{"id":3507,"date":"2025-08-05T23:30:01","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T23:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/?page_id=3507"},"modified":"2025-08-06T00:14:31","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T00:14:31","slug":"article-bridging-coasts-a-bay-area-alumni-tour","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/article-bridging-coasts-a-bay-area-alumni-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8212; Article | Bridging Coasts: A Bay Area Alumni Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"3507\" class=\"elementor elementor-3507\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4aae10c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4aae10c\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b1e672 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4b1e672\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><h1 style=\"width: 1140px;max-width: 1140px\">Bridging Coasts: A Bay Area Alumni Tour<span style=\"color: inherit;font-family: inherit;font-size: 2rem\"><\/span><\/h1><\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-224a937 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"224a937\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-63ed987 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"63ed987\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In late June, the MRSD Program staff \u2013 director John Dolan and manager Sarah Conte \u2013 embarked on a dynamic three-day journey through the San Francisco Bay Area, reconnecting with alumni and exploring the cutting edge of innovation. From the bustling city to the heart of Silicon Valley, the trip was a celebration of community, creativity, and the enduring impact of our MRSD Family.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b13d0af elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b13d0af\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Day 1: San Francisco<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2fd07b7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2fd07b7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The tour kicked off on Sunday, June 22 with a visit to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.focalheat.co\/technology\"><b>Focal Heat<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Alumnus Rohan Pandya shared his journey since graduation and all his insights from founding this company. His team recently moved into a new office space, and they are ramping up for a big push with their next-generation product.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-97bd050 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"97bd050\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-2.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3529\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-2.jpeg 936w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-2-300x186.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-2-768x475.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d56036 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1d56036\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The afternoon continued with a stop at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mach9.io\/\"><b>Mach9<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a company founded by two MSR alum: Alex Baikovitz and Haowen Shi. They use AI and computer vision to automate the conversion of massive-scale LiDAR and image data into 2D and 3D engineering maps\u2014up to 30 times faster than traditional methods. We were welcomed by MRSD alumni Abhinav Gupta and Praveen Venkatesh, who provided a very exciting simulation demo of their technology.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c580d90 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c580d90\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"367\" src=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-5.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3540\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-5.jpeg 936w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-5-300x138.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-5-768x352.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-00d5ec5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"00d5ec5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The day concluded with an <\/span><b>alumni mixer at Mach9<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, bringing together over 30 local alumni.\u00a0 We had a nice spread of sandwiches and sides, and we did a raffle for some MRSD swag. Four alum also delivered some brief remarks, sharing thoughts about their start-ups, the ups and downs of life after MRSD, and exciting opportunities for the future. The energy in the room was electric for the entire event! Stories were exchanged, connections rekindled, and new collaborations sparked. Thank you so much to Abhinav, Praveen, and the Mach9 founders and staff who opened their doors to welcome our community into their space for the evening.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-89ca836 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"89ca836\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-7.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3541\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-7.jpeg 936w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-7-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-7-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-434a3d8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"434a3d8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Day 2: From the City to the Valley<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fdbd43e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fdbd43e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Monday began with a visit to <\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/technology-centers\">AutoDesk Technology Center<\/a> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">at Pier 9, hosted by Shruti Balaji. This location is a hub for exploring the future of manufacturing \u2013 where startups, researchers, and industry leaders collaborate using advanced equipment, like hybrid metal additive tools, to push the boundaries of design and fabrication. Shruti lead us on a tour, where we met some of her colleagues, saw some very cool 3D-printed models, and learned a lot about what she gets to work on each week.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f51b61 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1f51b61\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-1.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3542\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-1.jpeg 936w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-1-300x194.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-1-768x497.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262003a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"262003a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Next, we headed south to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.undercontrol.ai\/\"><b>Under Control Robotics<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Sunnyvale. The team at UCR is developing rugged, AI-enabled humanoid robots designed to perform dangerous tasks in heavy industries like construction, mining, and energy\u2014turning hazardous work into a choice rather than a necessity. Wenda Wang, co-founder of UCR and MRSD alum, introduced us to the company\u2019s latest innovations. It was a pleasure to meet both versions of Moby in person!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-128886f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"128886f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"508\" src=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-3.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3543\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-3.jpeg 829w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-3-300x190.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-3-768x487.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f3657f7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f3657f7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Later that afternoon, we went to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/wayve.ai\/\"><b>Wayve<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a pioneer in AI-driven autonomous driving software. They are developing an end-to-end, mapless system that learns from data to drive any vehicle in any city\u2014now expanding its testing from the UK to the U.S. with a new office in Sunnyvale. MRSD has a strong foothold there, and we were welcomed by Jaskaran Singh Sodhi, Saurabh Nair, Flavian Pegado, and Ronit Hire. Their work was both inspiring and future-focused.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4e9838 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a4e9838\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"272\" src=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-6.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3544\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-6.jpeg 902w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-6-300x102.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-6-768x261.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d36ae40 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d36ae40\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The evening\u2019s <\/span><b>alumni mixer at Wayve<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> drew a crowd of over 80, making it the largest gathering of the trip. The event was a vibrant reminder of the strength and diversity of our alumni network in the Bay Area. There were so many fantastic conversations happening the whole evening that, at the end of the night, John &amp; Sarah had to ask guests <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">three times<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to leave the building. Too much fun was being had!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d495a65 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d495a65\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"276\" src=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-4.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3545\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-4.jpeg 936w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-4-300x104.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-4-768x265.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c9d93b5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c9d93b5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Day 3: South Bay<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dbd01fb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dbd01fb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tuesday\u2019s itinerary took us deeper into Silicon Valley, starting with a visit to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nissan-global.com\/EN\/INNOVATION\/TECHNOLOGY\/ADVANCED_TECH_CENTER\/\"><b>Nissan\u2019s Advanced Technology Center<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where alumni Dhanesh Pamnani, Jash Shah, and Atharv Pulapaka shared their work in automotive innovation. Their involvement with Nissan began during MRSD, when Nissan sponsored their capstone project in 2023. They also completed their summer internships with Nissan (as did their two other team mates, Ronit Hire &amp; Shreyas Jha). Nissan gave job offers to all five students upon graduation; four accepted, and three of them are still working there.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7c44c70 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7c44c70\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"474\" src=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-10.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3546\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-10.jpeg 924w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-10-300x178.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-10-768x455.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5f200f9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5f200f9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aeva.com\/\"><b>Aeva<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Mountain View, Shreyas Jha and Heethesh Vhavle walked us through their workplace. Aeva Technologies designs and manufactures 4D LiDAR sensing systems using Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology, enabling advanced perception for autonomous vehicles, consumer electronics, industrial automation, and security applications. We were graciously provided a demo ride in their decked out van, and it was a joy to see all the great work that Heethesh, and now Jash who just started, will continue to contribute to the field!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9485d05 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9485d05\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"379\" src=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-8.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3547\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-8.jpeg 888w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-8-300x142.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-8-768x364.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-95e6713 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"95e6713\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The final stop was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/zoox.com\/\"><b>Zoox<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Foster City, where a group of five alumni welcomed us with a discussion about the future of autonomous vehicles. Zoox designs and manufactures purpose-built, fully autonomous robotaxis for ride-hailing services, with no steering wheel or pedals. Their distinctive autonomous vehicle is simply referred to as the Zoox robotaxi, often described as a &#8220;toaster-shaped&#8221; shuttle pod due to its symmetrical, bidirectional design. Sohil Savla and Sid Raina showed us around Zoox\u2019s impressive campus, including a ride in the robotaxi \u2013 and they even let us choose the music and lighting. It was a fitting end to a trip centered on the future of technology and the people shaping it.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3fd4697 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"3fd4697\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"504\" src=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-9.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3548\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-9.jpeg 920w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-9-300x189.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2025\/08\/cali-trip-9-768x484.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eebd270 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"eebd270\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Reflections: A Community in Motion<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1e459d6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1e459d6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This trip was more than a series of site visits. It was a powerful reminder of the impact our alumni are making in robotics adjacent industries across the world. Whether launching startups, leading teams at major tech firms, or pioneering new technologies, our graduates are driving change and innovation.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re deeply grateful to all the alumni who hosted us, attended the mixers, and shared their stories. Your passion and generosity continue to inspire the next generation.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As we reflect on this journey, we\u2019re excited to continue building bridges between our campus and alumni communities around the world. Stay tuned for future events and opportunities to connect\u2014because no matter where you are, you\u2019re always part of the MRSD Family.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3304346 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"3304346\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bridging Coasts: A Bay Area Alumni Tour In late June, the MRSD Program staff \u2013 director John Dolan and manager Sarah Conte \u2013 embarked on a dynamic three-day journey through the San Francisco Bay Area, reconnecting with alumni and exploring the cutting edge of innovation. From the bustling city to the heart of Silicon Valley, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3507","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>- Article | Bridging Coasts: A Bay Area Alumni Tour - MRSD Newsletter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/labs.ri.cmu.edu\/mrsd-news\/article-bridging-coasts-a-bay-area-alumni-tour\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"- Article | Bridging Coasts: A Bay Area Alumni Tour - MRSD Newsletter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bridging Coasts: A Bay Area Alumni Tour In late June, the MRSD Program staff \u2013 director John Dolan and manager Sarah Conte \u2013 embarked on a dynamic three-day journey through the San Francisco Bay Area, reconnecting with alumni and exploring the cutting edge of innovation. 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