J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee (JROMC) 2025 scholarship recipients, memorial lecture speaker Dr. John Dabiri, back row 4th from left, JROMC Vice-Chair Sara Scott, left, and JROMC Chair Anna Llobet Megias, right, gather for a photo at the special dinner held to honor the scholarship recipients Sunday at Gabriel’s restaurant in northern Santa Fe. The JROMC, with financial support from community donors, honors J. Robert Oppenheimer’s legacy through thought-provoking public lectures by distinguished speakers; a scholarship program for high school students exhibiting exceptional promise, creative thinking, and excitement of discovery; and science-education outreach activities in Northern New Mexico. To learn more or to donate to the scholarship fund, visit https://jromc.org/. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
JROMC Treasurer Galen Gisler, standing at left, speaks with scholarship recipients during the dinner held in their honor Sunday at Gabriel’s Restaurant. Prof. John Dabiri, 3rd from left, was the speaker at the 52nd Oppenheimer Memorial Lecture on Monday evening at Duane Smith Auditorium. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
JROMC Chair Anna Llobet Megias, right, introduces each scholarship recipient and invites them to share their intended field of study during the dinner held Sunday at Gabriel’s restaurant. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
JROMC members recognize Rebecca Shankland, 7th from left, for her dedication to the committee for nearly two decades (2004-2023) and her significant service to the community, during the dinner on Sunday at Gabriel’s Restaurant. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
The 2025 J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee Scholarship Award Recipients:
Los Alamos High School
Capital High School
Pojoaque Valley High School
Santa Fe High School
Santa Fe Indian School
The first JROMC scholarship was awarded in 1984 to a graduating senior from Los Alamos High School (LAHS) in memory of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The scope of this program has grown over the years to multiple scholarships awarded at LAHS and several regional high schools. This year JROMC awarded 20 scholarships totaling $62,500, bringing the grand total of awards to $868,500 since the program started.
Scholarships are granted to graduating high school seniors based on merit and recognize a variety of achievements. The committee’s scholarship program is supported by several limited-term endowments, corporate and charitable partners, and numerous individual donations.
52nd Oppenheimer Memorial Lecture
The 52nd J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Lecture, held Monday, June 2, 2025, at Duane Smith Auditorium, featured Professor John Dabiri speaking on “Jellyfish-Inspired Engineering”.
Abstract:
Jellyfish are the oldest, simplest, and arguably most successful species of swimming animal in the world. Yet they are primarily considered a nuisance on beaches or, at best, an attraction for aquarium-goers. In this talk, Dabiri will describe how a biology-inspired approach to engineering has placed jellyfish at the center of efforts to build next-generation underwater vehicles, design more versatile wind power, and even to diagnose heart failure. In the process, he takes engineering measurement techniques underwater, using SCUBA diving methods to study jellyfish and leveraging robotic hybrids of the animals themselves to explore our oceans.
Professor John Dabiri
Speaker Biography:
John O. Dabiri is the Centennial Chair Professor at Caltech, with appointments in the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories (GALCIT) and Mechanical Engineering. A recipient of the National Medal of Science, Dabiri takes inspiration from unexpected biological systems like jellyfish and fish schools, combining biological experiments and field work with concepts from fluid mechanics to impact technologies ranging from wind energy to biomedicine. Current research interests include biological fluid dynamics in the ocean, the physics of turbulence transition, and development of new measurement techniques.
Dabiri is a MacArthur Fellow and a Fellow of the American Physical Society as well as the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Other honors include the Alan T. Waterman Award from the National Science Foundation, the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Award for Aquatic Sciences, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program Award, and being named one of MIT Technology Review’s “35 Innovators Under 35” as well as one of Popular Science’s “Brilliant 10.”
Dabiri serves in a variety of science and technology advisory roles, including the Board of Directors of NVIDIA Corporation and the Board of Trustees of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. He served on President Biden’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), Energy Secretary Granholm’s Energy Advisory Board (SEAB), and as a founding board member of the Hypothesis Fund for bold ideas in basic science.
Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio by Nigerian immigrant parents, Dabiri received his B.S.E. summa cum laude in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University (2001); his M.S. in Aeronautics from Caltech (2003); and his Ph.D. in Bioengineering with a minor in Aeronautics from Caltech (2005). He was a Professor of Aeronautics and Bioengineering at Caltech from 2005 to 2015, during which time he also served as Director of the Center for Bioinspired Wind Energy, Chair of the Faculty, and Dean of Students. From 2015 to 2019 he served as a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University, where he was recognized with the Eugene L. Grant Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee Members
The Committee consists of up to 25 members from various walks of life, some long-term residents of the area, others more recent, all dedicated to furthering the memory and spirit of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Chair Anna Llobet Megias, Vice Chair Sara Scott, Secretary Ning Xu, Treasurer Galen Gisler, Archivist James TenCate, Executive Administrator Wendee Brunish, Vivien Chen, Jonathan Creel, Hedy Dunn, John Engen, Damon Giovanielli, Hubert van Hecke, Jeffrey Howell, David Izraelevitz, Steve Laurent, Carolyn Mangeng, Olga Martin, Elizabeth Martineau, Art Montoya, JJ Mortensen, Tom Ribe, Jeanne Robinson, John Ruminer, Robert Thomsen, and Mike Wheeler.
The J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of Robert Oppenheimer, the Scientific Director of the Manhattan Project and one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century. To learn more, visit https://jromc.org.
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