Malcolm Blanchard

Senior software engineer at Pixar

Malcolm Blanchard is a pioneer in the field of computer graphics and the application of computer technology to filmmaking. He was the first to develop techniques that are now commonly used, such as combining computer-generated images with photographs, drawing smooth lines on computer screens, and timeline-based user interfaces for film-editing systems. He was a founding member of several of the most prominent computer-graphics laboratories and companies. While a senior at UCSC, he was introduced to the then-new field of computer graphics by Ken Knowlton, who was on leave from Bell Labs for a year of teaching at UCSC.

Blanchard went on to graduate school at the University of Utah, which at the time was the world's preeminent computer-graphics research facility. In 1975, he joined fellow Utahan Ed Catmull to found the Computer Graphics Lab at the New York Institute of Technology. He later became a founding member of the Computer Division at Lucasfilm, where he developed computer systems for Industrial Light and Magic (Lucasfilm's special-effects division). In 1986, Blanchard continued with the Computer Division as it was spun off from Lucasfilm and eventually became Pixar Animation Studios, known for such animated blockbusters as Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., and WALL-E.

Blanchard's most vivid UCSC memory is visiting the home of David Huffman, a founding member of UCSC's Information and Computer Science Department and famous for the development of Huffman coding. In the family room, Blanchard was startled to find a wall of terrariums filled with snakes (Huffman was quite a rattlesnake aficionado), and recalls thinking, "I'd hate to be here during an earthquake!"

Rattlesnakes aside, says Blanchard, he was impressed that Huffman, one of UCSC's most prominent and senior faculty members, "delighted in teaching introductory courses and working closely with the youngest students."

Brent R. Constantz

Medical and environmental innovator

When Brent Constantz invented revolutionary products for healing broken bones, he was inspired by the research on coral reefs he had conducted as a UCSC graduate student.

Constantz is known for the development of innovative high-performance medical cements and devices. He founded and was CEO of three medical device companies, is named as inventor on more than 70 issued U.S. patents, and his cements for bone fractures are used worldwide.

Now, drawing on the same source of inspiration, Constantz has developed a new process for making construction cement that could help reverse global warming. His latest company, Calera, captures carbon emitted by power plants and converts it into a form that can be reused to make "green cement" (the standard manufacturing process for the cement used in concrete releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere). Calera's subsidiary, Moss Landing Cement Company, has built several pilot plants and a large-scale demonstration plant at Moss Landing, just down the coast from Santa Cruz.

The company recently began a concrete demonstration project in Santa Cruz to start introducing the new material to the building industry. Constantz is also leading a new effort to supply potable water to Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, drawing deep water from the Monterey Submarine Canyon for desalination at Moss Landing.

Constantz says, "UCSC offered the unique combination of very solid scientific credentials in the geological and biological sciences with the freedom to work transparently across the various disciplines required for the study of biomineralization, which encompasses crystallography to physiology, and everything in between. Of course, the campus's greatest attribute is the quality of its faculty."

Drummond Pike

Tides Foundation founder

Drummond Pike founded Tides in 1976 and served as Tides CEO until he stepped down recently (fall 2010) to pursue other projects.

Tides—which oversees the Tides Foundation, the Tides Center, and Tides Shared Spaces—has helped increase the capacity and effectiveness of thousands of social change organizations. Tides provides fiscal sponsorship for more than 200 nonprofit projects across the country, launches and operates green nonprofit centers, and has managed philanthropy for hundreds of donor advised funds, funder collaboratives, and regranting programs. Over the past decade, Tides has administered well over $1 billion in grants and programmatic activity, and is often among the top 100 largest charities in the U.S.

Pike helped pioneer fully staffed donor-advised funds in philanthropy and has supported grassroots and public interest organizations through environmental and social change philanthropy throughout his career. Pike also founded The Advocacy Fund as a platform to support legislative advocacy initiatives on climate change, immigration reform, social security, and other issues. Prior to founding Tides, Pike served as executive director of the Shalan Foundation. He also co-founded and served as associate director for the Youth Project in Washington, D.C., and was among the founders of Working Assets (now Credo Mobile).

UCSC provided excellent preparation for an innovator, says Pike. "It gave me and others an opportunity to create things from scratch—an underground newsletter, The Stevenson Libre, the Inter-College Board, and the office of Campus Representative, none of which existed before we arrived in the fall of 1966. I've been creating and building organizations ever since." He adds, "UCSC also challenged me to think critically and to express myself in both spoken and written forms—skills that have served me invaluably over the years."

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Daniel Roam

Management consultant, bestselling author

Dan Roam is the author of the international bestseller The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures. The book was named Best Innovation Book of the Year by BusinessWeek, Fast Company, and the Financial Times and became Amazon's No. 5 business book of 2008.

Roam is the founder of Digital Roam, a consulting firm that helps major companies solve complex problems through the art of visual thinking. He has worked with leaders at Microsoft, Google, Walmart, Boeing, Lucasfilm, Gap, Kraft, Stanford University, MIT, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Navy, and the White House Office of Communications. Roam and his whiteboard have been featured on CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, Fox News, and NPR, and his visual explanation of the American health care debate was named the "The World's Greatest Presentation of 2009" by BusinessWeek.

Says Roam: "I have a unique view of how people can look at problems, and UCSC played a big part in helping me develop that vision. At UCSC, I was encouraged to pursue an unconventional, interdisciplinary education that meshed fine art, science, and business."

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Joseph Lyman DeRisi

Groundbreaking medical researcher
and professor

Joe DeRisi has been called a "virus detective," a "scientific polymath," and a "rock star of the science world." He helped pioneer and disseminate DNA microarray (or "gene chip") technology while a graduate student with Patrick O. Brown at Stanford. Together with UCSF researcher Don Ganem, he developed and deployed the ViroChip, which he used to assist in the identification of the causative agent of SARS in 2003. In parallel, DeRisi has been developing and using new approaches to study malaria, one of the top causes of childhood mortality.

DeRisi received a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowship in 2004. In 2008 he was awarded the 14th Annual Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment for "extraordinary breakthroughs in detecting both new and existing viruses." In 2010, his QB3 team received a $1 million award from the W. M. Keck Foundation to develop technology that will help design a vaccine for malaria and other infectious diseases. DeRisi is known as a strong supporter of free and open access to scientific research, posting his results online and in journals that support open access.

At UCSC, DeRisi says, he was inspired to pursue a career in biochemistry by taking courses with legendary faculty like Harry Noller. He subsequently gained valuable hands-on lab experience working in the lab of DNA researcher Larry Peck. "UCSC gave me the opportunity to participate in real research as an undergraduate, which was critical for my educational and career development. There is simply no substitute for getting your hands wet in the lab. I highly doubt I would have made it this far without those early opportunities."

Victor Davis Hanson

Historian, author, Hoover Fellow

Victor Davis Hanson has attracted wide public and scholarly acclaim for his provocative perspectives on the demise of the family farm; the role of the humanities; war and military history; and the global role of the U.S. He is a nationally syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services, and was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2007 and the Bradley Prize in 2008. Hanson, who is the fifth successive generation to live in the same house on his family's farm, was a full-time orchard and vineyard grower from 1980 to 1984. He is the author of hundreds of articles, reviews, scholarly papers, and editorials on a wide range of topics and has written or edited 19 books, including Carnage and Culture (2001), a New York Times bestseller.

Hanson's recently released book The Father of Us All: War and History, Ancient and Modern (2010) is an anthology of essays and reviews from the past decade. He also edited Makers of Ancient Strategy: From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome (2010), bringing top scholars together to explore warfare, strategy, and foreign policy in the Greco-Roman world.

"UCSC was an anomaly between 1971 and 1975," says Hanson. "In those days, socially, culturally, and politically, campus life was unstructured, anarchistic, pure chaos. Yet educationally, the classics program, especially Greek and Latin language and literature, was traditional, philological, and structured. In other words, a wonderful 19th century Oxford sort of education amid 1970s Northern California. I learned a great deal from that odd marriage, namely that knowledge comes in many forms and that accepted conventions, hierarchy, titles, and certificates are not necessarily a guide to wisdom. At 18 that was a valuable lesson that has stayed with me the last 40 years."

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Kathy D. Sullivan

First U.S. woman to walk in space

A scientist, astronaut, and award-winning educator, Kathy Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to walk in space in 1984. She is a veteran of three shuttle missions and a 2004 inductee to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. In 1993, Sullivan left NASA to serve as chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As a member of the Pew Oceans Commission, Sullivan was part of a team that called for the immediate reform of U.S. ocean policies. From 1996 to 2006, Sullivan served as president and CEO of COSI (Center of Science & Industry), an innovator of hands-on, inquiry-based science learning resources. She was named founding director of the Battelle Center in November 2006.

In January 2011, Sullivan was nominated by President Barack Obama to become Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Observation and Prediction, a position that oversees the National Weather Service and other programs related to predicting oceanic, atmospheric, and climate dynamics.

Sullivan entered UCSC as a foreign languages major and discovered she needed three science classes to fulfill general education requirements. After trying what she described as "every trick in the book to get out of them," Sullivan enrolled in oceanography and Earth sciences classes, which proved a turning point in her life. She still recalls the strong encouragement and support she received from UCSC faculty. "The faculty let learning flourish," she says. "We pursued discovery together, and they treated us like peers."

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Laurie Garrett

Best-selling author and Pulitzer winner

Laurie Garrett is a leading expert on global health, with a particular focus on newly emerging and re-emerging diseases and their effects on foreign policy and national security.

She currently heads a global health program that was rated the No. 8 best health-related think tank in the world, and the only top-rated effort focused on global health. Garrett is the best-selling author of The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance and Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health. Her new book, I Heard the Sirens Scream: How Americans Responded to the 9/11 and Anthrax Attacks, will be released in the spring of 2011.

Garrett began her journalism career as an award-winning science reporter for Berkeley's iconic KPFA radio. Later, as a medical and science writer for NPR and Newsday in New York City, she became the only reporter ever to have been awarded all three of the Big "Ps" of journalism: The Peabody, the Polk (twice), and the Pulitzer. Her work has also been recognized with three honorary Ph.D.s and numerous other awards.

As a UCSC undergraduate, Garrett was inspired by legendary faculty like Page Smith, Noel King, and Harry Noller. As part of an independent study, she co-developed and co-taught UCSC's first women's health class (and very possibly the first such course at any university). Female Physiology and Gynecology attracted 300 students in its first year and double that the second.

"It is impossible for me to imagine any other undergraduate experience that could have offered the knowledge, flashes of genius, creative terrain, humane values, dreams, and hopes that I got from UC Santa Cruz," says Garrett. "When I was 16 years old I told my mother, 'If I don't get into Santa Cruz I'm not going to college.' My intuition was spot-on. UCSC and I were a match made in heaven, and nothing I have seen elsewhere has shaken the conviction I held as a teenager: UC Santa Cruz is the best."

Teri L. Jackson

Superior court judge

Teri Jackson spent many years as a highly respected trial attorney, and in 2002 she was the first African American woman appointed to the Superior Court bench in San Francisco.

Prior to her appointment, Jackson gained extensive experience in both civil and criminal litigation at the prestigious law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP, with specialties in the areas of Proposition 65, employment, trade secret, environmental, real estate, and bankruptcy law. For over 14 years, she was a prosecutor for the San Francisco District Attorney and the San Mateo County District Attorney. As assistant DA in San Francisco, she was managing attorney for homicide, domestic violence, and misdemeanor trials.

Jackson has served as chair of the State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners; a board member of the California Court Reporter's Board, Northern California; president of the Black Women Lawyers Association; and a board member of the Peninsula Community Foundation. Throughout her career, Jackson has been dedicated to encouraging increased participation by women and people of color in the legal profession. She has also been active in education, serving as a mentor and encouraging young people to pursue higher education.

"I greatly value the education I received at UCSC," says Jackson, who graduated from high school with honors at the top of her class when she was just 15. "I was just 16 when I went to college, and UCSC provided a supportive environment that helped me thrive."

Jackson has especially fond memories of legendary faculty members Herman Blake and Carlos Noreña and of mentors Josie King, of the Oakes College counseling staff, and Professor Carolyn Martin Shaw (then Carolyn Clark) of Kresge College. Jackson also appreciated UCSC's narrative evaluation system: "It provided an objective reflection of my strengths and weaknesses, something that's needed in education today."

Jason Rao

International biosecurity expert

Jason Rao has spent the last decade pioneering new programs in international science diplomacy across the globe, bringing thousands of scientists together to meet the world's major challenges in health, energy, security, and the environment.

Before joining the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Rao served in the U.S. Department of State working on a range of foreign assistance initiatives, including projects in Russia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and South and Southeast Asia.

In 2007, he served at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad as advisor for health security, where he was instrumental in reviving the U.S.-Pakistan Science and Technology Cooperation agreement. In 2009, Rao was named a Brookings Legislative Fellow in the 111th Congress, working on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, where he drafted legislation to strengthen global health security measures.

Rao was previously an American Association for the Advancement of Science Diplomacy Fellow, as well as a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry and fellow at the National Institutes of Health. After graduating from UCSC, Rao went on to earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, but he credits his time under UCSC mentor Bakthan Singaram (professor of chemistry) as the most influential and inspirational in his career. "My greatest mentor was Bakthan Singaram, who taught me so much more than chemistry. UCSC provided an ideal environment to learn, explore my interests, and develop my talents."

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M. Sanjayan

Nature Conservancy lead scientist

As lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy, Sanjayan not only provides science expertise and guidance to the organization, but has also become an important public voice for nature and the global environment.

His ability to translate science and conservation in ways that inspire people to take action has made him a frequent guest on NBC's Today Show and other news and commentary venues such as the Letterman Show. Sanjayan has hosted documentaries for the Discovery Channel (Powering the Future, Mysteries of the Shark Coast, and Expedition Alaska) and the BBC (Wildlife in a War-Zone), and he was featured in National Geographic TV's Earth Report 2009 and on Discovery Channel's Planet Earth: The Future. Sanjayan's work has received extensive print media coverage—from Vanity Fair to National Geographic Adventure and The New York Times. In 2007 he was named as one of Men's Journal's "Heroes of 2007," and in 2010 Outside magazine profiled him in a feature article.

Sanjayan's scientific work has been published in Science, Nature, Conservation Biology, and other journals, and he co-edited (with fellow UCSC alumnus Kevin Crooks) the book Connectivity Conservation (2006). Sanjayan is a sought-after speaker whose on-stage appearances at international gatherings have included the Aspen Ideas Festival, International Women's Forum, TED Global, and the Clinton Global Initiative. He was recently named a Catto Fellow by the Aspen Institute.

At UCSC Sanjayan studied with Michael Soulé (professor emeritus of environmental studies who is widely considered the father of conservation biology), and he is carrying on that tradition. As Sanjayan says, "As a graduate student at UCSC, I realized that we are the luckiest generation. A few decades ago we understood our planet insufficiently. A few decades hence, our knowledge may come too late. Though we may witness the worst right now, we have the opportunity to do the most."

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Julia E. Sweig

Leading expert on Latin America policy

Julia Sweig is an internationally recognized authority on Latin America and U.S. foreign policy, especially with respect to Latin America.

An award-winning and prolific writer, she is the author of Inside the Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro and the Urban Underground (2002) and Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century (2006). Sweig's most recent book is Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know (2009). Her writing also appears in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, Cigar Aficionado, The Nation and a host of international publications—in Spain, Mexico, Brazil, and Cuba, for example. She is researching a new political biography about the people behind Brazil's new global footprint.

Sweig says that UCSC's interdisciplinary Latin American Studies program provided ideal preparation for her career, and it also gave her the opportunity to work with inspirational faculty who included Saul Landau, Sonia Alvarez, Gabriel Berns, and Jim O'Connor. She notes that she also misses riding her bike up and down the steep UCSC hill, and adds, "I'd love to be back on that bike!"

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Jayne Ann Krentz

Popular, prolific fiction author

Romance novelist Jayne Ann Krentz is one of the country's best-loved and most prolific writers, with an impressive string of New York Times best sellers to her credit. Krentz uses three different pen names, one for each of her three fictional "worlds." As Jayne Ann Krentz (her married name) she writes contemporary romantic suspense. She uses Amanda Quick for her novels of historical romantic suspense, with Jayne Castle (her birth name) reserved these days for her stories of futuristic/paranormal romantic suspense. "I am often asked why I use a variety of pen names," Krentz says. "The answer is that this way readers always know which of my three worlds they will be entering when they pick up one of my books." Krentz' latest book—Quicksilver, published under her pseudonym Amanda Quick—is due out in April 2011.

In addition to her fiction writing, Krentz is the editor of, and a contributor to, a nonfiction essay collection, Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance, published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. She has a strong commitment to her chosen genre, saying, "This is the only genre where readers are guaranteed novels that place the heroine at the heart of the story," Krentz says. "These are books that celebrate women's heroic virtues and values: courage, honor, determination and a belief in the healing power of love."

"I was a small-town girl from a very small-town high school," says Krentz. UCSC opened my eyes to the world and gave me the self-confidence I needed to pursue a big-girl dream. It was not so much what I learned at UCSC—although that was important—it was that I learned how to learn."

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