IMSA Homecoming Marks Alumni Awards and Alumni Hall Naming Ceremony
For Immediate Release, Press Release
For comment, contact Brenda Buschbacher at
(630) 907-5033
AURORA—On Saturday, September 27, 2008, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) will award eight distinguished alumni with the IMSA Board of Trustees Alumni Award. In addition, in honor of total alumni contributions meeting and exceeding the $1,000,000 mark, residence hall 1503 will be renamed “Alumni Hall.”
The alumni awards are the highest honors bestowed to IMSA alumni in recognition of their accomplishments and contributions to their field of endeavor, to IMSA, and to the citizens of Illinois, our nation and the world. Alumni are defined as all former IMSA students who attended the residential program for at least one semester.
IMSA President Dr. Max McGee said the Alumni Awards program demonstrates how IMSA alumni attain extraordinary levels of success.
“Their collective contributions are astounding, even though as individuals, our oldest alumni have not yet reached the age of 40,” Dr. McGee said. “The Alumni Award winners represent IMSA’s truly unlimited potential to impact our state, nation and world in immeasurable ways.”
Three categories of awards are given: the Alumni Trailblazer Award, the Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award and the Alumni Titan Award. For complete profiles and photos of the following eight Alumni Award recipients who will be honored Saturday evening, visit www.imsa.edu/alumni/awards):
- Steven Chen '96 is co-founder and chief technology officer of YouTube.com, the online video sharing website which has revolutionized the creation and sharing of videos across the globe.
- Russel Simmons ’95 is co-founder and chief technology officer of Yelp Inc. (www.yelp.com), the growing online community enabling people to write and share reviews of local businesses with others. Prior to Yelp, Simmons was one of the six founding members of PayPal, an eBay company.
- Dr. Sanza Kazadi ’90 is founder and president of the Jisan Research Institute (JRI) in California, a pioneering research environment for high school and pre-high school students. JRI specializes in teaching young people how to conduct scientific research.
- Dr. Mia K. Markey ’94 is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. She established a leading Biomedical Informatics Lab to design cost-effective, computational medical decision aids that will help physicians better diagnose, treat and manage cancer.
- Captain Kenyatta Ruffin ’99 is an F-16 fighter pilot assigned to the 13th Fighter Squadron at Misawa AB, Japan. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
- Scott Swanson ’90 is on the leading edge of strategic and emerging technologies for education in local, national and international arenas. He is a docent for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) in Second Life®, a 3-D virtual world entirely created by its residents (www.secondlife.com).
- Neal Groothuis ’97 has been an extraordinary volunteer on behalf of IMSA and the IMSA Alumni Association and is one of the longest serving IAA cabinet members, serving as the IAA Vice-President in 2003-2005, as Secretary from 2005-2007, and currently as At-Large cabinet member. He is also a loyal donor to the IMSA Fund for Advancement of Education (www.imsa.edu/giving).
- Paul Strasma ’94 has been an engaged IMSA alumnus for the last decade. Starting out as a team member of the Class of 1994's 5-year reunion, Paul went on to support the 10- year reunion and then co-author a guidebook for future reunion planners. From 2004 through 2007, he served on the IAA Cabinet first as an At-Large Member and then as Vice President.
Also on Saturday September 27, 2008 from 12:00- 1:00 p.m., the IMSA Fund for Advancement of Education will host the Alumni Hall Naming Ceremony and Community Lunch.
The event, to be held outside of residence hall 1503 on the IMSA campus, is being held to recognize alumni contributions exceeding $1,000,000.00. During this time, residence hall 1503 will officially be renamed “Alumni Hall” and a new plaque will be unveiled.
The internationally recognized Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® (IMSA) develops creative, ethical leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As a teaching and learning laboratory created by the State of Illinois, IMSA enrolls academically talented Illinois students (grades 10-12) in its advanced, residential college preparatory program, and it serves thousands of educators and students in Illinois and beyond through innovative instructional programs that foster imagination and inquiry. IMSA also advances education through research, groundbreaking ventures and strategic partnerships. (www.imsa.edu)