Photo: Courtesy Ogonna NnamaniATHLETES TIE THE KNOT
In August, former Stanford and U.S. Olympic volleyball player Ogonna "Nneka" Nnamani, '05, and former Cardinal football player Mike Silva, '06, MS '07, MBA '09, said "I do" at Memorial Church. The couple's courtship began on the Farm in 2005 and continued for the next five years as Nnamani's pro volleyball career took to her to Puerto Rico, Italy, Switzerland and the Czech Republic—not to mention the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where she helped Team USA to a silver medal. Silva proposed in Prague on Valentine's Day 2011. The couple had two weddings on two continents: Their traditional Nigerian nuptials in December were attended by 800 guests.
Photo: China DailySLICE OF HOME
Growing up in a southern Illinois farm town, Mark Huetsch, '06, MA '08, learned to make pies from his grandmother around the age of 6. When he moved to Beijing after graduating from Stanford, he missed the flaky crust and sweet fillings. So he decided to introduce Chinese palates to this all-American pastry. In 2009 he opened Pie House with partner Liang Wang. Huetsch's precision and attention to detail would make his engineering professors proud. His bestselling sweets include French silk and banana cream, in addition to traditional seasonal favorites like apple and pumpkin.
UNDER 35 OVERACHIEVERS
MIT's Technology Review named several alums to its annual 35 Under 35 list of young innovators. Christina Fan, MS '07, PhD '10, was recognized for developing a noninvasive prenatal genetic test using the mother's blood. Shannon Miller, '01, MS '04, PhD '09, was cited for an innovation enabling engines to run at extremely high pressures, making them superefficient. Ren Ng, '01, MS '06, PhD '06, was named Entrepreneur of the Year for the technology behind the Lytro camera, which takes pictures that can be refocused later. Leila Takayama, MA '08, PhD '08, was lauded for making robots easier to live and work with. And Zheng Wang, PhD '06, was honored for a mechanism to slow light and help chips process optical data. Assistant professor of materials science William Chueh also made the list for devising a method to convert water into hydrogen using concentrated sunlight.
"If you have a goal that is very, very far out, and you approach it in little steps, you start to get there faster. Your mind opens up to the possibilities. At 100 Year Starship we believe that pursuing an extraordinary tomorrow will create a better world today."
—Mae Jamison, '77, on her latest endeavor to make human interstellar travel a reality within the next 100 years.
