EGSA at UCLA

Lounge Officer (2011-2012)

Name: Tom Lorentz

Department: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Biography: I was born in San Diego, California. I grew up in Poway, a suburb of the city of San Diego, which bears the fitting moniker of the “city in the country”. For college, I decided to leave my pleasant surroundings for the (arguably) just as nice part of San Diego County around the University of California, San Diego. Following the passage of several years, I was granted a B.S. diploma in Engineering Science. Following this, I decided to pursue graduate studies. For this venture, I finally dared to leave San Diego County, making the treacherous relocation all the way up to Los Angeles. As a graduate student at UCLA, I have specialized in the field of Systems and Control / Optimization. I’ve been here for two years now and look forward to what the coming year brings.

As this year’s EGSA Lounge Officer, it is my hope that you will feel comfortable using the lounge not only as a place to study but also for relaxation and even some socialization among your fellow engineers.

Community Outreach Director (2011-2012)

Name: Manuela Girotto

Department: Hydrology and Water Resources

Interests: Surfing, BeachVolley, Hiking, Cycling

Biography: I am Italian and I completed my B.S. and M.S in Civil and Environmental engineering at the university of Padova, Italy. I started my Ph.D on January 2009, my research aims to improve our knowledge on the Sierra Nevada snowpack processes integrating remote sensing observations into the classical models to estimate snow.

Blood Donation Director (2011-2012)

Name: Daniel Goodman

Department: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Interests: I am a PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering focusing on Catalysis. I was born and raised in San Francisco, and got my B.S. in Chemical Engineering at UC Davis. I am currently Director of Graduate Events for the Graduate Students Association and was the Events Director for the EGSA last year. I am a max Blood Donor. I donate Platelets at the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center 24 times a year (maximum allowed), and work to promote donating to others throughout Campus trying to increase the national average of only 5% of the eligible population donating blood. All donations at the Blood and Platelet Center go to saving lives at the UCLA Hospital. I love to play and watch Sports, and am on a quest with my brother to watch a game in every Major League Baseball Stadium. We've seen 24 of the 30 teams play at home (though we have to revisit 4 of them because they've opened a new stadium). I am a huge fan of The Simpsons and made a guest appearance in the recent 20th Anniversary Special. I am also a huge fan of The Beach Boys. The best thing to happen to me since coming to UCLA is having the honor of meeting Matt Groening and Brian Wilson (the creators of my favorite things mentioned above, respectively). It's not easy to juggle a Research Project, TAship, Event Planning and Twice Monthly Blood Donations, but somehow I manages to fit in eight hours of TV a day.