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Alumni Edition         
 March 2011

Greetings!

Alumni Weekend is a month away, and the excitement is building! If you are planning to come to Claremont, there are two weeks left to take advantage of the Early Registration Discount. Also, check out the special Alumni Weekend 2011 Facebook page, where you'll find photos and short videos from Alumni Weekends past.

We're getting great response from the many regional events we've held recently. Our Northern California event drew over 100 people! We look forward to the possibility of seeing you at one in your area. Dean Cave will speak in La Jolla on Thursday, April 7, and President Maria Klawe hosts a reception for alumni and parents in Boston on April 6.
 
We look forward to welcoming you back to campus sometime soon-- perhaps at Alumni Weekend, at an Annenberg lecture or at an upcoming regional event.

 

With best regards,

James A. Jacobs
Director, Alumni and Parent Relations

jim_jacobs@hmc.edu or 909.621.8557 (direct line)


Gates Experiences Mudd Ingenuity, Community
Students and faculty showcase projects 
Bill Gates views HMC student presentation

Prof. Tom Donnelly, Brendan Folie '11,
Bill Gates

Students and faculty enjoyed the undivided attention of computer scientist and philanthropist Bill Gates Thursday, March 10. Gates spent four hours on the HMC campus having a casual lunch with students, meeting with President Maria Klawe and listening to faculty and student research presentations.


READ MORE, VIEW VIDEO 

XBox Expert, Communications Specialist to Conclude Annenberg Speaker Series
The Annenberg Leadership and Management Speaker Series will conclude in April with two talks by top leaders in their fields.

Robbie BachAPRIL 12- Robbie Bach (now retired) drove Microsoft's multi-screen entertainment vision as president of the Entertainment & Devices (E&D) Division. He managed the global launches of Xbox and Xbox 360 in his dual role as chief Xbox officer and head of the Home and Entertainment Group. He currently serves as chairman of the National Board of Governors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Julie ShimerAPRIL 19- Julie Shimer is president and chief executive officer of Welch Allyn, a leading manufacturer of frontline medical products and solutions. She was formerly president and CEO of Vocera Communications, Inc., a leading wireless communications company, and held executive positions at 3Com Corporation, Motorola, AT&T Bell Laboratories and Bethlehem Steel Company.

 

R.S.V.P.s are encouraged. Call 909.621.8335 or e-mail Valri Ulmer.

 

MORE ON THE ANNENBERG SERIES

 

Scholar, Technologist Join Board of Trustees

James Bean, Tayloe StansburyThe HMC Board of Trustees recently approved the appointment of two new members who will join 35 other board members to direct the policies and funds of the College.

 

James Bean '77 is the senior vice president and provost at the University of Oregon. He was formerly the Harry B. Miller professor and dean of the Lundquist College of Business at Oregon and spent 24 years at the University of Michigan. A recent winner of the George E. Kimball medal, Bean serves on the regional board for U.S. Bank and is chair-elect of the Arts and Business Alliance of Eugene.

 

Tayloe Stansbury is senior vice president and chief technology officer of Intuit, responsible for all product development. He has more than 27 years of experience in the software industry, most recently as chief information officer of VMware, with responsibility for information technology and research and development shared services. He has held executive engineering and general management roles at Calico Commerce and Xerox.


READ MORE

 

FACULTY NEWS  
Local Neighborhood Watch Gets Boost from Study
Haynes Foundation awards grant to Debra Mashek 

 

Debra Mashek

Debra Mashek

Neighborhood Watch programs are known to be effective in reducing the incidence of crime. But how can more participation be encouraged? Iris and Howard Critchell Assistant Professor of Psychology Debra Mashek has been awarded a Faculty Fellowship from the Los Angeles-based Haynes Foundation to study strategies for motivating participation in Neighborhood Watch programs in Pomona, Calif.

 

READ MORE 

HMC Encourages Girls to Learn about STEM

Talithia Williams at Sacred SISTAHS event 3/26/11 

The first Sacred SISTAHS math and science conference, held on March 26, focused on empowering young African American girls by introducing them to successful academic and professional role models. "My desire is that they will begin to imagine themselves in our positions in the future," said keynote speaker Talithia Williams, assistant professor of mathematics at HMC, shown far right.


READ MORE  

 

STUDENT NEWS  

Excellent Showing in Putnam Competition 

HMC outranks all but five schools in Top-200 results 

 

One team in the Top 25. Seven students in the Top 200. HMC once again had a strong showing in the annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition.

Thirty-nine HMC students took the challenging six-hour exam, which requires a unique blend of cleverness and problem-solving skills.  Nationwide 4,296 students competed, and, this year, the median score was 2 out of a total of 120 points. In the team competition, Palmer Mebane '12, Jennifer Iglesias '12 and Peter Fedak '13 placed 21st (out of 546 universities). Only five other schools (Harvard, MIT, Caltech, Stanford and Waterloo) could claim more students in the Top 200.

 

READ MORE  

Mudders Make Splash at Division III Championships 

Devin Bowers, Jenni Rinker and Vincent Pai earn All-American honors 


Rinker, Pai, Bowers, HMC swimmersMudders contributed to the solid performances of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) men's and women's swim teams at the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships in Knoxville, Tenn., held Mar. 26. This was the sixth straight top 15 finish for the women and the eighth in the last 10 years. The men's finish was their highest since 1999.

The Athenas added a fourth All-American relay in the final two days as the 400 free relay team of Helen Liu, Emma Jones, Jenni Rinker '11 and Michele Kee finished seventh. Rinker, who competed all four years, has qualified for the national meet each year. The Athenas finished 7-2 overall and are SCIAC champions.

 

The Stags had two All-American performances, including one by Vincent Pai '12, who finished third in the 200 breaststroke. Pai, who was unable to compete in last year's final SCIAC competition due to injury, also earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in the 100 breaststroke. Honorable Mention All-American honors were also earned by the 800 free relay team of Blake Weber, Nick Ostreim, Jeff McNerney and Devin Bowers '13, which set the CMS record with a time of 6:46.94.  The Stags finished 6-3 overall and are SCIAC champions. 

 

READ MORE

 

Intuit Brings "IdeaJam" to the 5-Cs 

In seeking to build a recruiting pipeline within The Claremont Colleges, Intuit initiated a cross-functional, 5-C "dream team" for the first-ever "IdeaJam" at the undergraduate colleges. IdeaJams bring together creative people to harness their energy and innovation on a specific issue. Three Mudders--Matt McDermott '14, David Lingenbrink '14 and Logan Kroloff '13--participated in the challenge to help Intuit determine how to increase use of its GoPayment software. Kroloff and his teammates from CMC were chosen as one of the top three teams. 

  

READ MORE

 

 MISSION STATEMENT

Harvey Mudd College seeks to educate engineers, scientists, and mathematicians, well versed in all of these areas and in the humanities and the social sciences so that they may assume leadership in their fields with a clear understanding of the impact of their work on society.

  1. Innovation, Leadership, and Impact, Especially in Engineering, Science and Mathematics
  2. Focus on Experiential and Interdisciplinary Learning
  3. Unsurpassed Excellence and Diversity at All Levels
  4. Nurturing and Developing the Whole Person
  5. Global Engagement and Informed Contributions to Society
  6. Improvement of Infrastructure and Resources to Support HMC's Commitment to Excellence and Building Community
If you have any difficulty viewing this e-mail or our website, or have any feedback for us on this e-mail, please contact us at alumni@hmc.edu.

E-newsletter produced by the Office of Communications, communications@hmc.edu

In This Issue
Gates Experiences Mudd Ingenuity, Community
April Annenberg Speakers
Scholar, Technologist Join Board of Trustees
Local Neighborhood Watch Gets Boost from Study
HMC Encourages Girls to Learn about STEM
Excellent Showing in Putnam Competition
Mudders Make Splash at Division III Championships
Intuit Brings "IdeaJam" to the 5-Cs
HMC Receives Another Best Value Nod
20 Mudders, One Wheel; Donut Man Event
Physics on the Edge Series Videos
Upcoming Events
 

Faculty Provide Expert Insight on Japanese Disaster 

A magnitude 9 earthquake cannot happen in Southern California, explained physics Professor Greg Lyzenga '75 during a special forum March 25 on campus. During the talk, "The Japanese Disaster: A Primer for the Public on Geophysics and Radioactivity," Lyzenga discussed how California's seismic activity differs from Japan's and reviewed the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Peter Saeta, professor of physics, discussed the basics of nuclear power and the challenges facing the Japanese as they seek to regain control of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

 

VIEW TALK

 
HMC a Best Value, Princeton Review

HMC Receives Another Best Value Nod 

 

Harvey Mudd College has been named one of the nation's 50 "Best Value" private colleges and universities according to The Princeton Review, a well-known education services company. The Princeton Review Best Value Colleges for 2011 were reported Feb. 22 on the USA TODAY and Princeton Review websites.

 

READ MORE
 
HMC unicycles

20 Mudders,
One Wheel  

 

About 20 fearless and well-balanced unicyclists, both current students and alumni, will make the annual pilgrimage to Donut Man/Foster's in Glendora Apr. 2, 8 a.m. To join the fun or to help, contact gonzo-unicycle-l@hmc.edu.


GONZO UNICYCLE MADNESS WEBSITE  
 
Physics on the Edge, Vatche Sahakian

Physics
on the Edge...
of Philosophy
 

 

Modern physics has raised many philosophical questions that challenge our notions of existence, time and infinity. In a series of five lectures, Vatche Sahakian (Physics Department, Harvey Mudd College) and Julie Sushytska (Philosophy Department, University of Redlands) discussed recent discoveries in cosmology, astrophysics, string theory, particle physics and quantum physics--while reflecting upon their philosophical implications. All talks are now available for viewing.
 

VIEW PHYSICS AND PHILOSOPHY VIDEOS  
 

UPCOMING EVENTS

  

RECEPTION WITH PRESIDENT KLAWE

Wednesday, Apr. 6

Boston

______ 

 

RECEPTION WITH DEAN OF FACULTY ROBERT CAVE 

Thursday, Apr. 7 

San Diego

______  

 

RECEPTION WITH CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR JERRY VAN HECKE '61  

Friday, Apr. 8  

Princeton, N.J.
______  

 

7-C NETWORKING EVENTS 

� Tuesday, Apr. 5 

Sacramento 

� Tuesday, Apr. 12 

San Francisco 

______ 

 

ALUMNI WEEKEND 

Apr. 29-May 1 

Claremont 

______

 

COMMENCEMENT

Sunday, May 15 

Claremont

______ 

 

MUDD DESIGN WORKSHOP 

May 26-28

Claremont 

______ 

  

Event inquiries:  

alumni@hmc.edu  


 

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