caltech | 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients in Conversation @caltech | Uploaded 10 months ago | Updated 1 day ago
Join the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients in conversation with former DAA recipient Sandra Tsing Loh (BS 83).
The Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA)Caltechs highest honor for alumniis presented this year to four alumni who, because of both personal commitment and professional contributions, have made remarkable impacts in a field, on the community, or in society more broadly.
The 2023 class of DAAs comprises Nader Engheta (MS 79, PhD 82), Karen Maples (BS 76), Eugene Myers (BS 75), and Kenneth Suslick (BS 74).
This years Distinguished Alumni have contributed to society in diverse ways, spanning optical science, bioinformatics, sonochemistry, and medicine, all serving as role models and mentors for peers and succeeding generations, says Caltech president Thomas F. Rosenbaum, the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and professor of physics. They demonstrate how the Caltech academic experience nurtures original thinking across disciplines to transform our understanding and experience of the world.
Nader Engheta (MS 79, PhD 82), the H. Nedwill Ramsey Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, is recognized for his pioneering advancements in optics, including optical nanocircuits and metamaterials, which have brought a new understanding to how light and materials interact at the nanoscale.
Karen Maples, MD (BS 76), who served as an obstetrician and gynecologist at Kaiser Permanente for 38 years, is recognized for her trailblazing role as one of the first Black female undergraduates at Caltech, and for her outstanding accomplishments as an obstetrician, which include delivering the worlds first surviving octuplets.
Eugene Myers (BS 75), director of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Germany, is recognized for his transformative impact on the field of bioinformatics. He created the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) that revolutionized biological sequencing and continues to be used by scientists throughout the world, and later developed a whole-genome shotgun method that helped map the human genome.
Kenneth Suslick (BS 74), the Marvin T. Schmidt Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is recognized for profound contributions to sonochemistry (the study of chemical reactions powered by high-frequency sound waves) and chemical sensing, which have advanced the field of medical imaging and facilitated lifesaving treatments for cancer and sepsis patients. He is also recognized for his recent achievements in the development of sensors that can detect odors and toxic gasses and have the potential to protect human lives and the environment.
For more information about Caltech's Distinguished Alumni Award and this year's recipients, please visit: https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/daa#current-daa
Join the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients in conversation with former DAA recipient Sandra Tsing Loh (BS 83).
The Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA)Caltechs highest honor for alumniis presented this year to four alumni who, because of both personal commitment and professional contributions, have made remarkable impacts in a field, on the community, or in society more broadly.
The 2023 class of DAAs comprises Nader Engheta (MS 79, PhD 82), Karen Maples (BS 76), Eugene Myers (BS 75), and Kenneth Suslick (BS 74).
This years Distinguished Alumni have contributed to society in diverse ways, spanning optical science, bioinformatics, sonochemistry, and medicine, all serving as role models and mentors for peers and succeeding generations, says Caltech president Thomas F. Rosenbaum, the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and professor of physics. They demonstrate how the Caltech academic experience nurtures original thinking across disciplines to transform our understanding and experience of the world.
Nader Engheta (MS 79, PhD 82), the H. Nedwill Ramsey Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, is recognized for his pioneering advancements in optics, including optical nanocircuits and metamaterials, which have brought a new understanding to how light and materials interact at the nanoscale.
Karen Maples, MD (BS 76), who served as an obstetrician and gynecologist at Kaiser Permanente for 38 years, is recognized for her trailblazing role as one of the first Black female undergraduates at Caltech, and for her outstanding accomplishments as an obstetrician, which include delivering the worlds first surviving octuplets.
Eugene Myers (BS 75), director of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Germany, is recognized for his transformative impact on the field of bioinformatics. He created the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) that revolutionized biological sequencing and continues to be used by scientists throughout the world, and later developed a whole-genome shotgun method that helped map the human genome.
Kenneth Suslick (BS 74), the Marvin T. Schmidt Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is recognized for profound contributions to sonochemistry (the study of chemical reactions powered by high-frequency sound waves) and chemical sensing, which have advanced the field of medical imaging and facilitated lifesaving treatments for cancer and sepsis patients. He is also recognized for his recent achievements in the development of sensors that can detect odors and toxic gasses and have the potential to protect human lives and the environment.
For more information about Caltech's Distinguished Alumni Award and this year's recipients, please visit: https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/daa#current-daa
