Key contacts, experiences and influences have affected these graduates in remarkable ways.

Out-of-this-World Send-off
Nadia Abuelezam ’09 of San Mateo, Calif., a mathematical biology graduate, is interested in the mathematical modeling of infectious diseases. She spent one summer working with The AIDS Support Organization in Uganda, Africa, where she worked on improving the efficiency of the organization’s HIV/AIDS clinics and centers by optimizing their anti-retroviral drug distribution. At Commencement, Abuelezam earned high distinction honors and departmental honors (biology, humanities, social sciences and the arts, and mathematics). She plans to pursue a doctoral degree in epidemiology after HMC and conduct field work with major international health organizations such as UNAIDS and the World Health Organization.

In May, just before Commencement, Abuelezam was able to attend the Astronaut Hall of Fame induction ceremony at which astronaut George “Pinky” Nelson ’87 was honored (See page 37). A 2008-09 Astronaut Scholar, Abuelezam describes the weekend as a “life-changing experience.”

Scholar Meeting | [The other Astronaut Scholars] were intellectuals from across the United States, and we each carried something from our hometown to share with the others…My favorite part of the tour was being able to see two shuttles on both launch pads at the same time, something I am told will never happen again, since the shuttle program is ending in 2010.

Key Connections | At an amazing dinner, I sat at a table with Jim Long, one of the main donors to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, and Bob Griffin, an Astronaut Hall of Fame member. We also had breakfast with the astronauts, and I sat at a table with Buzz Aldrin! We talked about Harvey Mudd and how his grandson applied to the school. At the Astronaut Hall of Fame Gala, I sat at a table with the extended family of Jim Wetherbee, an Astronaut Hall of Fame inductee. They were thrilled to find out I was a scholar and were extremely interested in my research, my time in Uganda and my personal background.

Also attending were the three other Mudders— inductee, George “Pinky” Nelson ’72, Robert Panish ’06 (2007-08 Astronaut Scholar), and Ellen Martin Karl ’87. My favorite part of the night was Pinky talking to me about my research. Here we are at this gala honoring him and he insists on talking to me, an insignificant undergrad, about my work in epidemiology. I was on cloud nine.

Lasting impression | Seeing Pinky being inducted to the Hall of Fame, and knowing that a Mudder was able to go into space and make a difference in space exploration was motivational and inspirational. I now know I can do whatever I want having left this place. It is an amazing feeling.

A New Worldview
International student Anton Bakalov ’09 came to HMC from Dimitrovgrad, southern Bulgaria. Bakalov earned departmental honors, graduated with high distinction and was a member of a team that earned the Computer Science Department Outstanding Clinic Project Award. Their work involved developing an automated system for increasing collaboration in corporate environments for Fair Isaac Corporation. Commencement was the culmination of four amazing years, said Bakalov, but not the only memorable experience for this computer science major.

You’ve Got New Mail | I heard about the internship at Microsoft Research India from an e-mail that President Maria Klawe sent to all students. Quite a few of the projects sounded very interesting to me, so I decided to apply. I had the pleasure to work with renowned researchers on two very interesting projects in the area of artificial intelligence. The first one was about extracting name entities from text, and the second one focused on improving cross-language information retrieval (i.e., using a query written in one language to retrieve information in another language). Furthermore, I got familiar with the fascinating culture of India—their cuisine, music, customs and languages. I had the chance to travel in the country and, no matter where I went, the people were very nice and welcoming. I was very impressed.

Prepared for Anything | The rigorous curriculum at HMC prepared me very well for the Microsoft internship. Every class that I have taken is aimed to teach students critical thinking and problem solving skills, which are of crucial importance for being a good researcher. The research projects at HMC that I took part in also helped me develop these skills. For example, during the summer of 2007, I worked with Professor Christine Alvarado (computer science) to construct a system capable of recognizing and simulating diagrams of digital logical circuits from user sketches on a tablet PC. HMC is one of the few institutions in the U.S. that gives their undergraduates the opportunity to get involved in research projects throughout the year.

I was privileged to obtain one of the best educations in the world, to meet incredibly smart and friendly students, and to be taught by outstanding professors.

Past and Future | Computer science and math captured my interest at an early age, and my fascination with these two subjects has grown ever since. That’s why I am going to University of Massachusetts Amherst to pursue a Ph.D. degree in machine learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence that involves a significant number of mathematical ideas. My future aspirations include becoming a researcher. This field offers intellectual freedom, the most interesting intellectual challenges and, ultimately, the opportunity to shape the future.

Now I See
Graduating from Mudd with distinction is already quite a feat, but adding in brain surgery is an experience that not too many can call their own. For engineering major Jonathan Lake ’09, the past academic year has been a life-changing one, to say the least. He suffered from odd symptoms, was diagnosed, had neurosurgery and seamlessly returned to campus to finish off his senior year. He acknowledged that he is much changed by the event.

First Signs | I first recognized strange symptoms after returning from a study abroad program in Madrid, Spain, last summer. I became easily tired after completing small tasks. Weeks of fatigue eventually led to headaches, and once I had a tingling sensation in my left arm while surfing at Venice Beach. Because the symptoms were intermittent, I still never considered that it was anything that serious and thought these episodes would eventually go away. In September 2008, while sitting in class, I went temporarily blind while I was perfectly conscious. I couldn’t see anything.

Who You Know | I went to see Dr. Kenneth Brown ’67, my father’s roommate from HMC [Jonathan’s father is Ralph Lake ’67.]. Dr. Brown strongly urged me to get an MRI, which later showed a cerebral hemorrhage the size of a golf ball. He was shocked I had no neurologic symptoms. Dr. Brown treated me like his own son and was instrumental in arranging VIP care, including a battery of neurological scans, tests and specialty care from an amazing team of neuroradiologists and neurosurgeons. I was referred to Neil Martin, chief of neurosurgery at UCLA, and his medical team performed nine hours of delicate surgery on Oct. 2, 2008. The final diagnosis was a cavernous hemangioma which is like a cluster of little berries in the vascular system of the brain. The berry-like growths of blood vessels are fed by small capillaries and are difficult to see on imaging procedures. Cavernous hemangiomas are present at birth, and their cause is unknown.

What You Know | I had an advanced understanding of the MRI because of work I did in my junior year. I worked on an award-winning Clinic project where my team developed an ultra-low field magnetic resonance imaging system (MRI) to work with an EEG for Los Alamos National Laboratory. It was surreal to experience MRIs and EEGs from the “new” perspective of a patient. The research project and the importance of developing and improving medical applications took on direct significance for me.

Complete Recovery | I missed only six weeks of school. Thanks in large part to the support of HMC friends, faculty and family, I was able to complete my fall semester on schedule. Because of the skill of the entire surgical team, I have no remaining defects and require no ongoing medical follow-up.

I now put much more importance on not taking anything for granted and for living each and every day to the fullest. Having a complete recovery strengthened my motivation to pursue further educational opportunities, combining a passion for engineering, research and public service in a way that will help improve the lives of others.