NASA scientist, SRJC grad speaks at graduation

Santa Rosa Junior College’s graduation ceremony on May 28 will feature SRJC alumnus Dr. Douglas Hofmann, the principal investigator of the Materials Development and Manufacturing Technology Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Hofmann also is a visiting associate and lecturer in applied physics and materials science at the California Institute of Technology. He graduated from SRJC in 2001 with both A.A. and A.S. degrees. He also was ranked in the top 10 in the state while playing tennis for SRJC under coach Izzy Derkos, who was recently inducted into the SRJC Athletic Hall of Fame.

SRJC’s main graduation ceremony starts at 10 a.m. on the John Surryhne Outdoor Stage on SRJC’s Santa Rosa Campus. It is free to attend, tickets are not required and parking on campus is free that day.

More than 1,600 students are expected to receive degrees this year, with approximately one-third of them attending graduation. SRJC officials expect to award a total of 2,079 degrees, as many students earn more than one degree. In addition, 892 students will receive certificates at the end of spring semester.

This year’s graduating student commencement speaker is Alexandra Dubinin, whose majors have been chemistry and biology. Her speech, “Taking on the Twists and Turns,” considers SRJC’s role in fostering creativity and highlights the importance of adopting a lifestyle of never-ending exploration.

Hofmann is a native of Sonoma County, having spent the first 21 years of his life in Sonoma and Santa Rosa. He was a member of the first graduating class of Maria Carrillo High School in 1999 and played varsity athletics for Maria Carrillo and Santa Rosa high schools prior to attending SRJC.

Currently, Dr. Hofmann participates in a number of activities both inside and outside of NASA, including being an editorial board member of several scientific journals, being a research advisor for several Ph.D. students, teaching courses at Caltech, running a consulting company, founding two startup companies in manufacturing and being a father of two young boys.

SRJC student Alexandra Dubinin is an intern at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, SRJC math and science tutor, teacher assistant, hospital volunteer and co-president of the SRJC Biology Club. Dubinin received the Steve Conklin Memorial Scholarship and the Nick Anast Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at Cornell University. She plans to continue her education by transferring to a University of California with the goal of becoming a physician-scientist.