Alumni News: Fall 2009

75th Anniversary: The Blair 75-year Celebration will take place on October 16-17, 2009. There will be an Open House at Blair on Saturday, October 17 from 11am to 4pm. The Magnet will have a display at the Open House, and we need alumni to donate news clippings or other artifacts. If you are able to attend, we also need volunteers to help staff the table and share their stories. If you are willing to help, please contact alumni@mbhsmagnet.org.

Distinguished Alumnus: On September 22, 2009, Maneesh Agrawala '90 was named a MacArthur 'genius fellow.

Some alumni have been very active in supporting academic programs:

• • Louis Wasserman '08 participated in the NSF Expert Panel Discussion on Preparing the Next Generation of STEM Innovators, where he presented his Compiled Perspectives on Science Education (pdf). (edweek)

  • Kevin Leclaire '91 is serving as the President of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors for the 2009/10 term.

Others are further pursuing their own education:

• • Noel (Berman) Bartlow '04 was recently awarded a Stanford Graduate Fellowship and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Geophysics.

  • Michael Forbes '05 is continuing his studies at MIT in pursuit of a PhD in theoretical computer science.

  • Ekta Taneja '06 is a senior in the UMCP Gemstone program and is in the process of applying to medical school.

And some are taking their educations to new places:

• • Mark Shay '90 received an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and currently works as an independent financial consultant in Stockholm, Sweden.

  • William Fassett '02 is spending this year teaching English in Mexico as a Fulbright Scholar. He is an English Teaching Assistant at la Universidad Tecnologica de Aguascalientes. http://www.gazette.net/stories/05272009/gaitnew214123_32526.shtml

  • Jon Urban '98 is moving to Las Vegas to become a professional poker player.

  • Jon Phoenix '07 is an intern with The Colbert Report.

Read more alumni updates.