Alumni and friends gather at IDEO in Palo Alto

Wednesday 25 May saw around 70 alumni and friends of Imperial meet President Gast and members of the Imperial team in Palo Alto.

The event took place at IDEO, a global design and innovation company, led by alumnus David Webster (DIC Mechanical Engineering 1993).

David Webster (DIC Mechanical Engineering 1993) co-hosted the event at his design consulting firm IDEO

David, a partner and executive portfolio director, highlighted some of IDEO’s recent projects and welcomed guests to the company. Joining alumni at the reception were friends, colleagues and partners, as well as guests from institutions including the British Consulate.

President Gast said, “It’s wonderful to be back in the Bay Area and to meet so many incredible alumni. There’s a real energy and enthusiasm here and I am pleased to see this momentum. It is great to have the opportunity to share with you examples of Imperial’s excellence, like our award-winning student entrepreneurs, our advances in the understanding and treatment of cystic fibrosis and cancer, and our leading role in NASA’s Mars Rover mission and ESA’s Venus Express mission.”

President Gast welcomed guests and shared the latest news and research from Imperial before answering questions from the audience

David Webster said, “We thoroughly enjoyed hosting everyone. At IDEO Palo Alto we are uniquely positioned both geographically and within our relationships to connect diverse groups of people in pursuit of our mission of humanising technology. President Gast shared an inspiring strategic plan for Imperial which was very resonant with what we care about. I'm excited to have been able to bring our organisations together and I look forward to helping Imperial have a formidable presence in Silicon Valley."

Following her presentation, President Gast fielded a number of questions from the audience. Subjects covered included tech transfer and research commercialisation, Imperial’s funding model, and a number of questions about specific areas of research, including virtual reality and music.

Peter Maltbeck and Tina Maltbeck (both Mathematics 1978) have lived in Silicon Valley for 30 years, and met at Imperial. Peter said, “It was fascinating to hear about the latest activities. It’s made me more interested in learning about what’s going on and also supporting the College. It’s basically been a great event - great food, great speeches, and some great pictures of the College, which made us both nostalgic! What more could you want?”

Peter and Tina weren't the only Imperial couple present - Dong Ping Zhang (MSc Computing 2006, PhD 2010) and Lee Howes (MEng Computing 2005, PhD 2009), leaders of the North Californian alumni network, also met at the College, where romance first blossomed in a computing lab.

Nad Karim (Electrical and Electronic Engineering 1986) with fellow alumni

Nad Karim (Electrical & Electronic Engineering 1986) said, “I got exactly what I wanted - firstly, an update from the President, and it was nice to see the progress the College has made. Secondly, I got to see some familiar faces and to meet some new ones. And finally, and arguably most importantly, the fish and chips were great!”

The Imperial team spent the previous days meeting alumni, finding out more about their time at Imperial and what matters to them now as part of the #OurImperial campaign. You can browse a slideshow of highlights from the event below or view the full gallery on the Imperial College London alumni Facebook page.