Robin (Senigaglia) Beck
BSME '77
In 2016, Robin (Senigaglia) Beck was selected for the School of Engineering's highest honor, the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award, recognizing alumni whose accomplishments in their professions, communities, and University service have set them apart.
After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Santa Clara, Beck went on to earn her master’s degree from Stanford University. For more than 35 years she has led an exemplary career, highlighted by her time as Project Engineer and Engineering Manager at Aerotherm Corporation, and more recently as Lead Engineer at NASA AMES Research Center. As NASA’s Cognizant Engineer for the Mars Science Laboratory thermal protection systems, she led the team that designed the heat shield for the Curiosity rover's spacecraft that successfully survived the heat of entry into Mars’ atmosphere in August, 2012. Since then she has continued to advance the development of conformal ablative thermal protection materials, and is lead or co-author on numerous scholarly research publications within her field.
For her contribution to the field of mechanical engineering and advancement of scholarly research, Robin Beck receives this award.