THE SCENE
OUTSTANDING ALUMNI
VIRTUAL HONORS
Alumni Award Honorees 2021
FOR 42 YEARS , UC San Diego ’ s Alumni Awards have celebrated the distinguished work and personal accomplishments of Tritons who bring honor and distinction to our alumni ranks .
This year , the spirit and ceremony will live on virtually — join us on May 15 as we honor the following exceptional Tritons and take part in all that Alumni Celebration Weekend has to offer : see p . 56 for more and register today ! alumni . ucsd . edu / alumniawards
Franklin Antonio ’ 74 , Muir , Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Scientist , engineer and inventor — the career of Franklin Antonio ’ 74 culminates in his role as chief scientist at Qualcomm , where he has made transformational technology that touches all of our lives . His support of the Jacobs School of Engineering , including the forthcoming Franklin Antonio Hall , helps ensure that the next generation of Triton innovators can improve and enhance lives as well .
“ It ’ s been fun to watch the incredible growth and evolution of UC San Diego since my graduation . I ’ m privileged to be a small part of it .”
Jessica Meir , PhD ’ 09 , Marine Biology , Scripps Institution of Oceanography
An accomplished scientist , researcher and NASA astronaut , Jessica Meir , PhD ’ 09 , has brought scientific exploration to the most extreme environments on and off the planet Earth . A member of the first all-female spacewalk , Meir is also a tireless proponent of science education , committed to inspiring the next generation of curious minds .
“ Scripps taught me how to be a critical thinker , to conduct research efficiently , and most importantly , it taught me a lot about working with a team .”
12 TRITON | SPRING 2021