Caltech Names Five Distinguished Alumni

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has recognized five of its graduates with the Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor regularly bestowed by the Institute. The award acknowledges a particular achievement, a series of achievements, or a career of achievements of noteworthy value. Since its inception in 1966, the award has been granted to outstanding alumni in the sciences, engineering, business, and the arts. This year's recipients span fields from computer science to culinary science. An innovator in electric and solar vehicle technology, Alan Cocconi is an inventor of power electronics and advanced high-frequency induction motors for electric cars and solar aircraft. He developed the drive and solar tracking systems for the General Motors (GM) Sun Raycer, which won the 1987 World Solar Challenge, a cross-country race for solar-powered vehicles held in Australia. Cocconi then designed and built the controller for the original GM Impact, which was introduced at the 1990 L.A. Auto Show and later evolved into GM's EV-1.