Doris S. Perpall SURF Speaking Competition

The Doris S. Perpall SURF Speaking Competition was endowed by Robert (Bob) C. Perpall (BS ‘52 Mechanical Engineering; MS '56 Mechanical Engineering) in memory of his late wife as an incentive for Caltech students to give excellent oral presentations. Mr. Perpall strongly believed that effective communication skills were critical to one's future success.

For over thirty years, the Perpall SURF Speaking Competition has developed into an incredible force for improving the oral presentation skills of Caltech undergraduates.

Congratulations to the 2025 Perpall SURF Speaking Competition winners!

• First Place: Diya Kumar with Fei Dai (Assistant Professor of Astronomy, University of Hawaii) and Lynne Hillenbrand (Professor of Astronomy)
• Second Place: Shrila Esturi with Jeffrey Reimer (Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UC Berkeley), Sophia Fricke (Postdoctoral Fellow in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UC Berkeley), and Paul Wennberg (R. Stanton Avery Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Science and Engineering)
• Third Place: Jude McLean with Philip Hopkins (Ira S. Bowen Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics) and Daichi Tsuna (Sherman Fairchild Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in Theoretical Astrophysics)