Harvard University Professor and speaker at the JROMC lecture held Monday Jennifer Lewis chats with JROMC Chair David Izraelevitz during the dinner Sunday. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

Some of the recipients of the J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee (JROMC) scholarships attended at JROMC dinner Sunday at the Blue Window Bistro. Pictured here are, counter-clockwise from the left, Los Alamos High School (LAHS)  graduates Isaac Gao, Quinton Geller, Ming-Yuan Lo, Santa Fe High School (SFHS) graduate Lucas Blakeslee and LAHS graduate Yeanwoo Park. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

Recipients of JROMC scholarships who attended the JROMC dinner from the left, LAHS graduates Sonja Ebey and Madelyn Crotzer, and SFHS graduates Justin and Jacob Mirabal. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Before the recipients of the J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee (JROMC) scholarships attend college and pursue careers, the committee decided it was party time.

So, the committee threw a dinner Sunday at Blue Window Bistro in honor of the scholarship recipients as well as Harvard Professor Jennifer Lewis, who spoke at Monday’s JROMC annual lecture at Duane Smith Auditorium. She discussed “Printing Soft Objects and Functional Tissues”.

Several of the scholarship recipients attended the dinner including:

Los Alamos High School graduates Isaac Gao, Quinton Geller, Ming-Yuan Lo, Yeanwoo Park, Sonja Ebey and Madelyn Crotzer. Santa Fe High School graduates Lucas Blakeslee and Justin and Jacob Mirabal also attended.

JROMC Chair David Izraelevitz congratulated the recipients saying, they “have a bright future in front of them.”

JROMC Board member Wendee Brunish said a total of 15 scholarships were awarded to students attending Los Alamos High School and throughout the region. The total amount of scholarships awarded this year was $47,000.

JROMC Board member Christine Hazard Phillips, who heads the scholarships for Los Alamos, said the committee received 50 applications from Los Alamos High School this year.

After the application, the next step is an interview. Hazard Phillips said 12 local students were selected for the interview and six Los Alamos students were awarded the scholarships.

“It’s a very tough process,” Hazard Phillips said.

She emphasized that it is not just academics that the committee is looking at but what they are doing outside of the classroom and how much they emulate Oppenheimer.

In addition to celebrating the students’ achievement, the dinner also was an opportunity for them to meet with world-class scientists such as Lewis, Brunish said.

“(Students can) chat with the speaker and talk to a world-class scientist about their career,” she said.

Lewis spoke about being invited to speak for the JROMC.

“It is really an honor to be here and be selected by the J. Robert Oppenheimer Committee to give this lecture,” she said.

Coming to Los Alamos has been a great experience, Lewis added.

“It’s really nice; there’s so much history here in Los Alamos and it’s great to be a part of that in some small way,” she said.

JROMC members and dinner participants from left, JROMC Treasurer Galen Gisler, JRMOC board member Jeffrey Howell, Aaron Koskelo and JROMC board member Jeanne Robinson socialize Sunday. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

From left, Kyle Wheeler and her husband and JROMC board member Mike Wheeler and JROMC board member Wendee Brunish take part in the dinner Sunday. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

JROMC board members from left, Damon Giovanielli, his wife Ellie, board member John Ruminer and his wife Kit take part in the dinner Sunday. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

Debra Vanhecke and Tracy Forward take part in the JROMC dinner Sunday. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

From left, JROMC board member Christine Hazard Phillips, Lori Sanders and her wife and speaker at the JROMC lecture Harvard Professor Jennifer Lewis attend the dinner Sunday. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com