1992
30th REUNION It ’ s coming up at Homecoming 2021 this October ! To learn more and be a part , email Jenelle Dean ’ 05 at jmdean @ ucsd . edu
1994
Erika Beck , Marshall , PhD , was named president of Cal State Northridge . She was previously the president of Cal State Channel Islands , where she was credited with increasing the school ’ s graduation rates .
Alondra Nelson , Marshall , was appointed to the newly created role of deputy director for science and society at the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Biden Administration . She is president of the Social Science Research Council and Harold F . Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton . View her appearance at the Triton Leaders Conference at : tritonmag . com / TLC2021
1995
Cindy Marten , MA , superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District , has been nominated by the Biden Administration for the role of deputy secretary of education .
Marisa ( Matherne ) Reichardt , Muir , released her third novel , A Shot at Normal , published by Farrar , Straus and Gilroux , in February 2021 . The story follows a 16-year-old girl who , after contracting the measles , fights her antivaxxer parents for the right to be vaccinated .
1996
Adam Burgasser , Muir , a UC San Diego physics professor and former Triton diver , was a recipient of the 2021 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award , which is selected by representatives of NCAA member schools and conferences , based on a former athlete ’ s collegiate and professional achievements . Burgasser is the first former scholarathlete in UC San Diego ' s history to receive this award .
1997
25th REUNION It ’ s coming up at Homecoming 2021 this October ! To learn more and be a part , email Jenelle Dean ’ 05 at jmdean @ ucsd . edu
Frank N . Lieggi , Revelle , is CEO of Gold Merchant , a pure gold bullion bars and coins dealer ; CEO of Domani Investments , a portfolio management advisory ; and director of Sunrise Prep , a tutoring and test preparation center in Irvine , Calif .
Learning to Fly
I WAS STILL in graduate school when I was selected to be an astronaut , so I came to NASA fresh out of UC San Diego . I suddenly found myself surrounded by classmates , some of whom had many years of operational experience in the military . It was very much drinking from the fire hose right from the get-go : lots and lots of information about the space shuttle systems , the space station systems , all of it taught with an operational philosophy : “ How do we operate spacecraft ? Operate robotic arms ? Operate extravehicular mobility suits ? How do we do these dangerous things and do them well and efficiently ?”
We have training programs for that , obviously , but I also learned a lot from my classmates and crewmates . It ’ s an evolving process , learning how to do these big , bold endeavors , and it ’ s something at which you can always get better . We fly T-38 jets , for instance , to experience an operational environment on a regular basis and become comfortable making decisions in a rapidly changing situation . And of course , there are the many simulations of the space missions that we do , with different variables and challenges .
In many ways , it reminds me of my time at Scripps Institution of Oceanography , especially when it came to ocean-going research . In that environment , too , you ’ re operating in conditions that can potentially be dangerous , deploying instruments or collecting samples for research , or especially with scuba diving — where you have to be keenly aware of your environment and how to operate safely . I was very appreciative that I got to learn those things from the people at Scripps , many of whom had been doing it for years and years .
So after 20 years at NASA , now I ’ m one of those people who have been doing it for years . And I have to say , the biggest thing I have learned here is just being ready to always be learning . To show up always ready to do what you do , but do it better . It doesn ’ t matter how long you ’ ve been at it , tomorrow is always new , and there ’ s always something more to learn .
Megan McArthur , PhD ’ 02 , is commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station , which is scheduled to launch in April 2021 and return in fall 2021 .
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