Alumni faculty profile: Olivia Graeve

It’s no secret that UC San Diego’s reputation as a top-ranked university is a major draw for prospective students—but it’s also pulling many graduates back to campus to serve as members of the faculty. In classrooms and labs across the university, our alumni are leading new directions in research and helping to train the next generation of innovators.

“We’re proud to have so many talented graduates who return to campus as faculty members, bringing with them fresh thinking that enriches our academic community,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “UC San Diego is ranked the 15th best university in the world, a testament to our faculty and students.”

 Olivia Graeve is a professor of mechanical engineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering and a proud native of the San Diego-Tijuana region. She grew up in Tijuana and attended Southwestern Community College before transferring to UC San Diego to study structural engineering. As an undergraduate, she worked in the lab of Professor Joanna McKittrick and saw first-hand what it takes to run a research laboratory.

“The experience put me on an excellent path toward the professoriate,” she said.

Graeve is working on developing materials that can withstand extreme impacts and are faster and more cost-effective to manufacture. Earlier this year, her lab developed a record-breaking steel alloy—a material that could be used for everything from drill bits, to body armor for soldiers, to meteor-resistant casing for satellites.

Graeve held faculty positions at the University of Nevada, Reno and Alfred University in New York before joining the UC San Diego faculty. Reflecting on how the campus has changed since she was a student, Graeve says that UC San Diego is bigger and better, with more opportunities for students, staff and faculty.

Today, she’s doing her part to ensure the university continues on its upward trajectory. Graeve leads a number of outreach programs for underrepresented students on both sides of the border. She also serves as director of the CaliBaja Center for Resilient Materials and Systems, which brings together researchers across the San Diego-Tijuana region.

“The opportunity to serve my alma mater and the region in which I grew up is something that is very important to me,” said Graeve. “Coming back to UC San Diego was coming home. Who would not want to be home?”

Event helps girls envision a career in science and engineering

More than 150 girls from San Diego middle and high schools came together Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, at the Jacobs School of Engineering for Envision, an outreach event organized by the Society of Women Engineers and the school's IDEA Student Center. 

“It’s common for girls to lose interest in math and science by the time they reach high school, and the idea of entering the engineering field can be daunting due to the historical under representation of women,” said Christina Aguila, who holds the outreach chair for SWE.

“It’s because of these setbacks that we set aside a day for high school girls to explore their interests in a safe, comfortable learning environment.”

The young women toured the UC San Diego engineering laboratories, heard from faculty and industry speakers, and participated in engineering exploration and robot building activities.

Using a 6-in-1 educational solar kit, the girls had the option to build a mini-rover, dog, boat, windmill, or two different types of planes, all powered by a small solar panel.

Then, based on the interests listed on their registration forms, the participants were divided into three groups for the engineering exploration activities. One group worked on html coding, one learned about CAD and the last group helped to assemble prosthetic hands.
 

 The assembled hands were returned to Helping Hands, a company that creates the kits and then distributes the completed products to amputees.

Creating a Community for Incoming Freshmen

They learned slacklining on the beach. They built structures out of KNEX and got to test them on a miniature shake table. They built towers out of spaghetti and marshmallow. But more importantly, they met people who will become their best friends over the next four years.

Dozens of incoming freshmen who are IDEA Scholars took part in the Summer Pre-Engineering Program (PrEP) organized by the IDEA Student Center. The program's goals include fostering a sense of community; preparing incoming students academically; smoothing the transition between high school and college; building awareness of campus programs and resources; and inspiring students.

This year's program for incoming freshmen took place July 30 to Aug. 3. Some pictures of the fun below.
Next up are incoming transfer students, who will take part in a shorter program Aug. 14 to 16.

Junkyard Derby, Rain or Shine

The big storm system that drenched most of San Diego County didn't stop 46 teams from taking part in this year's Junkyard Derby May 6 on Peterson Hill. This year's winners were team Premium Motion. Some pictures of the, sometimes rainy, fun below. Photos: TESC/Sam Sun