The News Journal ::: ALUMNI NEWS

First of all, I would like to thank the steering team for their participation over the last six months in the events that have been sponsored by the College of Chemistry and its Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Alumni Association. Their creative ideas and positive attitudes really add to the success of our events. Dean Charles B. Harris has been an asset to the organization as well. His affable character and dedication to the college have contributed to the many events that have taken place since he became dean.

I would like to take this opportunity to report on several events that have occurred since last October. The well-attended "AIChE Alumni and Friends Reception" was held on November 1 in Cincinnati, Ohio, hosted by chemical engineering chair
Alex Bell. The "Alumni of the G. N. Lewis Era" annual luncheon was held on Thursday, November 17, in the Heyns Room at The Faculty Club. Chemistry chair Michael Marletta was the invited speaker, and he gave a talk entitled "What do blood pressure, sexual function, your immune system and an environmental pollutant have in common? A strange juncture for chemistry and biology." His lively talk was well received by the alumni

The College of Engineering invited us to participate in their "Real World Engineering" program on February 2, 2006. Five alumni, including our former Chair of the Alumni Association, Steve Sciamanna (B.S. '79, Ph.D. '86, ChemE), participated on the chemical engineering panel. The other participants were Janet Wendorf (Ph.D. '04, ChemE), Habib Amin (Ph.D. '78, ChemE), Clint Holzwarth (B.S. '79, ChemE), and Keith Alexander (Ph.D. '83, ChemE). The panelists gave our current students valuable insights into the variety of career paths before them.

In early spring, on March 4, the "Cupola Era" alumni luncheon took place at The Faculty Club. It was extremely well attended by 73 alumni, faculty and staff. Professor Emeritus and Alumnus Howard Mel (B.S. '48, Ph.D. '54, Chem) gave a talk entitled "Wendell Latimer, Discovery and Tales from Old Gilman Hall." Everyone seemed to have a great time and to be intrigued by the history discussed.

Cal Day, a campus-wide open house for newly admitted students and their parents and the general community, was held on April 22. Two of our outstanding staff scientists, Mark Kubinec (Ph.D. '94, Chem) and Lonnie Martin, gave a demonstration titled "Molecules, Materials and Us" in Pimentel Hall. Following their demonstration, Associate Dean Herbert L. Strauss welcomed the students, their parents, and their questions.

College of Chemistry alumni celebrate with the graduating students at the Springfest celebration in The Faculty Club’s Great Hall. Shown here from left to right are: G.V. Basbas (B.S. '04, ChemE); Gordon Chu (B.S. '03, ChemE); David Brown (Ph.D. '93, Chem); R.P. Hohmann (B.S. '78, ChemE); Steve Sciamanna (B.S. '79, Ph.D. '86, ChemE); Mark Ellsworth (Ph.D. '93, Chem); Bill Buchan (B.S. '85, ChemE); Fred Lam (B.S. '83, ChemE); Charles Burch (B.S. '86, Chem); Curt Munson (B.S. '76, Ph.D. '85, ChemE); Irena Dragojevic (B.S. ’04, Chem); Bruce Stangeland (Ph.D. '67, ChemE).

It's that time of year to celebrate the College’s graduating students! Alumni, faculty and graduate students were invited to join the graduating students at a "Springfest" held on May 3 in the Great Hall at The Faculty Club. This event was similar to the very successful Oktoberfest held last fall at the Pyramid Brewery. It was a great opportunity to meet and congratulate our newest alumni.

Mark your calendars for the "ACS Alumni and Friends Reception" on September 11, 2006, in conjunction with the ACS National Meetings. This event will be held at The San Francisco City Club and will be hosted by the college. All college alumni are invited to this reception. This will be a wonderful occasion to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and do some networking.

The 2006 Annual AIChE Meeting will also be held in San Francisco this year. The chemical engineering department will host a complimentary "Alumni and Friends Reception" at one of the main conference hotels on November 14, 2006. Look for a separate mailing.

We are in the process of finalizing a very brief online questionnaire that will be sent to your email address. Please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire and let us know types of programs, events and venues you would like the association to sponsor. If you aren't sure that our alumni relations office has your current email address, contact Camille Olufson, and she can update your information.

We have some exciting social gatherings and programs coming up, and I hope to see many of you there. As members of the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Alumni Association steering team, we value Cal and we volunteer our time because we want to give something back to the university for the positive experiences we had during our time there.

I encourage folks to join the College's alumni association and @cal (Berkeley’s online community). I would also emphasize to alumni the importance of signing up as career networkers. This is a great forum for students to access the plentiful expertise of former Cal students.