ALUMNI ECHOES

Lalitha and Dhananjay Mahajan

MS/SIE 1993, MS/CS 1993

January 27, 2012

Husband and wife program managers for Microsoft Corporation may reside in Seattle but still remember the opportunities and experiences while studying science and engineering at the UA. Here they've answered the Alumni Echoes questions for the readers of Arizona Engineer.

How has your UA education benefitted you?
Our University of Arizona education gave both of us a solid foundation for launching our careers in computing. The rigorous programs in engineering and the sciences put a lot of emphasis on practical knowledge which helped prepare us for the industry.

While we studied in our respective departments, we also worked as research assistants in Lunar and Planetary Laboratory of the UA Department of Planetary Sciences, which gave us the required experience in applying our knowledge in a different field of science.

What are your favorite memories from your time at UA?
Taking evening strolls around the mall.
Eating lunch at student union.
Star parties at Flandrau Science Center.
Though we knew each other well for years, we got married while studying at University of Arizona.

What are your reasons for supporting UA financially?
When we were both students, we were both fortunate to be awarded tuition scholarships by the university to help us with our education. It also gave us opportunity to seek careers in our profession through the university’s employment outreach program.

We strongly believe that education is the best gift that we can give to our future generations and society. The education and experience we acquired during our years at the University of Arizona benefitted us tremendously in our professional success. It is a privilege to give back some of what we gained.

The UA Multicultural Engineering Program is especially important in facilitating engineering education to students from underrepresented groups. We hope such programs continue to provide infrastructure to raising academic standards of future engineering graduates.

Tell us about your hobbies and pastimes.
Hiking the canyons in Arizona.
Travelling to new lands and experiencing the culture.
Leading a healthy and active life.

What are your hopes for the future of UA?
In times of severe shortage of funding for education, we hope that UA continues to be one of the premier institutions of education for future engineers and scientists.

I hope that the Wildcats from UA are successful in their careers and share their success with the university and future students.

UA research contributes to major advances in sciences and engineering and betterment of these fields.

UA Engineering alums Lalitha and Dhananjay Mahajan


	College of Engineering		Infinite Possibilities