Alumni News
Dervan Group Caltech Alumni Reunion
The Dervan group Caltech alumni organized a Symposium honoring the 80th birthday of Peter B Dervan through a session devoted to celebrating his scientific and educational legacy across the fields of biologic and organic chemistry. This full day symposium, held Monday March 24, 2025, was sponsored by three Divisions: BIOL, MEDI, ORGN.
Research talks were given by Sam Gellman, Eric Kool, Marc Greenberg, Simon Friedman, Dan Harki, Yitzhak Tor, Erick Carreira, Amanda Hargrove, Tadhg Begley, Laura Kiessling, Anna Mapp, Milan Mrksich, David Chenoweth, Bobby Arora, Alanna Schepartz, Clay Wang, Mark Distefano, Peter Schultz.
The Symposium was followed by a CCE Reception and Dinner for the speakers at the Hard Rock Hotel. Additional Dervan Caltech alumni attending were Bill Hinsberg, John and Linda Griffin, JJ Kang, Adam Urbach, Brenda Baker, Warren Wade, Fei Yang, Alexis Kurmis, Ray Doss, Thomas Martinez, Jerzy Szablowski, Nick Nichols, Jason Belitsky, Darren Magda, Mike Van Dyke, and Brent Iverson.
Caltech faculty and friends of the Dervan alums dropped by the reception including Jackie Barton, Cathy Murphy, Chad Mirkin, Phil Dawson, Jeffrey Kelly, Brian and Erma Stoltz, Dennis and Ellen Dougherty, Johannes Morstein, Frances Arnold, and Sarah Reisman.
Alumni Seminar Day 2025
On Saturday, May 17 the Caltech community from around the world joined to learn about the latest research and discoveries from Caltech faculty, alumni, and current students across various fields of science, technology, engineering, and more during Alumni Seminar Day.
Among the various speakers was Professor Sujit Datta who presented his talk titled, "Squishy Engineering: Using Soft Materials to Solve Hard Problems" in the Beckman Auditorium.
Patryk Kozlowski (BS '24) Receives Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship For New Americans
Kozlowski is the son of Polish immigrants. Inspired by his first-year chemistry class at Caltech, Kozlowski worked in the lab of Ryan Hadt, assistant professor of chemistry, and was a co-author on a paper published in The Journal of Chemical Physics. He then pursued an interest in quantum chemistry with Garnet Chan, Bren Professor of Chemistry and director of the Rudolph A. Marcus Center for Theoretical Chemistry. Kozlowski worked remotely for Chan's lab during the COVID-19 pandemic developing simulations of catalysis, which have the potential to produce chemicals in a sustainable fashion.
During his third year, Kozlowski suffered a stroke and was diagnosed with leukemia. He took a medical leave for two years and returned to complete his BS degree at Caltech. Kozlowski is now a PhD student at Harvard, where he uses computational tools to search for materials that could be useful in a range of technologies, including improved solar panels.