held high-technology companies in California. Trustee Ken Jonsson, who served the college for 37 years, died Mar. 15, at the age of 79. Following the success of the Jonsson Communications Corporation, a media company he founded in 1955, he established the Kenneth Jonsson Family Foundation to support medical research and higher education. He joined the HMC Board of Trustees in 1973, and last year was named an emeritus member and received an Alumni Association Lifetime Recognition Award. He and his wife, Diana, contributed significantly to the college’s endowment and scholarship programs; they established the Kenneth and Diana Jonsson Professorship of Mathematics endowment and created the Jonsson Endowed Fund for Mathematics Department Travel.

Over 100 enthusiastic participants assembled for the Family Weekend Egg Drop Competition– Parents vs. Students.

Family Weekend Academic tours, hands-on activities, information, advice and discussions for 400 parents and family members made this year’s Family Weekend in February a rousing success. Read all about it at www.hmc.edu/specialinterestfeatures/ oncampus/fmlywkndwrapup.html.

Aaron Atzil ’13 and Shimon Atzil P13 enjoy a moment between activities. SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

CAMPUS CURRENT

College News

hot Topics Top business executives arrived on campus this spring to address audiences eager to hear their insight on a range of timely topics. Videos and synopses of all talks during the Annenberg Leadership and Management Speaker Series, including those by Jennifer Tour Chayes and Jim Simons, are available online at www.hmc.edu/about/administrativeoffices/collegeadvancement1/annenbseries.html. Ernest Cockrell, chairman, Cockrell Interests Inc. and president and director of The Cockrell Foundation, director and chairman, Reasoning Mind

“In the simplest terms, leadership starts not so much with what skill sets leaders have but with their freedoms. It is our freedoms that give rise to the hope and point to actions that have the potential of success, regardless of the risk involved.”

Cockrell

Nabeel Gareeb ’86/87, former chief executive officer, MEMC Electronic Materials Inc.

“I’ve never found any place where you can work only smart and not [also] work hard. If you simplify the process enough, you will reduce the opportunity for error to where you get the lowest cost process with the highest quality.”

Gareeb

Dina Dublon, former chief financial officer, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

“The CEO we have tended to admire in the past two or three decades has been the one who could get the biggest return in the shortest possible time. That kind of hard-edged leader— delivering return on capital at no matter what emotional or social cost—is, in my opinion, yesterday’s leader.” Dublon

Alok Aggarwal, co-founder and chairman, Evalueserve

KEVIN MAPP

“We need to make sure that our students, we ourselves, question why is it this and not that. As the generation which is going to be old and passed soon, we need to make sure that the next generation knows to ask, and learns to ask why and how.”

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

Aggarwal

SPRING CONFERENCES ON CAMPUS

College News

Science + Film = Science nonfiction Ears may perk, eyes might focus and minds will rivet when almost any subject is skillfully and interestingly portrayed on film. Especially scientific subjects. Perhaps that’s why we squirm in our seats yet fail to look away when science fiction becomes creepy or even frightening. That notion came to life Feb. 19 with the presentation of Out of the Laboratory, a series of short films merging science with film, curated by Rachel Mayeri, associate professor of media studies, and Alexis Gambis of NYU/Imagine Science Films. The event was part of “Science a Moving Image,” the three-day Hixon-Riggs Public Forum on Science, Technology and Society. Consider the planet—or former planet—Pluto. Few of us ever really do. The short film “Naming Pluto” changed that by reintroducing Venetia Phair, the woman who at age 11 named Pluto almost as an afterthought in 1930. The production captured the imagination of the people in attendance, as Pluto suddenly became more than a mere dot in the universe: it became a story about a planet controversially downgraded to dwarf planet and a little girl growing up to become an old woman who for the first time sees the heavenly body she named—a combination capable of drawing in any potential solar system aficionado. Along the way there were science lessons for all ages. Consider genetics. In a film titled “Ginger,” a young redhead asks the important questions in a quest to learn, among other things, the origin of red hair and why he was cursed, or blessed, to have it. “Why haven’t we died (off ),” he muses, rhetorically, when most of those about him have more conventional heads of hair. Is it caused by genetics? Natural selection? A long-ago mutation? A scholar he consulted offered him consolation: red hair originally resulted from a mutation and it, along with fair skin, is beneficial at higher latitudes, where there is little sunshine and less need for darker pigmentation. Lesson learned—by both the redhead and the audience. Consider magnetic fields. The magic of science and moviemaking brings color and dimension to those invisibly charged fields, which are constantly weaving and bobbing all around us like hyperactive wraiths. Their geometric interaction with the spaces we inhabit every second of our lives is downright intriguing when unveiled visually in the film “Magnetic Movie.” Insects viewed up close become valuable object lessons in another scientific short film. Agoraphobia comes to life in a cartoonish presentation discussing anxiety. And, a man mimics cat movements in a film that depicts man and animal side by side. The intent of the film festival was clear: to discuss scientific topics that we all are familiar with in ways that capture us, give us insight, and interrogate our minds. After all, a cockroach on the kitchen floor is meaningless. But a cockroach close up, slinking through the outdoors and captured on film? Fascinating! That’s the purpose of science on film—that was the purpose of Out of the Laboratory. – STEVEN K. WAGNER

Sustainability Adds Up A collection of talks providing an overview of the cutting edge of research in energy and sustainability was provided at this year’s HMC Mathematics Conference in January. Organizer Rachel Levy,, assistant professor of mathematics, gathered representatives from The Claremont Colleges consortium, the local community, and academics from across the United States and Canada. The conference included a discussion on how to prepare for careers in sustainability, developments in green technologies, and crucial behaviors that support sustainability efforts. Panel participants included Jeffrey Byron P07 of the California Energy Commission; Dan Davids, President of Plug In America; as well as local professors and sustainability advocates. On Saturday, four speakers from the fields of physics, mathematics, environmental science, and engineering posed a variety of problems and challenges of interest to the mathematics community. The collection of talks included a discussion of plasmonics by Harry Atwater of Caltech; climate change and sea ice by Ken Golden from the University of Utah; wind power by Julie Lundquist of the University of Colorado at Boulder; and a variety of problems from industry by HMC alumnus and green technology consultant Ron Lloyd ’80.

SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

CAMPUS CURRENT

Faculty News

Earthquakes: Perception vs. Reality By GREG LYZENGA ’75

GREG LYZENGA

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

KEVIN MAPP

ike all the faculty offices here in the Harvey Mudd Physics Department, next to my door is a bulletin board area for posting assorted news, pictures, jokes and the like. One of the ways I’ve used this space outside my door over the years is to post news of recent earthquakes. Since my students and I operate a seismometer on campus that is capable of providing broadband records of global earthquakes, it’s an opportunity to educate and inform on a subject that fascinates most people. When a large or noteworthy earthquake occurs someplace, I usually display an instrumental record of the event from our lab, along with some basic statistics describing the earthquake, but I usually leave it at that. Why is that? Why not more description of the destruction? Perhaps I’m feeling that pang of remorse that geophysicists feel when they realize that a scientifically “interesting” event sometimes translates into acute human suffering in another part of the world. While that may be part of the reason for my reserve, I have another reason in mind. Inevitably when it happens that a series of devastating quakes occurs, as with the recent Haiti and Chile events, I’m asked by people whether the events are related, or unusual in their timing or frequency. In extreme cases, people even wonder whether the disasters that occupy center stage on the evening news at a seemingly accelerating rate aren’t the signs of an approaching apocalypse Student researchers of some kind. I always try to reassure perform GPS measurethe inquirer that earthquakes large and ments of tectonic small are occurring every day around the movement as part of their research with world at a more or less steady rate. It’s Greg Lyzenga, profesjust because of the unfortunate fact that sor of physics. particular earthquakes occur in regions of high population density and/or vulnerable infrastructure that those events occupy a disproportionately large space in the public consciousness. This tendency is further magnified by the instantaneous communications we enjoy today with even the most remote parts of the globe. Most people outside of Chile have no cultural memory at all of the world’s largest recorded earthquake in modern times, the magnitude 9.5 quake of 1960. Had that event been covered live by CNN and the resulting tsunami arrival in Hawaii been broadcast live on YouTube, the events

When I explain how relatively unremarkable the earthquake activity we observe today is as compared with previous centuries, some people are accepting, but others remain a bit skeptical. – Greg Lyzenga ’75 surrounding this February’s magnitude 8.8 event would not have seemed quite so unprecedented. The time scale for the repeat of geophysical events is often much longer than the time scale of modern cultural memory. It’s somewhat ironic that in the tragic tsunami following the magnitude 9.1 Sumatra earthquake in 2004, some indigenous populations with an oral tradition of ocean lore that is centuries old were able to avoid harm, while modern tourists were largely unaware of the approaching danger. When I explain how relatively unremarkable the earthquake activity we observe today is as compared with previous centuries, some people are accepting, but others remain a bit skeptical. I suppose that is why I keep posting earthquake recordings outside my door, relatively unadorned with editorial comment. Regardless of whether it is an earthquake felt by millions in metropolitan Tokyo, or a quake in the South Sandwich Islands, felt by nobody except a few penguins, it goes up on my board. Well... at least that’s my intent. I’m sure I’m swayed to some extent by the “popularity factor” in some

NASA/JPL/CALTECH

of my earthquake postings. Let’s face it, a magnitude 3.5 in Pomona is not exactly big news, but it’s good conversation fodder. In any case, with my eclectic collection of earthquakes, I try to subliminally educate those who linger around my door about the real distribution of these events in space and time, as opposed to the distorted view we sometimes get from media. Why do I think this is important? I suppose part of the reason is purely academic. I’d no sooner like to see people with a distorted view of our place in tectonic history than I’d have them believe the Earth is flat or 5,000 years old or at the center of the cosmos. However, I think there’s a practical reason too. That which we don’t understand or understand poorly, we tend to fear. That which we understand may still be worthy of respect, but we then have a rational basis for our response. Living in a seismically active region, I think we all need to plan rationally and realistically for those events that have a reasonable probability of occurring in our lifetimes, and we should refrain from hyping the risks that are very remote. Recently, a student and I were installing geodetic survey equipment in a wilderness area along an active strand of the Cucamonga fault, not far from campus. A group of hikers happened by, curious about our reason for being there. As I expected, they were unaware that their prized hiking area was home to a major fault. Inevitably the conversation turned to predictions, and I told them that “their fault” could be expected to produce a major quake every 1,000 to 2,000 years, give or take a few centuries. Although it could be tomorrow, the time of the next big quake there is basically unknown. I’d like to think that my candid admission of what we do and do not know about the fault was empowering to those hikers. Armed with some numbers and a bit of knowledge, they can plan for that “big one” that just might happen one day. But they don’t need to live in fearful dread caused by a distorted perception of how probable that event might be. That seems like a good thing to me.

FACULTY ACTIVITIES

Faculty News

Outstanding paper of the year honors were awarded by the International Society of Parametric Analysts to Donald S. Remer, Oliver C. Field Professor of Engineering Economics, for “Long Range Planning Cost Model for Support of Future Space Missions by the NASA Deep Space Network.” Remer coauthored the paper along with colleagues from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Ran Libeskind Hadas, professor of computer science, along with Chris Conow (Cal Poly Pomona ’11), Daniel Fielder ’11 and Yaniv Ovadia ’10, recently developed a new software package for the study of historical associations or the cophylogeny reconstruction problem, which arises in the study of co-evolution of species. Their open-source package, called Jane, is available at www.cs.hmc.edu/~hadas/jane. A paper on the algorithm and the software was published in the journal Algorithms for Molecular Biology (www.almob.org). Paul Settles, head men’s tennis coach, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, won the United States Tennis Association and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Community Outreach Award for Southern California. Settles was honored for significant contributions in developing community-based tennis programs through the Biszantz Family Tennis Center at CMC, which is shared with HMC and Scripps colleges. Kerry Karukstis is a co-principal investigator on the largest grant in the 31-year history of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), of which she is a past president. She will work with colleagues across the nation to administer the $999,500 grant from the National Science Foundation which is aimed at improving the quality of undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education at state colleges and universities systems and public and private consortia. Through the grant, CUR’s

SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

CAMPUS CURRENT

Faculty News

“Institutionalizing Undergraduate Research” workshops are expected to reach 960,000 students on 160 campuses across the nation. Karukstis is also actively promoting the work of the NSF-ADVANCE-PAID Project (on which she is also a co-principal investigator) that is identifying and creating resources that address career development issues for senior women at liberal arts institutions and disseminate best practices on horizontal mentoring strategies for academic women. She chaired the symposium “Successful Mentoring Strategies to Facilitate the Advancement of Women Faculty” at the recent American Chemical Society meeting.

Bill Alves was the Porter College Distinguished Artist at UC Santa Cruz this spring composing for and directing their gamelan as well as composing for other faculty performers.

Arthur Benjamin, HMC’s resident Mathemagician, was a special guest on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” airing on Wednesday, January 27. A dedicated professor of mathematics, Benjamin saw his appearance on the show as a chance to demonstrate the power and beauty of mathematics to a wide audience—potentially over one million viewers. He was the first mathematician to ever be interviewed on the program. Benjamin was recently featured in the “Education Life” section of the New York Times along with one of his entertaining math quizzes. The online video of his talk at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference has been viewed over one million times.

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

David Vosburg, assistant professor of chemistry, and his student coauthors Terence Wong ’09 and Camille Sultana ’10 created a new, environmentally friendly instructional and green procedure for use in an undergraduate organic laboratory to make the anticoagulant (blood thinner) and rat poison called warfarin. It has already attracted interest by instructors across the U.S. and in Europe. The abstract states: The procedure “is a rare example of a modern, one-step synthesis of an optically active drug. We have found that this synthesis of warfarin effectively stimulates students to learn about reaction mechanisms, stereoselectivity, and green chemistry in the realworld context of a widely used drug.” Isabel Balseiro, Alexander and Adelaide Hixon Professor of Humanities, published “South Africa: A Travelers Literary Companion” (Whereabouts Press). With the college since 1993, her research areas are contemporary writers and film makers of Africa and South America, cultural and race studies, and film and postcolonial literature.

Richard Olson’s book “Technology and Science in Ancient Civilizations” was published by Preager. A member of the faculty since 1976, Olson focuses on the interrelationships between the natural sciences and other cultural domains, including moral philosophy, the social sciences, political ideology and religion.

Faculty News

Lecture Celebrates Contributions of former Math Chair Michael Moody STEVE SCHENCK

uring his tenure at Harvey Mudd College, Michael Moody sought to make the Department of Mathematics one of the best undergraduate programs in the country. He managed to accomplish that and much more. Shortly before Moody’s death in January after a battle with lymphoma, A lecture series Harvey Mudd College established—with his and his family’s blessing—The will preserve, Michael Moody Mathematics Lecture Series, which will seek to illuminate the joy, wonder and applicability of mathematics. The first speaker for the celebrate and series was Lesley Ward of the University of South Australia, a former member perpetually renew of the HMC Mathematics Department, who spoke May 2 on “The Linear Algebra of Internet Search Algorithms.” Michael Moody’s Said current Chair Andrew Bernoff, “The department, the college and I impact. are enthusiastic about recognizing Michael for his achievements and his contributions to the college. We would like to preserve, celebrate and perpetually renew Michael’s impact by naming in his honor the long-standing Harvey Mudd College Evening Mathematics Lecture Series.” The goal is to raise a total of $250,000 to establish a new departmental endowment. During his time as department chair, from 1996 through 2002, the department hired eight new professors bringing the total number of mathematics faculty to 12. In response, the department revised the core curriculum, rejuvenated the senior-thesis program and tripled the number of majors. Moody founded an evening lecture series that brought speakers to the college that illuminated the joy, mystery and applicability of mathematics and that typically attracted hundreds of students. The department credits Moody as the guiding force leading to the reception of the 2006 inaugural American Mathematical Society award for an Exemplary Program or Achievement in a Mathematics Department. HMC was singled out for this honor from all of the undergraduate and graduate mathematics departments in the United States. Moody came to the college in 1994 as a visiting professor of mathematics from Washington State University, where he was an associate professor of mathematics. In 1996, he became HMC’s first Diana and Kenneth Jonsson Professor and, that same year, was named chair of the Department of Mathematics. At the time of his death, Moody was vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty and F.W. Olin Professor of Mathematics at Olin College. Moody’s research in biomathematics focused on genetic models for evolving populations. His developmental work in teaching concentrated on designing and implementing curricular models and technological tools to improve mathematics education for engineers and scientists. He was co-designer and developer of the award-winning multimedia ODE Architect software program for teaching and solving ordinary differential equations. He also published two books for integrating technology into the calculus curriculum through laboratory experiments. Much of his work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation. For more information about the Math Department Fund in honor of Michael Moody, call the Office of College Advancement at 909.621.8335.

SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

CAMPUS CURRENT

Staff News

Key Administrators Appointed National searches overseen by separate committees brought two new professionals to HMC. The new Senior Director of Advancement– Communications is Judy Augsburger, a former producer for NBC Network News bureaus in Burbank, London and Moscow. She also worked on production of “NBC Nightly News” and “The Today Show,” and her news stories have won several Overseas Press Club awards and have been nominated twice for Emmys. Previously, she was a producer for WTN International News in Moscow. Augsburger holds a master’s in Slavic languages and literature and taught foreign languages at Indiana University. High on her list of responsibilities, she says, is elevating institutional communications and raising the college’s visibility. David Dower was appointed assistant vice president for planning and construction, the position that will oversee the construction of one of the most exciting developments on campus—the new teaching and learning building. Dower previously worked at Williams College, where he was director of facilities planning and construction and was responsible for facility and campus planning and space utilization. Prior to his term at Williams College, he worked at Harvard University in facilities management and operations, and in corporate real estate planning and development.

Advancement Transitions As it prepares for the college’s upcoming capital campaign, the Office of College Advancement has filled a number of key positions. Leigh Devereaux, director of digital marketing and communications Focus: HMC web presence, social networking engagement programs and digital multimedia content development. Former associate director of web marketing, University of La Verne. Tanya Jordan, director of stewardship and special assistant to the vice president Focus: stewardship program; coordination of Annenberg Speaker Series, Dr. Bruce J. Nelson Distinguished Speaker Series, and Hixon Forum. Former director of development, Heritage Museum of Orange County. Bill Lambert, director of reunion programming Focus: reunion engagement, Alumni Weekend, alumni volunteer recruitment. Former major gifts officer, UC Berkeley. Jannah Dacanay Maresh, director of development Focus: donor engagement. Former director of individual giving, Library Foundation of Los Angeles.

Brochure Gets a Double-take An hMC admission piece used to recruit high school juniors has received three awards, including a top regional award (gold) from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. The Advancement Communications group, in collaboration last summer with the office of Admission, created an eye-catching and creative brochure “Left Brain, Right Brain,” which uses lenticular printing to create alternating images. The piece was designed by Janice Gilson, associate director of publications and graphic designer. The office of Admission reports that the brochure has been receiving enthusiastic reactions from prospective students and parents.

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

Student News

Watson Fellow is Best

Goldwater Scholars

Matthew Keeter Major: Engineering Career Goal: M.S. or Ph.D. in some facet of electrical and computer engineering. Work on cutting-edge research in industry or academia.

Alicia Schep Major: Chemical Biology Career Goal: Ph.D. in molecular biology. Conduct research in molecular biology and teach at the university level.

KEVIN MAPP

ustainable cities or eco-cities—designed with consideration of minimal environmental impact—have been attempted and are being planned around the world. Robert Best ’10 will soon travel to these communities in Asia, Africa and Europe as a Watson Fellow to seek a better understanding of why some eco-cities thrive and others fail. The $25,000 Thomas J. Watson Foundation fellowship will allow Best, an engineering major from West Hills, Calif., to spend a year studying the social, economic, cultural and political factors which contribute to the success or failure of sustainability efforts in China, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya and the United Kingdom. “As nations seek methods of reducing their environmental impact in accordance with international treaties, eco-cities are being planned as models for expanded urban sustainability,” he said. “By studying these utopias, I hope to draw broader conclusions about the role of cultural and social interactions on sustainability initiatives.” He is one of 40 students nationwide to receive the fellowship, which the Thomas J. Watson Foundation awards to college seniors of unusual promise for a year of independent exploration and travel outside the United States. Nearly 1,000 students from up to 40 selective private liberal arts colleges and universities apply for these awards each year. Best says he hopes to identify the most important and influential factors that often contribute to successful eco-city projects. “I want to look at what some of the predictors might be for success or failure of these cities and find out what factors play the most important role in achieving sustainability within cultures.” While at HMC, Best has participated in a myriad of activities. In January 2009, along with engineering majors Annika Eberle ’09 and Autumn Petros-Good ’09, Best spent 16 days in Kenya, Africa, on an educational mission to share a solar water purification method at the Clay International Secondary School. He is past president of the joint service club Engineers for a Sustainable World and Mudders Organizing for Sustainability Solutions (ESW/MOSS), which received a Student Leadership Award from the Jenzabar Foundation in November 2008 for the Kenya project, for a sustainable agriculture project in Guinea and for its commitment to increasing awareness of environmental issues on the HMC campus. Best has been a member of two Clinic teams. As part of the Global Clinic team advised by Lisette de Pillis, professor of mathematics and Global Clinic director, and Patrick Little, engineering professor and Engineering Clinic director, Best and two other HMC students met with the president of Iceland last July while in that country participating in the summer school program of the Renewable Energy School based in Akureyri, Iceland. He was also a member of the Clinic team that installed the first solar panels at the Miramar Facility of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District.

Two juniors have been awarded Goldwater Scholarships by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

CAMPUS CURRENT

Student News

ACM Team Makes World Finals

he Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) described World Finals teams as “the cream of the crop,” and an HMC team was among them. Computer science majors Anak Yodpinyanee ’12, Stuart Pernsteiner ’12 and Daniel Fielder ’11—team HMC 42—earned an honorable mention at the 34th Annual World Finals of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) sponsored by IBM in Harbin, China. Only 103 out of more than 7,100 teams made it to the finals. HMC was one of 21 teams from the U.S. to participate. Each team of three was presented with 11 problems that required the students to quickly develop an algorithm and employ that algorithm in their choice of programming language to solve the particular problem. The team that solved the most problems correctly in the least amount of time won. Shanghai Jiaotong University solved seven problems to capture this year’s championship. Teams from several American universities, including Stanford, MIT and Carnegie Mellon University, solved five problems each and tied for 14th place. The HMC team correctly solved three problems and finished 65th out of 103 teams after five hours of intense competition. In November, the HMC team bested 61 other teams at the Southern California regional contest, where they led the contest for most of the fivehour, seven-problem event: they were the first team to solve one problem and the first to solve three problems. At the end of the event, they were the fastest of four teams that solved four of the contest’s seven problems. “I feel awfully fortunate to have worked with students so talented they actually brought me on their shoulders to China,” said Zach Dodds, professor of computer science and ACM coach for 10 years. One of the highlights of the trip was an excursion to the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, which included 10-story replicas of the Eiffel Tower, Coliseum and the Chrysler building. “We spent three hours awestruck by the snow sculptures,” Dodds said. Fielder said the 23-foot-high slides made out of ice were pretty cool, too. One afternoon, each team was assigned a large sphere and asked to carve out different letters spelling out the name of the competition. The HMC team spent nearly three hours carving an “A” that stood with the others at Harbin Engineering University until the ice melted in Anak Yodpinyanee ’12, Stuart April. Pernsteiner ’12 (kneeling) and Daniel Fielder ’11 enjoy the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival while in China for the ACM World Finals.

Harvey Mudd College

– ELAINE REGUS

SPRING 2010

All Hands on Deck One hundred fifty local elementary students gathered at HMC for World Science Cup day on Saturday, March 27 to take part in hands-on demonstrations of scientific principles. The event was hosted by Science Bus, an HMC student-led organization that coordinates teams of students to teach participatory science lessons to local school children, especially those from groups underrepresented in scientific fields. “All the hands-on experience is so wonderful,” said Janice Raby Neely, 4th grade teacher at Allison Elementary. “Our kids love Science Bus. That’s what they wait for every Friday. Many don’t get these kinds of experiences regularly, so hopefully they’ll take this with them into college.” Raby Neely admires the strong community service ethic among the HMC students in Science Bus. “It means so much that they take time out of their busy schedules to do this,” she said. Read more and view the video at www.hmc.edu/ newsandevents/science-bus.html

Exceptional Putnam Results

ophomores Jennifer Iglesias, Palmer Mebane and Jackson Newhouse placed an exceptional 12th out of 546 colleges and universities at the December 2009 William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition. Nationwide, 4,036 students competed in the challenging six-hour exam, and, indicative of the challenge, this year’s median score was a two out of a possible 120 points. In the individual category, Mebane placed 12th nationally and will receive $1,000 for his stellar performance. Special recognition goes to Iglesias who ranked 186.5 and Peter Fedak ’13 who ranked 202. Iglesias, Mebane and Newhouse will also receive RIF prizes provided by HMC that honor the top finishers in the Putnam each year. Mudders who made the Top 500 list are Olivia Beckwith ’13, Jeffrey Burkert ’11, Craig Burkhart ’12, Curtis Heberle ’12, Jackson Newhouse ’12, Kevin O’Neill ’13, Aaron Pribadi ’12, Jacob Scott ’11 and Donald (Lee) Wiyninger ’11. Department of Mathematics faculty members Andrew Bernoff, Nick Pippenger and Francis Su served as this year’s Putnam Seminar coaches.

Student News

Goooooal!

SWE Inspires Harvey Mudd College’s chapter of SWE (Society of Women Engineers) hosted WEST (Women Engineers and Scientists of Tomorrow), an annual conference that targets local high school girls to expose them to math, science and engineering. Students participated in workshops in engineering, computer science, math, chemistry, biology, or physics, hosted by female Mudd professors. Christine Alvarado, assistant professor of computer science, led a workshop on manipulating the color of photos using Python software, while engineering professors Lori Bassman and Nancy Lape showed students how to build a kicking machine. Keynote speaker trustee and alumna Jennifer Lindsay ’02 provided examples of how technology is useful and emphasized how “normal” it is for girls to enjoy the STEM subjects.

CAM SANDERS

– Corinne Cho ’10

t was a tense moment as a team’s robot maneuvered over a bump then began to tip over. If it didn’t right itself, it would be disabled for the remainder of the game. Fortunately, the robot did right itself but had it not, that would have been OK too. Participants at HMC’s FIRST Robotics Scrimmage were there to test their robots for an upcoming regional competition and to work out any kinks. The FIRST Robotics Competition (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), created in 1989 by inventor and 2009 HMC Commencement speaker Dean Kamen, is a popular annual event for thousands of teens around the country, who compete in teams to design and build robots that can complete a designated task. StuWILL VASTA dents interact with professional engineers and college students who act Students from 13 different high schools test as mentors. The Scrimmage in February brought in teams from 13 different high schools eager to test out their robots for this year’s challenge: program robots to compete on a 27' x 54' field with bumps and earn points by collecting soccer balls in their goals. The scrimmage at HMC was the last chance to fix any mistakes before shipping out the robots for the regional competition. Many of the students do not have prior engineering experience before FIRST and build their robots from scratch with the help of parents, teachers, engineering college students, or sponsorship from large corporations including Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. The result? High quality robots that impress people, including David Harris, associate professor of engineering. He noted that what the students learn from participating in FIRST is sure to prepare many for a technical education. However, FIRST is not only about engineering. Many high school teams consist of members who want to pursue business or marketing after their involvement in the program. In addition, students learn about teamwork and professionalism. One local high school’s FIRST team has developed a reputation for its generosity and professionalism in coming to the aid of teams in need. With this sort of training and background, it is no surprise that many current Mudders, including Sarah Ferraro ’12, the president of the FIRST Mentors Club at Mudd, once participated in FIRST. Due to their positive experience in the program, many are eager to act as mentors. – Corinne Cho ’10

Future scientists study human physiology by learning about blood pressure, have fun with electronics (second and bottom photos) with engineering Prof. Qimin Yang (in purple) and hear from systems engineer Jennifer Lyndsay ’02. SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

CAMPUS CURRENT

Student News

Top 1% in MCM

* Finalist: seniors Richard Bowen, Brett Cooper, Bryce Lampe * Meritorious: sophomores Ryan Brewster, Jackson Newhouse, Richard Porczak; juniors Kyle Luh, Daniel Rozenfeld, Dmitri Skjorshammer; Andrew Hilger ’13, John Peebles ’13, Jason Wyman ’10 * Honorable Mention: juniors Julia Matsieva, Jacob Scott * Successful Participant: freshmen Connor Ahlbach, Matthew Johnson, David Marangoni-Simonsen

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

One Thing Leads to Another… On the afternoon of Sunday, March 21, a Rube Goldberg machine spanned the campus. Every dorm made a contribution: Linde raised a “Hello, young Mudders” sign; Case implemented a baking soda-vinegar-like reaction; Sontag made a long ball-bearing track; Atwood shot a rocket to East; East sent “Stumpy” flying across the courtyard; North implemented kegs into their section; and South sent a fuse to West that had a big, rolling, flaming tire. With small budgets and endless innovation, the machine’s mechanisms hit the mark to the delight of hundreds of onlookers from Mudd, other Claremont colleges and the surrounding community. Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist, engineer and inventor best known for his illustrations from the early 20th century that depicted complicated inventions built to accomplish simple tasks. Modern day engineers and tinkerers have taken Goldberg’s concept out of the cartoon and into the world of three-dimensional design, complete with form and function. Michael Ho ’10, main organizer of the event, was inspired by an online video of a Rube Goldberg machine constructed by employees of IDEO, a California design and innovation consulting firm. The Mudd machine was built in sections by the eight dorms on campus and the sections linked together through inter-dorm collaboration. Ho felt the project was perfect for Mudd for a variety of reasons. “It’s nerdy, but not too nerdy,” he explained. “The appeal of Rube Goldberg machines is something that resonates with technical people. At the same time, it isn’t technical to the point where only a small segment of HMC’s diverse student population would want to work on it.” The success of the effort was notable in itself, as Mudd students are traditionally busy with coursework and special projects. “By far the most amazing thing was that it actually happened,” Ho said. View a video of the event at www.hmc.edu/newsandevents/campus-wide-rube-goldberg.html

STEVE SCHENCK

MC placed among the top 1 percent in this year’s International Mathematical Contest in Modeling. A Harvey Mudd team earned the designation of Finalist (given to only 12 teams out of the 2,254 entries worldwide). The top two categories of Outstanding and Finalist are reserved for the top 1 percent of entries, indicating the strength of this achievement. Three additional HMC teams earned the designation Meritorious (top 20 percent), one earned Honorable Mention (top 44 percent), and one was a Successful Participant. This is an incredible showing for Mudd and a testament to the strength of its academic program. The MCM/ICM is comparable to an applied Putnam exam in the form of a grueling 96-hour competition during which teams develop a mathematical model and write a formal paper describing their work, which are judged not only on scientific and mathematical accuracy, but also on clarity of exposition, insight and creativity. This year’s problems required participants to explain the sweet spot of a baseball bat, generate a geographic profile of serial criminals, and model the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.

Student News

KEVIN MAPP

Battle of the Copper Chefs

arvey Mudd College’s version of the popular Food Network television show “The Next Iron Chef” made its debut on campus in November and the result was nothing short of tantalizing. The event, dubbed “Copper Chef,” featured four teams of amateur chefs, each facing unusual challenges. Dishes had to be prepared using an ingredient—ostrich meat—that many people have neither seen nor tasted. Students had to decide what dishes to cook using the unusual meat, determine how to prepare dishes without using a written recipe for reference and guidance, and choose how to prepare the ostrich. Winning the competition and Best Overall Team honors by virtue of a tasty ostrich slider deconstruction appetizer and tropical shrimp entrée was Allison Russell ’11, Jonny Simkin ’10 and Jake Feldman ’10. Their dishes were re-created by HochShanahan staff for dinner guests on April 23. Also honored were Singer Ma ’11 (the only one to have previously cooked ostrich meat), Betsy Ellis ’10 and Mary Moore-Simmons ’10, earning second place and Best Cooking Techniques/Most Creativity honors for seafood pasta with veggies, and an ostrich tart with cranberry sorbet. Jessica Witt ’10, Benyue Liu ’10, Steven Ning ’10 and Jason Wang ’10 won Best Presentation for drunken ostrich fried rice and succulent shrimp tacos (pictured right); and Anne Clark ’13, Dietrich Langenbach ’13, Maria Morabe ’13 and Josh Oratz ’13 prepared pasta primavera shrimp and ostrich cakes to win Best Taste. Judges were President Maria Klawe; Andrew Dorantes, vice-president for administration and finance/treasurer; Cynthia Beckwith, director of human resources; Guy Gerbick, associate dean of students/dean of residential life; and Chris Sundberg, associate dean of students/director of student activities.

Top: Jessica Witt, Benyue Liu, Jason Wang and Steve Ning (not shown), Best Presentation winners, plate their dishes. Jake Feldman, Allison Russell and Jonny Simkin won Best Overall Team.

– STEVEN K. WAGNER

SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

Compiled by STEPHANIE GRAHAM | Illustrations by JOSÉ A. CAMARENA

The Experts’

Guide

Alumni describe how to excel at what they do well The HMC Bulletin sought alumni experts to demonstrate just how diverse and remarkable Mudders are. We searched Class Notes and Impact Project information, sought staff recommendations, and reviewed suggestions from alumni and friends. We then began the fun but difficult task of selecting, contacting and finalizing the list of alumni for this article. You’ll find here 14 alumni with diverse careers and interests, who offer an array of valuable advice.

HOW TO

Select the best method of education for your child

Derrick Chau ’97 is principal of Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science School (Stern MASS), designed to prepare students from East Los Angeles to be successful in four-year colleges and to be able to pursue doctoral degrees in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Prior to becoming principal, Chau chaired the science department of Gertz-Ressler High School.

People tend to make human learning out to be more complicated than it really is. I’ve realized this based on working in schools, in education research, and with my own son. Human learning can be simplified as a cyclical process with the following steps: Clear objective. If you don’t know what you’re supposed to learn, you’re probably not going to learn it. Effective instruction. One-on-one instruction is best, but more effective teachers do their best to approximate that by differentiating instruction. Consistent feedback. Great instructors, like coaches, are the ones who provide clear, frequent feedback to learners as they practice. Self-reflection. “Lifelong” learners are a big educational buzz-word, but really great teachers facilitate students’ own understandings about how they learn (metacognitive skills). Summative assessments. You need to know if you met your objective, or else go back to Step 1 and revise.

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

Usually, educational approaches tend to be less effective if one (or more) of these steps is weak. It’s important to distinguish between formative assessment (practice) and summative assessment (tests). Whatever method of education you choose for your child, make sure that adequate opportunities are available for your child to practice freely and to receive feedback—with no consequences (only feedback) for poor practice time. Academic athletes, like sports athletes, need feedback and practice to achieve greatness.

HOW TO

Find a job in a recession

Badier Velji ’07 was a research and development engineer at Energy Innovations, an Idealab company in Pasadena, for one year, eight months before being laid off in January 2009. It only took him two months to find his current job, which he did through one of his classmates with whom he reconnected at an HMC Career Fair. He has been working at SRI International in Menlo Park, Calif., for just over one year as a research engineer designing instrumentation to support military training. The first step is to breathe. Losing your job is not the end of the world and will often lead to new opportunities in your career and can even renew your hidden passion. File for unemployment benefits immediately; the longer you wait, the more financial pressure you will feel. The next step is to figure out what you want to do with yourself. Compile a list of all your contacts and investigate if their companies have openings. Remember, your friends can help you get your foot in the door but only your merits will win you your next job. Contact the Office of Career Services for resumé help and leads. Make use of the Harvey Mudd LinkedIn and Facebook groups to connect with fellow Mudd alums. The Alumni Association Board of Governors is a diverse body that spans many industries, and is always willing to help with your search. Be aggressive with your job inquiries; there is little room for complacency in this tough market. During my job search, I received some sage advice

HOW TO

from another alumnus that I impart to you: Don’t spend all your time searching. Instead, spend one-third of your time on a hobby that makes you happy. Spend the other third on your health and fitness. You can use the last third to land yourself that dream job. Good luck!

Find inner peace

Suzie Gruber ’87 spent the first 15 years of her post-graduate life working in biotech, specializing in construction management and telecommunications consulting. She now is a 5Rhythms teacher and Native American energetic herbalist. She worked at Willits Economic Localization, a non-profit organization focused on reviving the local economy and is currently a volunteer at the Sonoma County Herb Exchange, a local organization dedicated to providing high quality medicinal herbs to herbalists. Inner peace is the ability to experience the here and now regardless of what is going on around us. So why isn’t it just this simple? Our nervous system has four responses to stimulus—engagement with the stimulus, fight, flight and freeze—states we move through easily when we are in balance. However, many of us live stressful lives, so we stay activated in fight, flight or freeze rather than returning to a relaxed state of engagement. Every time we become present, we build our capacity to relax into inner peace. We can practice in any moment using two powerful tools: orientation and observation. To orient, just let your eyes go where they want to. They will eventually linger on something interesting to you in your environment. Try it right now. Next, observe

what you like about what you see. Maybe you are looking out the window at a beautiful tree. Describe to yourself in detail what you like about the tree, maybe its shape. Additionally, feel any inner sensations as you look at the tree; maybe you feel warmth in your chest or a loosening in your shoulders. You have just created a moment of inner peace for yourself. You can do this anywhere, anytime no matter what is happening around you. String these moments together to reprogram your nervous system to be more fully present and engaged with whatever is happening right now. To learn more, contact Suzie at inspiringmovement@earthlink.net. Adapted from Somatic Experiencing® created by Peter Levine.

SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

HOW TO

Run a successful family business

Fraternal twins Tom Wanne ’90 and Theo Wanne are co-owners of Theo Wanne Classic Mouthpieces in Bellingham, Wash. Wanne Inc. is a collaboration of skills shared between the brothers. Theo brings years of experience working in the woodwind mouthpiece industry, and Tom brings his extensive background in business management.

The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works is the family. —Lee Iacocca Certainly not all families stay steady and work well. But, I think Lee refers to a key aspect of a successful family business—the bond. In my experience, many families are built with decades of experience-laden glue that keeps them together through the toughest of times while providing a tremendous freedom for expression. There is no mystery about everyone’s capabilities, work ethic, or BS level. And, most families have had a plethora of experiences working together on small projects to big projects; many a success and many a failure. It all thickens the glue. I’m not sure if a family business is more likely to

HOW TO

succeed than a non-family business. A lot of the success of a business will certainly be determined by the quality of the individuals. But, I believe, if a family business can find a framework outside the family to facilitate communication, backboard expectations, and measure results, then the positive attributes of a working family can be leveraged for success. Theo, my twin brother and business partner, and I took advantage of free services from our local college business development center to help guide and facilitate our growth from the very beginning. And, we continue to aggressively work on effective communication. These investments have been invaluable. Of course, being blessed with a wonderfully supportive family goes a long way too.

Prevent repetitive strain injury (RSI)

Brian Bentow ’05 is the author of the “Computer Athlete’s Handbook: Your Guide to a Happier, Healthier Techy Lifestyle.”

Let’s face it. Most people have poor ergonomics at work. People slouch, don’t take breaks, forget to drink water and use poor equipment. Over time, many of these bad habits compound each other and reduce the productivity and motivation of employees and can even put them on disability. When this happens, they will need to take time off and get physical therapy, which may cause business delays. And, in our current economic conditions, there is very little room for inefficiency. The good news is that there is a lot you can do to help your co-workers live happier and healthier techy lifestyles. You need to start with budgeting some resources on workstation setup. It is worth spending some extra money up front on ergonomic keyboards, mice and extra monitors. In my experience, few employees will spend their own money on improving their workstation. One of the worst things that people can do is take anti-inflammatories or pain medication when they have repetitive strain injuries. Taking medication may let you work past your normal pain threshold, but that is what

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

leads to serious injury or even permanent nerve damage. Sadly, some doctors do more harm than good when they prescribe anti-inflammatories to their patients with RSI. The most cost effective way to prevent RSI is through training. Some quick tips: Consider using two monitors if you must switch between applications often; avoid twisting your wrists when pressing multiple keys; and drink lots of water.

HOW TO

Save an endangered animal species

Jeanine Renne ’80 worked to rescue a threatened species of Loggerhead sea turtle off the coast of South Carolina while in high school and continued the effort during her time at Mudd and the summer after graduation. “We would move the turtle eggs from the beaches to safe hatcheries, and guide the baby turtles to the sea when they were confused by lights from nearby developed islands,” she said. Jeanine continues to volunteer through her sons’ school and reviews and analyzes medical malpractice cases for local attorneys.

There is probably a threatened animal living near you. With the Internet at hand, you can find out what it needs, why it can’t get that, and what you can do about it. Then join the effort—with your money or your time (both are needed). It really is that simple. No local effort? Then start one. Ask around at local colleges (biology department), animal rescue shelters, and groups like the Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, etc. If one of them won’t sponsor the effort, it’s easy to start your own nonprofit. Make a plan. Again, the Web will help. See what others have done and figure out what actually works. Mudd gave you the tools for critical evaluation—use them! Then comes the fundraising. Think car washes, bake sales… Chances are it won’t take a lot of money to make a difference, and no one expects a “granola” effort like saving endangered animals to be glamorous. All you may need to start is a plywood shack where volunteers can collect data. Finally: Do SHOW up, and Don’t GIVE up. Real change in the natural world takes time and effort. Enjoy the good feeling, the opportunity to get some fresh air

HOW TO

and exercise “in the field,” and know that you’re a part of something greater than yourself. No matter what happens, it’s worth it.

Expose those embedded ideas

Philip Szuromi ’80 is a supervisory senior editor at Science, the prestigious weekly international journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. A recipient of this year’s Outstanding Alumni Award, he spoke May 1 at Alumni Weekend about “My Career at Science Magazine–A Mudd-Like Learning Curve.”

Prof. Jerry Van Hecke ’61 said once in a lecture, “All introductory courses are language courses.” Indeed, every field has its own language; to those outside the field, it is jargon. When we are faced with translating jargon to the uninitiated (like the dean, or a company vice president), it’s helpful to remember that languages aren’t just names of things or actions. They represent a way of thinking about the world, and what’s important or not (so English borrows “bon appetit” from French). Jargon confuses the reader most when it squeezes out the “why.” For example, plant biologists use Arabidopsis as a model organism, but rarely will a journal article tell you that it’s a mustard weed. Less likely are you

to find out what one of my co-workers told me: “We use Arabidopsis because even graduate students can’t kill it.” This is the sort of idea you learn in class, but not one written down in scholarly works. Even the idea of a common model system—which creates a large body of results that can be compared—is not obvious. Given plant diversity, can one plant do it all? (The poplar is now the “woody model” for the biomass crowd.) Your field likely has tricky ways of doing things created by limits on time, money or the kind of experiments and calculations that can be attempted. Once, those ideas were new to you. For a general audience, dig them up, expose them and let the outsiders listen in.

SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

HOW TO

Produce and record your own music

Jennifer Lindsay ’02, an HMC Trustee and systems engineer in Los Angeles, Calif., is an award-winning classically trained singer, violinist and composer. At age 11, she was a founding member of the Disney Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra, and at 14 she was a guest soprano soloist for the Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition. Since then, Jennifer has gone on to perform at a number of high-profile events, including a guest solo spot singing at the Essence Awards in New York City, and a performance with the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. Her debut album is “Songs In The Dark.” With advances in computer technology over the past decade, it is now possible to create an entire CD’s worth of music in your own home! That doesn’t mean it’s a piece of cake, though, as I discovered when I produced, engineered and recorded my very first album last year. Here are the basics you’ll need to get started on the path to indie superstardom. Computer – PC or Mac, with at least 2GB RAM so it can process multiple audio tracks without freezing up, and at least two USB ports and a Firewire port for peripherals (microphones, audio interfaces, etc.). DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) – software that allows you to record and manipulate audio and/or MIDI. Audacity (developed by a Mudd alum) is a free program that handles audio only. Garageband is a Mac program that lets you create both audio and virtual instrument tracks, and it comes with its own virtual instrument library. Professional-grade packages like Logic and Pro Tools give you even more flexibility but take longer to master. Keyboard Controller – a piano-style keyboard that interacts with your computer. Playing notes on the keyboard will trigger any virtual instrument from your library: violin, drums, guitar, etc. Akai and M-Audio

HOW TO

make some decent low-budget controllers. Microphone – if your computer doesn’t have a built-in mic, you will need an external one. The Shure SM57 and Blue Snowball are nice inexpensive choices. Audio Interface – unless you get a USB external mic, you will need a piece of hardware called an audio interface that boosts the signal produced by the mic so your computer can process it correctly. AIs are also good for plugging in an electric guitar or bass. Check out the M-Audio Fast Track or the Apogee Duet. Monitors – a special name given to speakers that produce a flat response (e.g. no bass boosting or distortion) which is necessary for proper mixing and mastering. The M-Audio DSM and KRK Rokit series are good starting points. Recording Space – all you need is a spare bedroom or an empty garage, as long as you do some basic acoustic treatment. Auralex makes high-density foam panels that reduce flutter echoes, as well as fiberglass bass traps that eliminate low-frequency standing waves. Help Desk – browse the forums at www.gearslutz.com and www.recording.org for great tips and advice from industry pros. Musical Talent – optional, but useful!

Create a successful construction project

Wayne Drinkward ’74, an HMC Trustee, is president and CEO of Hoffman Construction Co., a Portland, Ore., construction manager and general contractor with design-build capabilities. Projects include Rem Koolhaas’ Seattle Central Library and Frank Gehry’s Experience Music Project, also in Seattle, Wash. Drinkward is active in the planning for HMC’s teaching and learning building and made possible the programming efforts. For most people, the idea of initiating a construction project for either personal or commercial use ranks up there with the joys of visiting your oral surgeon. Disruption, change orders, schedule delays and personal conflict all are a potential part of the experience. But you can do a few things to mitigate those risks and, if you do them properly, create something of which you will be very proud. I will shorten the long list to four priorities: setting clear objectives, creating a winning team, doing your homework, and staying engaged throughout the process.

To set clear objectives, start with a realistic assessment of what you want to achieve in design, cost, schedule and quality. Most people focus on cost and schedule, but your long-term satisfaction with the project will be far more influenced by design and quality. Give yourself some margin to work within, but do not expect your architect or contractor to make these key decisions for you. Selecting a team you will work with is the most critical decision you will make. Focus on the individuals you will work with, and not just the firm’s resume. In (continued on next page)

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

design, be especially comfortable with the designer’s preferences, his flexibility and willingness to respond to your criteria. In the case of the contractor, focus on the project manager and site superintendent you will work with. Realize you will live with them for the full duration of the project and afterward. Don’t emphasize low cost as primary selection criteria unless you are very sure of yourself in managing design and construction processes. “Doing your homework” means that you need to take the time to really understand what is being designed and built and be comfortable with it. Most people do not read plans well and cannot visualize the concepts designers propose in three dimensions. To address this, take the time to do site visits to similar projects and look at them as they relate to your architect’s design. Your ultimate satisfaction will be driven by how you live in the space on the inside as opposed to how it looks on the outside

HOW NOT TO

and visits will help you get the “feel” of space design. Ask for mock ups of areas as the construction proceeds and walk the project regularly. Something to focus on for ultimate success is anything people touch in the course of engaging the project such as doors, hardware, countertops and plumbing fixtures. These details will define the feeling of quality your project conveys. This leads to the critical nature of the owner staying engaged. Give the designer and contractor immediate feedback if you are in any way concerned. The biggest cause of strife in projects is the resolution of costly latebreaking changes as construction is underway. When there are changes or cost issues, deal with them immediately and do not let things accumulate. It is far healthier to solve things promptly than allow them to amass into a complex bigger issue. Finally, give praise as well as criticism. Workers will do their best for people that appreciate them. If you can do these things, you will be well on the road to a successful project.

Communicate science to the masses

Kate Lain ’00 has an MFA in science and natural history filmmaking. While earning her degree, she watched way more science and natural history documentaries than anyone ever should, which might account for the hint of sarcasm in her list.

1 Assume your audience knows nothing of your

topic, thinks science is boring, but is easily dazzled by sciency things like test tubes, scientists in lab coats and Erlenmeyer flasks.

2 Oversimplify. Forget all those fascinating

complexities that are part and parcel of scientific processes. Don’t ever acknowledge that science is actually a messy process of tentative conclusions and adventurous speculation.

3 Dispense all sorts of interesting facts. Give your

audience the impression that science is a monolith of facts, which are themselves inarguable, irrefutable bits of objective reality that are objectively uncovered by objective scientists (preferably in lab coats).

4 Have an offscreen voice-of-God narrator deliver the

bulk of your information. Make sure your viewers remain passive recipients of scientific knowledge.

5 Incorporate interviews with lots of on-screen,

talking-head scientists. No one will question their authority since they’re Scientists and not really humans—especially if they’re wearing lab coats.

6 Utilize colorful, flashy, fast-moving animated

computer graphics accompanied by crazy sciency

sounds, like ones that are colloquially associated with lasers. Your audience will never question your authority because they will think your film was made by Science and not by actual people!

7 Finally, incorporate impressive-looking pieces of

scientific equipment and the images they produce. Mass spectrometers, MRIs, flux capacitors, whatever. Show your viewers that science is all about strange gadgets and that they should just blindly trust it as an allknowing authority since it looks super-cool and produces weird graphs and images—and makes time travel in a DeLorean possible.

SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

HOW TO

Develop emerging artists

Recognizing the need for early career-development opportunities for artists in the nation’s capital, Paul So ’88, a university physics professor and arts entrepreneur, founded Hamiltonian Artists and Gallery, one of Washington, D.C.’s first green contemporary art galleries. Motivated by the benefits of his own post-doctoral training in science, So wants to replicate similar career-launching opportunities and support networks for emerging artists.

Determine the need. D.C has a lot of potential to be

a vibrant national arts center. But, with its unique transient nature and other prominent national cultural institutions, supports for local artists are often overshadowed. I’ve found that area artists often decide to go to New York because they can’t find adequate supports and representation here. Fill the need. The So-Hamiltonian Fellowship program is a creative incubator for artists who have finished their academic training but are still exploring their artistic direction. Building around a rigorous exhibition schedule, all fellows receive one-on-one mentorship from established artists. They also participate in group-critiques, give artists talks and regularly attend Hamiltonian’s Professional Development Speaker Series. All fellows receive an annual stipend of $1,000 to supplement their careerrelated and exhibition expenses.

HOW TO

Provide support and exposure. Acknowledging the need for these emerging artists to be commercially successful, Hamiltonian Artists has a unique partnership with Hamiltonian Gallery, which enables fellows to exhibit their work in a commercial gallery and receive professional representation. In combining the strengths and services of a nonprofit arts organization with those of a professional art gallery, all So-Hamiltonian Fellows enjoy heightened visibility and an array of career development and opportunities. Be inspired. Al Miner, a Washington, D.C., painter and one of the fellows selected in our inaugural year, was soon picked up by one of the local art galleries (G Fine Art) as one of the gallery artists. Jonathan Monaghan is a new fellow from our second year. Hamiltonian exhibited his new-media work last November in SCOPE MIAMI 2009, a premier international contemporary art fair. One of his new pieces was discovered and purchased by another D.C. gallery owner/independent curator.

Make an impact on your alma mater (and the lives of students for generations to come)

Walt Foley ’69, P99, recipient of an HMC Outstanding Alumni Award (2008) and Order of the Wart (1994), is founder of two companies, Megatek Corporation and Accel Technologies Inc. A former alumni representative to the HMC Board of Trustees, he became a full trustee in 1991. He has held significant roles in campaigns, was development chair, and is now chair of the Compensation and Personnel Planning Committee. Walt and his wife, Csilla, made a significant gift in 2000 that led several other alumni to come forward and give at the same level. Together with fellow Bates Alumni Rick Sontag ’64 and Bruce Worster ’64, he helped fundraise for the Aviation Room of the HochShanahan Dining Hall.

Whether you are a Mudd alum with founder stock in a startup endeavor, or an early employee with an expanding firm thinking about an IPO, you might be in the perfect position to have a significant impact on the lives of science and engineering students, and save on your taxes as well. From personal experience with several entrepreneurial ventures, I’ve seen how transferring just a few thousand shares of low-basis stock over to the college, prior to an acquisition or public offering, can contribute hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars to an

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

endowment which will fund scholarships for generations to come. And, while tax situations differ, putting some portion of your holdings into HMC’s name before they have appreciated will often produce favorable tax consequences. Although you end up with a bit less in cash or registered securities as a result of your stock gift, seeing your contribution touch the lives of bright young students is often far more rewarding. Trust me—seeing your scholars grow, mature and flourish in their lives and careers is even more fulfilling than generating the wealth in the first place.

HOW TO

Segment the dynamic Chinese healthcare market

Paul Yin ’73, who was born in Taipei and has family roots in Beijing, Wuhan, and Chengdu, pursued careers in nuclear energy and healthcare distribution in the western U.S. He and his family relocated to Asia in 1993 and have lived in Taipei, Seoul, Beijing and now Shanghai. He currently heads the orthopedic surgical solution business covering the Greater China Region for the U.S.-based Medtronic, Inc. He enjoys traveling all over China to make friends in the healthcare community and advance the healthcare distribution infrastructure.

In order to successfully penetrate the healthcare industry in the dynamic Chinese culture, I have found that it is helpful to employ an economic strata philosophy, similar to that of the hotel industry. Medtronic, Inc. imports and locally produces implants for surgeons in the Premium, Value and Economy segments. Premium: 300 medical centers and regional hospitals demand world-caliber technology and clinical fellowship exchange with global medical professionals. Only imported implants with premium pricing can meet these criteria. These institutions cluster around Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Value: 800 provincial and municipal hospitals prefer VIP-style clinical training at the above premium medical centers. Best-in-class therapy needs to be introduced frequently at regional clinical conferences. High quality

HOW TO

domestic products at reasonable prices can satisfy these criteria. These institutions are in 50 provincial capitals and population centers across 20 provinces. Economy: Over 4,000 rural city and township hospitals are dotted across China to provide affordable and accessible surgery to needy patients. About 80 percent of all surgeries are entry-level that require a standard package of implant, instruments and related clinical training. Domestic simple-feature products at competitive prices are sufficient to meet this need. Logistical planning and execution are critical to success in this segment. Frugal: About 20,000-30,000 infirmaries offer basic non-surgical services to the masses. Global companies have yet to find products to serve this segment. Opportunities abound!

Be the center of attention at any event

Janet Cooke Hansen ’90 is president and chief fashion engineer of Enlighted Designs, Inc. She learned to sew at age 7 and installed miniature lights in her own dollhouse. She founded the business to create her own “dream job” as a light-up clothing designer. Her eclectic designs, which combine her lifelong interests of fashion, art and technology, are created for international clients, including professional entertainers in the music industry, as well as for applications in art, theater, dance, television, film and advertising. Janet is arguably the most prolific lighted clothing designer in the world.

1 Select a garment that is suitable for the occasion* • formal (suit jacket, tie, vest, evening dress) • casual (hat, scarf, sweater, pants, etc...) • Burning Man (bra, jockstrap, wings, alien exoskeleton)

2 Install LED lights or EL wire in the clothing in a

JANET COOKE HANSEN

stealthy manner: blending with the existing design, and concealing the supporting electronics.

3 Make sure you have fresh batteries. 4 Choose the proper moment and turn the piece on when you’re ready to light up the room.

5 Be prepared to pose for pictures!

* not recommended in situations where the attention should be focused on the bride, a film screening in progress, or someone else’s art installation.

SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

ALUMNI MUDDERINGS News and Events for HMC Alumni

2010 OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENTS

Experts in Cancer Research, Space Policy, Science Journalism Since 1999, the Alumni Association has honored accomplished alumni who have made significant contributions to humanity and society in the areas of community service, global contribution, and science and technology. They have received the association’s highest honor—the Outstanding Alumni Award. This year, three alumni were honored during Alumni Weekend on Saturday, May 1, 2010.

In 1985, he made the seminal observation that, in addition to reducing the recurrence rate of breast cancer in women being treated for breast cancer, tamoxifen can also prevent the occurrence of new contralateral tumors. Jack has also made valuable contributions to assessing the risk of developing breast cancer and to cancer screening, notably in cervical cancer. His published paper on the requirements for an effective screening program in 1986 changed United Kingdom screening processes which resulted in dramatic falls in mortality rates. He is the world leader in advocating human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for primary screening. Science Watch newsletter named him one of the world’s “hottest researchers” for 2005-2006. While at HMC, Jack served as co-president for ASHMC, and played on the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team from 1969 to 1970. He received a Henry Thomas Mudd Fellowship to complete a master’s program at the University of London. Jack was featured in the fall/winter 2009 issue of the HMC Bulletin article “Cancer with a Cure.” Since 1979, he has supported HMC student scholarships.

Jack Cuzick ’70 (mathematics) was recognized for his pioneering work on cancer prediction, detection and treatment. Jack runs the internationally renowned Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics at the Wolfson Institute in London. The department carries out research on many different cancer types, and is concerned with cancer prevention and screening, especially for breast, cervical and bowel cancers.

Cuzick is a leading epidemiologist working on screening and prevention of cancer. Over the past three decades, he has become a leading epidemiologist working on screening and prevention of cancer. He is internationally recognized for having played a major role in developing the field of chemoprevention of breast cancer.

Space Policy Advocate

KEVIN BURKE

World-renowned Cancer Researcher

Scott Pace ’80 (physics) will be recognized for his leadership in developing and promoting space and science policy. He is the director of the Space Policy Institute and a professor of the practice of international affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. His research interests include civil, commercial and national security space policy, and the management of technical innovation. From 2005 to 2008, he served as the associate administrator for program analysis and evaluation at NASA. His other posicontinued on page 25

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

ALUMNI MUDDERINGS

tions at NASA included chief technologist for space communications in NASA’s Office of Space Operations and deputy chief of staff to NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. Prior to NASA, Scott was the assistant director for space and aeronautics in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). There he was responsible for space and aviation-related issues and coordination of civil and commercial space issues through the Space Policy Coordinating Committee of the National Security Council. While at RAND Corporation’s Science and Technology Policy Institute (1993 to 2001), he was a key member of a successful international effort to preserve the radio navigation satellite spectrum, which occurred during the 1997 World Radio Communication Conference.

Pace was a key member of a successful international effort to preserve the radio navigation satellite spectrum.

KEVIN BURKE

Scott received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal (2008), the U.S. Department of State’s Group Superior Honor Award, GPS Interagency Team (2005), and the NASA Group Achievement Award, Columbia Accident Rapid Reaction Team (2004). He is a member of the board of trustees, Universities Space Research Association, and a corresponding member of the International Academy of Astronautics. Scott was featured in the fall 2005 edition of the HMC Bulletin, where he described how his HMC education prepared him for his career as an expert on space and science policy. He also contributed an article to the spring 2008 issue, “Sputnik + 50: New Challenges for NASA.” Scott has supported HMC student scholarships since 1980. Science Editor Phil Szuromi ’80 (chemistry) will be recognized for his contributions to science and his work in science journalism. Phil is a supervisory senior editor at Science, the prestigious weekly international journal of the American Association for the Advancement

of Science (AAAS). Hired in 1986 as part of a team to attract more physical sciences to the research journal section of the magazine, he has helped to increase the representation of these fields to a current level of 40 percent.

Szuromi has been instrumental in increasing the representation of the physical sciences in Science magazine. Phil now reviews papers in chemistry, physics and materials science, but over the years, he has also covered atmospheric science, biochemistry and structural biology. He also works in the Commentary section of the magazine, where he solicits and edits “Perspectives” pieces that highlight papers in Science or presents short overviews of recent research. He was elected an AAAS Fellow in Chemistry in 2004. He has published several papers on the catalytic chemistry (primarily alkane activation and Fischer-Tropsch reactions) performed on well-defined single-crystal surfaces under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. His areas of interest include chemistry, physics, materials science and atmospheric science. Phil received a Ph.D. in chemistry from Caltech in 1985, where, with Henry Weinberg, he focused on catalytic reactions of hydrocarbon molecules. He held a postdoctoral position with Ted Madey at National Institute of Standards and Technology, exploring Fischer-Tropsch reactions. Phil has regularly supported HMC student scholarships and was an invited speaker for the 2006 Dr. Bruce J. Nelson Distinguished Speaker Series. HMC Outstanding Alumni Award recipients are selected from your nominations and voted on by the Selections Committee of the HMC Alumni Association Board of Governors. To make or update a nomination, visit www.hmc.edu/about/administrativeoffices/ alumnirelations.html and select Outstanding Alumni Awards.

SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

ALUMNI MUDDERINGS Pre-Frosh Summer Send-off Events Alumni are invited to attend or host one of the Harvey Mudd College Pre-Frosh Summer Send-off events, designed to welcome new students and introduce them and their parents to some of the extended Mudd family in their area. They provide a friendly, casual opportunity to ask questions, make connections and alleviate any anxiety associated with starting that first year of college. Please join incoming first-year students, their families, current Mudders and their families at events around the country. Last year, events were held in northern and southern California, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Illinois, New HMC Pre-Frosh York, Minnesota and Summer Send-Off Arizona. Watch for more information via e-mail or regular mail, or contact us at parents@hmc.edu or 909.621.8342. Harvey Mudd Colleg e Pre-Frosh Summ designed to welcom er Send-off events e new students and are introduce them and parents to some of the extended Mudd their family in their area. a friendly, casual They opportunity to ask questions, make conne provide alleviate any anxiety ctions and associated with startin college. Please join g that ﬁrst year of incoming frosh, their families, curren Mudders and their families, and HMC t alumni for an annua tradition. l Mudd

Date: Saturday, July 25, 2009 | Time: 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Location: Lafayette, CO 80026

SummerSendOffCo

lo1.indd 1

Hosted by: Kaylin Spitz ’10 and her parents, Keith Spitz P10 and Susan Spitz P10 RSVP: parents@hm c.edu or 909.621.83 42 by Wednesday, July 22 If interested in attend ing a Pre-Frosh Event outside of this geogra please check out our phic area, website at www.hmc.e du/parents for inform ation.

KEVIN MAPP

6/30/09 8:52:53 AM

0 01 T2

R IO

G S

Giving a Gift of Thanks Members of the Senior Class Gift Committee were surprised to learn that tuition alone does not cover the education, research opportunities and extracurricular activities that all students receive and enjoy while attending HMC. When they realized that charitable gifts made by alumni, parents and friends to the Annual Fund provided the remaining critical support needed to complete their full educational experience, they felt compelled to create this theme for the senior class gift: “Who Should You Thank for Your Education?” By designating their gifts to the Annual Fund, and other areas of interest to them, seniors are taking their decision to give very seriously. The members of the Class of 2010 are not only generously donating to the college, but are also making gifts in honor of family, faculty, staff and friends—those who have impacted their experience at Mudd. We applaud the Class of 2010 as they enter into their alumni status and continue to raise support for the college through June 30. If you would like to join the Class of 2010 and help the college ensure that future generations of HMC students receive an outstanding educational experience, please make a gift to the Annual Fund today. Make a gift or fulfill your pledge online at hmc.edu/giveonline or call the Annual Fund Office at 909.621.8560 today. hmc.edu/giveonline

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

CLASS NOTES

1963

Bill Benkovsky recently returned from a 63-day cruise to the South Seas, Australia and New Zealand on Holland America cruise ship Amsterdam. He says he had a fantastic adventure.

1965

REUNION YEAR

As a research fellow studying fruit flies at California Institute of Technology, Nancy Petersen helped start a new research field studying stress proteins. Her research has continued at the University of Wyoming, where she is professor emerita of molecular biology. She studies how the proteins affect development and how they interact with proteins of the cell death pathway to allow survival under stress conditions. The proteins are highly conserved in all organisms, including humans.

Jay Rubin and his wife, Lori Palmer, retired from teaching in June 2009 and moved to Idyllwild, where they have a second home. They have joined the Idyllwild Master Chorale. Jay enjoys hiking the local mountains almost every day and says “life is good.”

1980

Craig Niederberger is currently working as Clarence C. Saelhof Professor and Chairman, Department of Urology, College of Medicine, and professor, Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is married to Karen Lewak (SCR ’85) and has two daughters. His daughter, Claire, is applying for college and Lia will be entering high school.

1983

Amanda Simpson began her new role in January as senior technical advisor in the Department of Commerce, a professional honor that highlights her accomplished career in military technology. Recently appointed by President Obama, she reports to the Under Secretary for Industry and Security where she will advise on policy with regard to exports of U.S. technology. Read more at www.hmc.edu/newsandevents/simpsonAppt10.html.

1988

1971

1977

1982

Chuck Dermer co-wrote the book “High Energy Radiation from Black Holes: Gamma Rays, Cosmic Rays, and Neutrinos,” with Govind Menon, a professor of physics at Troy University in Alabama. Chuck says, “In 500 pages or so of pretty dense theoretical astrophysics, we argue that black holes accelerate the highest energy particles and make the most luminous sources of high-energy radiation in nature.”

REUNION YEAR

Victoria Cagle says, “I’m still living in San Diego with my husband and two cats. My stepdaughter and granddaughter live a few miles away, so I’m learning about being a grandparent. Professionally, I’m lucky enough to still be doing physics, mostly electrostatics and plasma physics with applications to spacecraft.”

Craig Byrnes was selected as a Super Lawyer by Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine in his first year of eligibility. The Super Lawyer designation is awarded to only 5 percent of attorneys, and is given out through a peerand-panel-review process. Prior to this, Craig was selected a Rising Star Super Lawyer in 2006, 2007 and 2008. He received the award in the field of employment litigation–plaintiff. He is the owner of the Law Offices of Craig T. Brynes, which represents employees who have been wronged in the workplace.

George Douglas Green celebrated his tenth wedding anniversary in Italy last November. He says that they missed the floods in Venice by a day—had a bad feeling so they left early. Doug is off to Australia next so he can check off his sixth continent. He only had two when he started Mudd (North and South America). He is still trying to finagle his company to pay for a trip to Antarctica!

1990

REUNION YEAR

Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Lulejian received the Justice Department’s second highest award for employee performance, the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in January. Attorney General Eric Holder recognized 247 department employees for their distinguished public service at the 57th Annual Attorney General Awards Ceremony in October 2009. Read more at www.hmc.edu/newsandevents/lulejian10.html. Lisa Tamura is a project engineer at HDR Engineering, Inc. where she does community planning work as it relates to water distribution systems or wastewater collection systems (hydraulic computer modeling). For fun, she teaches basic and advanced taiko (Japanese drum art form) to adult students of Portland Taiko, an Asian American drum performance ensemble of which she is a performing member.

continued on page 28

SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

CLASS NOTES continued from page 27

1992

Douglas Pesak attended grad school at Michigan after HMC but was soon moved to Illinois after his adviser took a position there. In 1997, he received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry and took a position at Thiokol (now part of ATK). Douglas was a real rocket scientist for about four years, formulating thermoset resins for composite rocket cases. Soon after, he took the opportunity and moved back to his native Connecticut to work for Bedoukian Research as a process chemist in their R & D labs. He now spends his days trying to find economical routes to flavor and fragrance chemicals and insect pheromones. Outside of work, Douglas lives in Oxford, Conn., with his wife, Stacey, and their 5-year-old, Sarah, and 2-year-old, Aubree. If your travels ever take you to southwestern Connecticut, Douglas welcomes your visit.

1993

Zach Mason received his Ph.D. in computer science from Brandeis and is currently principal scientist at Efficient Frontier, a Silicon Valley start-up. He just published his first novel, “The Lost Books of the Odyssey” which has won prizes and was reviewed in the Los Angeles Times on March 15, 2009. Jennifer Nichols welcomed daughter Anna Louise into the family on July 3, 2009. She quickly wrapped her big brothers Joshua, 13, Timothy, 8, Nathan, 5, and her daddy, Mike Nichols ’90, around her tiny little finger.

1994

Marie Kao-Hsieh is living in North Potomac, Maryland. She is expecting her third child to join 8-year-old Natalie and 4-year-old Joey. Marie is working as a private practice dentist with current employer, Robert Kelly, D.D.S. and Associates. Her husband, Matthew, currently works as a staff clinician at NIH working on clinical trials/ research in blood stem cell transplant in sickle cell anemia. He was published in the Dec. 10, 2009 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

1995

REUNION YEAR

After a long slog through various bits of academia—the University of Washington, the Institute of Cancer Research in London, and UC Davis—and an abortive stint in the medical device industry, Susannah Bloch has found her true calling in a totally different arena. She is currently an editor/analyst of health care reports at the Government Accountability Office. She lives with her husband, Daniel Dulay, and daughter, Caroline (3 going on 17!).

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

1996

Nikki Bailey has been teaching for 14 years and still enjoys it. For the last seven years, she has worked at Long Beach Poly High School. She has two little boys, a 7-year-old and a 6-month-old. Abigail Brown-McLellan married Dan McLellan in June 2009. They live in San Diego, where Abby teaches math at Torrey Pines High School. Dan is the sportswriter for www.sandiego.com. Abby and Dan recently traveled to Europe and China. While there, Abby was a keynote speaker at several conferences where she discussed the work she and her students do using the computer software, Mathematica.

2000

REUNION YEAR

Megan Hall has, after two and a half years in London, returned stateside and to New York where she continues to work as a writer in a pharmaceutical advertising agency. Carissa Wecker Heinreich and her husband, Santosh, welcomed a daughter, Lorelei Grace, on Dec. 8, 2008. Carissa is currently on leave of absence from her position in project management at Boeing.

2002

Nathaniel Dirksen is a character technical director at PDI/Dreamworks. He reports that he is now setting up characters for “Shrek 4.” “We set up the skeleton that allows the character to move, define all of the controls the animators use to position them, set up muscles and skin so that it deforms in a believable fashion, and create simulations to give life to hair and clothing. So there’s a fair bit of math and quite a lot of coding, but also a strong artistic aspect,” he said. Nathaniel was a character technical director on “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa,” setting up a variety of characters and props. He prepared the setups for the lion manes for several characters. He and his wife, Jennifer (Sherman) Dirksen developed a new, visual and manipulative-based approach to introducing proofs to high school students called ProofBlocks. Nathaniel says, ”It’s in use in many schools in California already, and we’re still spreading the word! This year, Jenni is presenting it at National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ annual meeting, which is the largest and most prestigious national conference for math teachers.”

continued on page 29

CLASS NOTES Alumni Profile

RATED “R” FOR RAD Wedding save-the-date becomes online blockbuster

Photo

s pro

Written by RICH SMITH

here are storybook weddings, and then there are weddings that are story-boarded. The upcoming nuptials of Jeffrey Wong ’01 (engineering), and Erin Martin SCR ’02 (psychology) would at first blush appear to fall into the latter category, based on the faux-Hollywood movie trailer [www.jeffanderin.us/cinema] they created just to announce the big date. True, their cliche-satirizing send-up of those ubiquitous Motion Picture Association of America-approved film previews looks convincingly enough like the real thing to seem story-boarded, but, alas, it was not. “Nothing was really planned ahead of time,” says Jeff. “We would shoot some footage, come home and edit it, get more ideas, go out and shoot more footage. We had no idea what the final product was going to look like until there actually was a final product.” And what a product it is. It depicts, for instance: the couple’s grassy first encounter (wherein she catches his eye with a slow-motion back-and-forth flip of her hair to the strains of Hot Chocolate’s “You Sexy Thing”); their courtship (he pulls a bank heist to pay for the engagement ring); their map-traced travel plan from home in Sydney, Australia, to the marriage altar in Los Angeles (set to “Indiana Jones” theme music); and their shared ability to look cool in dark sunglasses (while strutting without a hint of alarm as a wall of flame floods toward them from behind). “We made this video for the benefit of our families and friends because it was a fun and creative way to show them who we are, give them a taste of our sense of humor, as well as our talents and hobbies,” Jeff explains. Originally, the couple intended to proclaim their wedding date (Oct. 9) with something simpler and less unconventional, but later opted for an “epic” spoof movie-trailer when Jeff bought a top-of-the-line still camera made by Canon (his employer in Sydney) to indulge his photography hobby. The 21.1-megapixel 5D Mark II can capture up to 4 gigabytes of high-definition video; because of that, Jeff decided to embrace his inner DeMille.

vided by

JEFF

They lensed the trailer themselves (with an occasional assist from a friend) at various Sydney locations. Most problematic was a scene in which Erin, sporting an eye patch, had to stroke a fluffy white cat held in her lap while swiveling slowly in a chair, a la the Bond villain Blofeld (the feline was uncooperative, forcing Jeff to repeatedly shout “Cut!”). Jeff later edited the jumble of amassed raw video into a slick, compelling yarn by using Adobe Premiere Pro software on his Windows Vista laptop. After that, he added narration supplied by a trained actor whose sonorous, suspenseful voice accurately mimics those heard in genuine trailers. That Jeff and Erin would endeavor such a project is understandable, since they share an abiding love of movies (and considering that Jeff had learned about video production techniques through the media studies program at HMC and Pitzer College). But not just movies. An item since late 2000, the pair have other interests in common: hiking, camping and world travel. Additionally, Jeff enjoys rock climbing, motorcycles and snowboarding. He’s also a master of multiple martial arts—skills Jeff gets to demonstrate in the save-the-date video. The video, incidentally, went viral less than three months after its online debut last November, with nearly one million YouTube views as of early March. However, apart from gaining tons of new friends the planet over, the trailer hasn’t much changed their lives or opened new career paths. Do they plan to next make a cinema-esque video of the wedding itself? “The sequel is never as good as the original,” Jeff demurs, “so we might just rest on our laurels for the trailer and leave it at that.” Rich Smith is a freelance writer based in River Pines, Calif.

SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

REY WON G

CLASS NOTES

John F. Silny and Robert J. Little ’06, along with Donald S. Remer, Oliver C. Field Professor of Engineering Economics, had a paper—“Economic Survey of the Monetary Value Placed on Human Life by Government Agencies in the United States”—accepted for publication in the prestigious Journal of Cost Analysis and Parametrics, a joint publication of The Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis and the International Society of Parametric Analysts. One of the major issues raised in the paper is that life is valued at different amounts by different government agencies. The authors argue that all agencies should use the same value in cost benefit analysis to be able to make comparisons across different agencies. John is now at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems in El Segundo, Calif., working on advanced electro-optical sensors for Earth and space observation. Robert is at Lockheed Martin Corporation, Space Systems Company working on GPS-III, the next generation of GPS satellites. Their research began as a term project when the two alumni were students in Remer’s Economics of Technical Enterprise course nearly five years ago. The three continued working on the project for the last few years including while Robert lived and worked overseas as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama.

2007

Amir Adibi is currently working as a patent prosecutor at Imperium Patent Works LLP, a small law firm in Pleasanton, Calif. He is attending Santa Clara Law School in the evening. Tracy Fox has moved back to her hometown, Northridge, Calif., and continues to work for Clarkston Consulting. She finished teaching a SQL (Structured Query Language)-based training course for newly hired technical SAP consultants. Last October, she was one of several Mudders who visited the Noah’s Ark exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center. Also attending were Annie Tan ’06, Kawika Maunupau ’06 and Arran McNabb ’06. As a wedding gift to her sister, Laurel Fullerton built a robot flower girl. “WeddingBot (or so I call it) was built for my sister, Allegra, since she didn’t know any young children to act as flower child or ring bearer. I had recently finished building a water-squirting remote-

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

controlled duck boat for a class (details at: www.stanford.edu/~laurelf/duck/ ) so she asked me to make her a remote-control robot that would spew flowers,” Laurel reported on Gizmodo.com. She says she designed and built the robot during an internship at Pocobor, a small mechatronics consulting company in San Francisco. Read the full story at http:// gizmodo.com/5447442/robot-flower-girl-looks-adorable-in-pink. Laurel (shown above, right) was one of several Tesla Motors employees to participate in driving Tesla’s all-electric roadster model 2,700 miles from Los Angeles to Detroit. She drove from Los Angeles to Tucson.The official website with the route, driver bios and photos can be found at www.teslamotors.com/roadtrip/

2009

Autumn Petros-Good is pursuing a degree in energy and resources from UC Berkeley, an interdisciplinary program that brings together engineering, science, policy, economics, and other disciplines to address large societal issues like energy, climate, water or food resources. She says, “It’s really awesome, and I’m pretty sure that it’s one of the ideal places for someone from Mudd. I’m taking classes on power systems engineering and the societal impacts of energy production, and I’m using my NSF grant to work on an investment model for incorporating renewable energy into the electric grid.” KEVIN MAPP

2005

continued on page 32

LAUREL FULLERTON

continued from page 29

CLASS NOTES Alumni Profile

A SHAKY START TO TEACHING IN CHILE

Photo

s pro

Earthquake means new career decisions for alumna

vided by

Elain e Sh aver

Written by AMY DERBedROSIAN

laine Shaver ’09 describes her life as a bit of an adventure lately, but that may be an understatement. When the massive 8.8 earthquake hit Chile on Feb. 27, Elaine was there. Elaine was a veteran of California tremors—as an undergraduate, she’d been in a basement robotics lab during a magnitude 6.0 earthquake—but even 200 miles away from the epicenter, she found the shaking in Chile impressive. The early-morning timing of the Chilean earthquake made it all the more startling. “I was staying in Santiago, the capital city, and was sound asleep when the quake hit,” Elaine reports. “It lasted about a minute before it got really strong, but, boy, then it got strong with a vengeance! My roommates and I ran outside to wait out the rest of it, and though we knew we’d just had a pretty big earthquake, we had no idea of its real strength or the scope of its impact.” Elaine had been due to begin teaching English at the Concepción, Chile, campus of DuocUC in four days. The institution founded by the Catholic University of Chile to provide technical, vocational, and professional education for university students, had hired her soon after she earned a certificate from the Boston Language Institute in teaching English as a foreign language. The earthquake put her plans on hold. Instead, Elaine remains in Santiago, where, she notes, “the damage really wasn’t as extensive as the news would have you believe, especially in my part of the city… It was difficult to comprehend how little damage there was, knowing that the magnitude of shaking we experienced in Santiago—estimated at around a 7.5—was the same or stronger than the quake that devastated Haiti so recently. It gave me a profound and tangible appreciation for sound structural engineering practices.”

On the afternoon of the earthquake, Elaine saw small piles of fallen brick and plaster in front of many buildings. More noticeable were the broken streetlights, whose shattered globes littered downtown sidewalks, and the badly damaged Museo de Bellas Artes (pictured above), which Elaine says is one of the city’s finest museums and housed in a “lovely old building.” As she surveyed the city that day and in the days that followed, Elaine was most aware of its silence. She explains, “People walked around in silence, still stunned, still taking stock of the damage. Shops were closed. The metro wasn’t running. There was a very powerful sense of national shock and loss that kept people inside and quiet.” Yet Elaine notes that Chileans started picking up the pieces very quickly, both literally and figuratively. Within a week of the earthquake, Chile held a national telethon that raised the equivalent of $30 million U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, the aftershocks have continued, including a magnitude 6.9 on March 11, a magnitude 6.7 on March 16, and several others with magnitudes greater than 5.0 more recently. A month after the earthquake, Shaver still didn’t know the extent of the damage at the Concepción campus where she had expected to teach; getting information from that area of Chile remained difficult. But DuocUC had quickly decided that no new teachers would be sent to Concepción for the next six months. Instead, the institution offered administrative positions to Shaver and others. Rather than using her skills as a computer science graduate to manage DuocUC’s website, Shaver opted to look for another position teaching English in Chile. With student enrollments lower nationwide after the earthquake, Shaver’s job search is challenging even in minimally damaged Santiago. Ultimately, Elaine wants to return to the United States to join Teach for America. She hopes her teaching assignment will take her back to sunny California. But that is her plan for 2011. She notes, “Before then, I’m a little up in the air.” Amy DerBedrosian is a freelance writer based in Berkeley, Calif. SPRING 2010

Harvey Mudd College

CLASS NOTES

HMC YEARBOOK

IN MEMORIAM Rick Biedenweg ’75, whose Pacific Partners Consulting Group served more than 225 universities and public institutions by forecasting their capital budget needs for deferred maintenance and forecasted facilities renewal, died suddenly at his home in Saratoga, Calif., at age 56, of a suspected cardiac arrest. He leaves his wife, Linda, and two adult children, Laura and Scott. Friend Robert E. Hutson of San Francisco State University wrote, “Funny, irreverent, whip-smart, enthusiastic and kind…A coach for the Odyssey of the Mind program, his team went to the national and international levels. Wine-maker, sailor, bridge champion, bowler, congregation leader, intrepid traveler, and teller of a hundred hilarious anecdotes…this is the man his friends mourn deeply.”

TESLA MOTORS

Andrew Ingram ’01, an electrical engineer at Tesla Motors of Palo Alto, died in a small-plane crash along with two other employees from Tesla, an electricvehicle manufacturer. Ingram, an employee at the company for two and a half years, “was passionate about electronics and exquisite audio systems, and was eager to lend a hand wherever it was needed, from marketing to manufacturing,” according to Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk. Andrew previously worked for Dolby Laboratories and Christie, Parker and Hale.

HMC YEARBOOK

continued from page 30

Charles Robbins ’63 died unexpectedly from a brain tumor in January 2009. Most of his professional life was spent with IBM, which afforded him the opportunity to live and work abroad in England and South Africa.After his retirement in 2005, he enjoyed summers in England and winters in San Francisco, which had been home base for the previous 20 years. Retirement included many activities—history, philosophy, literature courses, serious chess at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco, less-serious online chess, travel, playing with his grandson, playing slightly contentious bridge with his wife, and much more that made his time here rich and rewarding. He leaves a son, Todd, daughters, Diane and Bridget, and wife, Sallie. Jacob Wintersmith ’07 (formerly known as Jacob Pugh) passed away unexpectedly in February. A memorial was held on campus February 25. Jacob was a physics major, but completed a senior thesis with Andrew Bernoff, professor of mathematics, modeling fluid experiments, which resulted in two publications in physics journals. After HMC, Jacob began a doctoral program in applied mathematics at the University of New Mexico then transferred to Oregon State University, where he pursued physics and mathematics.

Harvey Mudd College Legacy Society A gift of stock is a convenient way to provide valuable support to Harvey Mudd College while minimizing the impact on cash flow. It will also qualify you for membership in the Legacy Society recognition group. If you are interested in making a gift of stocks, appreciated securities, or bonds, the Office of Planned Giving will assist you in obtaining the proper transmittal forms to facilitate your gift. Please contact us today at 909.607.0899 or legacy@hmc.edu.

HMC encourages you to seek the advice of your tax adviser, attorney and/or financial planner before considering any estate gift. Your personal circumstances will determine the best way for you to support Harvey Mudd College.

PLANNED GIVING Creating extraordinary opportunities Preserving HMC’s future Establishing your legacy Visit us online at www.hmc.edu/giving/waystogive/plannedgiving

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

SPRING 2010 Volume 9, No. 3 Produced by the Ofﬁce of Advancement Communications Senior Director, Advancement-Communications Judy Augsburger Director of College Relations, Senior Editor Stephanie L. Graham Graphic Design Janice Gilson, Michelle Baty Tania Owen, Jay Toffoli Director, Digital Marketing and Communications Leigh Devereaux, Ph. D.

Editorial Contributors Corrine Cho, Amy DerBedrosian, Elaine Regus, Rich Smith, Steven K. Wagner

First iPod winner Kim Espinoza ’00 is a dentist for the developmentally disabled and faculty member, University of New Mexico Medical School.

WILL VASTA

Vice President for College Advancement Marc Archambault

www.hmc.edu/hmcmagazine The Harvey Mudd College Bulletin (SSN 0276-0797) is published quarterly by Harvey Mudd College, Ofﬁce of College Relations, 301 Platt Boulevard, Claremont, CA 91711 www.hmc.edu Nonproﬁt Organization Periodicals Postage Paid at Claremont, CA 91711 Postmaster: Send address changes to Gift Processing, Advancement Services, Harvey Mudd College, 301 Platt Boulevard, Claremont, CA 91711 © 2010 Harvey Mudd College, all rights reserved. Harvey Mudd College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex (gender or gender identity), sexual orientation, age, marital status, religion, disability, national origin, ethnic origin, or prior military service in any of its policies, procedures and practices.

Make an Impact and Win! Since the HMC Impact Project Alumni Survey launched this past fall, nearly 1,200 alumni have participated in the effort. This means that over 20 percent of the total alumni body has responded to the survey. And we’re not done yet—all that is missing is your story! The survey will conclude on June 30, 2010. To ensure the best possible response rate, all survey participants will be entered in a drawing to win one of three iPod nanos*, and for the grand prize of a new iPad!** Visit www.hmc.edu/survey today to take the survey. It will only take a few minutes of your time and truly helps the college have a better understanding of the impact HMC alumni are making on the world. For information, contact hilary_dildine@hmc.edu.

And congratulations to everyone who won the HMC Maglights® (below) ! They were among the survey respondents during the month of December.

Mala Arthur ’82, Timothy Brengle ’79, Robert Browning ’67, Zajj Daugherty ’05, Katherine Footracer ’92, Christopher Kain ’07, William Lang ’73, David Lewis ’87, Benjamin Stanphill ’08 and Amelia White ’98. *Drawings for the iPods will take place at the end of April, May and June. **Drawing for the 16 GB Wi-Fi edition iPad will take place after June 30, 2010.

This magazine was printed in the USA by an FSC-certiﬁed printer that emits 0% VOC emissions, using 30% post-consumer recycled paper and soy based inks. By sustainably printing in this method we have saved… 6,533 lbs. of Wood – A total of 21 trees that supply enough oxygen for 11 people annually.

9,541 Gallons of Water – Enough water to take 554 eight-minute showers.

6 Million BTUs of Energy – Enough energy to power an average American household for 27 days.

1,981 lbs. of Emissions – Carbon sequestered by 23 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.

579 lbs. of Solid Waste – Trash thrown away by 125 people in a single day.

HARVEY MUDD COLLEGE MAGAZINE 301 Platt Boulevard • Claremont, CA 91711 • www.hmc.edu/hmcmagazine

Recycled

Harvey Mudd College

SPRING 2010

DERTH ADAMS

World-renowned lighted clothing designer Janet Cooke Hansen ’90 shows off one of her outfits. Inside, she and 13 other alumni will enlighten you with their expertise on a variety of topics (page 22).