Eighty Imperial alumni and their guests gathered at PARC, the Xerox headquarters in Silicon Valley, on Tuesday 30 October to network and catch up.
The evening was hosted by Professor David Gann, Vice President (Development and Innovation) and the Imperial College Chapter in Northern California. A significant San Francisco Giants vs Kansas City baseball game didn't dispel the energy in the room, with some providing updates from their phones throughout proceedings.
Mike Steep, Senior Vice President of Global Business Operations at Xerox headquarters PARC, welcomed guests and provided a brief history of the renowned research centre, drawing parallels between the innovative cultures at both PARC at Imperial.
The British Consul General in San Francisco, Priya Guha, spoke of the salience of higher education in the UK/US relationship, and noted that 18 of the world's top 20 universities were located in one of the two countries. She also spoke to the importance of STEM subjects, and the increasing emphasis on translation.
As with the alumni reception in Los Angeles on Sunday night, the presentations ended with a quiz that tested the collective knowledge of all things Imperial - see how good your knowledge is here.
Charlie Kissick, the current President of the Imperial College Chapter in Northern California, updated alumni on the association's activities, including an upcoming Christmas barbecue. The Chapter's numbers look set to grow following the event, with alumni in the room expressing a positive enthusiasm to become more involved. Find out more about the alumni chapter.
Over drinks and a British-inspired menu, which included fish and chips, haddock fritters, and custard creams, alumni and College staff swapped tales from Imperial and made new contacts. The high concentration of tech companies in the area lent a common thread to conversations, as new ideas and new relationships were ignited.
Professor David Gann said, "It was brilliant to be able to bring together alumni in the Bay Area at a research and development facility with as impressive a legacy as PARC. Events like this are crucial in helping us to build our presence around the world, which will be a key strategic priority for Imperial in the coming months and years."
See a slideshow of images from the event below, or tag yourself in the photos on Facebook
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Jessica Adams
Advancement
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