November 22, 2024 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Professor, William Klug died in UCLA’s shooting

William S. Klug, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, died June 1 in a shooting in his office in UCLA’s Engineering IV building. He was 39.

Klug, a beloved and committed scholar, conducted life-saving research that also involved colleagues from UCLA’s engineering, science and medical faculty. He specialized in computational biomechanics and the mechanics of biological systems, such as cancer cells.

Klug had been a member of the UCLA community since his days as a graduate student, from 1998 through 1999, when he earned a master’s degree in civil engineering. He went on to earn a doctorate from Caltech in 2003, and then returned to UCLA that year as a faculty member of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Klug held appointments in mechanical and aerospace engineering and in bioengineering, and he was promoted to full professor in 2015.

“Our entire UCLA family is mourning the loss of Professor Klug, a respected, dedicated and caring faculty member,” UCLA Chancellor Gene Block wrote in a statement to the campus community

. “At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with Professor Klug’s wife, Mary Elise, his two children, and his extended family, friends and colleagues. … Let us remember and be grateful for the wonderful gifts and talents Professor Klug shared with us at UCLA.”

Among his recent research projects, Klug was collaborating with colleagues at the David Geffen School of Medicine in running the UCLA Cardiac Modeling Group. Funded by a $4.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the researchers were applying biomechanics to cardiology research with the goal of better understanding the electromechanics of the heart.

His previous research provided a clearer picture of the physics of cells and their organelles, which had applications for understanding the life cycles of viruses like HIV. He was also director of the Klug Research Group, which studied computational biomechanics, including how biological structures’ shape and mechanics affects their function.

“This is a terrible moment,” said Tsu-Chin Tsao, chair of the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering. “We lost a professor who cared a lot about his students and who was on a very positive trajectory. My heart goes out to his family right now.”

Klug received a number of prestigious awards, including a 2008 National Science Foundation Career Award of $475,000 over five years and his department’s Samueli Teaching Award in 2007. In his career, he used that and other grants to support research by a number of doctoral and post-doctoral scholars whom he worked with or mentored. In 2012, he was honored by Westmont College, his undergraduate alma mater, as a distinguished alumni.

While on sabbatical in 2012, he served as a visiting scholar at both Caltech and USC. He was engaged in the UCLA community, serving as a member of numerous campus committees, as a reviewer on a dozen academic journals and as an organizer for a half-dozen conferences.

“Bill was one of the most talented, intelligent and caring people I have ever known, and he made enormous contributions in the field of computational biomechanics,” said UCLA professor Jeff Eldredge, who met him in 1999 while they were both doctoral students at Caltech. The pair joined the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at UCLA on the same day.

“While sharing a lab with him these past 13 years, I have watched him mentor a series of great research students,” Eldredge said. “I had looked forward to us growing into old grouchy professors together, and I’m very sad to lose a dear friend and colleague and the many years of future collaboration and camaraderie that have vanished for no sensible reason. We have lost someone truly special. My thoughts are with his wife and children.”

In reviews of his classes, even students who bemoaned the large amount of homework he assigned described him as kind, helpful and patient. Some also mentioned his sense of humor, noting that he made his lectures available online, but to encourage class attendance turned off his microphone when describing what kinds of questions would be on his tests.

Klug was born on June 19, 1976, and lived in El Segundo, California. He is survived by his wife, Mary Elise, a fellow graduate of both Westmont and UCLA, and their children, Timothy, 9, and Rosemary, 7.

A vigil is planned by the engineering school at 4 p.m. Friday at the UCLA Court of Sciences.

Related Posts

Breakaway Café Opens New Venice Location with Beachside Grab-and-Go Window

November 20, 2024

November 20, 2024

Bayse Brothers Bring Their Signature Breakfast Dishes and Good Vibes to Venice Breakaway Café, a popular breakfast and lunch eatery...

Last Minute Additions to the Best Thanksgiving 2024 Feasts and Pies To Go

November 20, 2024

November 20, 2024

If Other Faves are Sold Out, Here’s All The Quality Places to Try Now Celebrity chefs Susan Feniger and Mary...

Everytable’s Holiday Meal Collaboration To Support LA’s Unhoused Youth

November 20, 2024

November 20, 2024

Chef Created Thanksgiving Meal Benefits My Friend’s Place. Everytable, the mission-driven company committed to making scratch-cooked, nutritious meals accessible to...

Los Angeles City Council Codifies Sanctuary Protections for Migrants with New Citywide Ordinance

November 19, 2024

November 19, 2024

Mayor Bass Prioritized the Ordinance after Trump’s Mass Deportation Threats The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to officially...

The Palms Community Council’s Executive Committee Schedules Special Meeting for Nov. 20

November 19, 2024

November 19, 2024

Meeting to Address Open Board Positions and Committee Updates The Executive Committee will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, Nov....

Hammer Museum Presents 10th Edition of MoMA Contenders: Screenings, Conversations with Top Filmmakers

November 19, 2024

November 19, 2024

Lineup Features Films by Steve McQueen, Sean Baker, and Brady Corbett The Hammer Museum will host the 10th edition of...

Film Review: Wicked

November 19, 2024

November 19, 2024

By Dolores Quintana Director John Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In The Heights) has crafted an effervescent take on the blockbuster...

Randy’s Donuts Arrives in Culver City with Free Donuts and a $250 Gift Card Giveaway

November 19, 2024

November 19, 2024

Grand Opening on November 19 Includes Sweet Giveaways Starting at 6:00 a.m. The time is finally here. Randy’s Donuts is...

Nicole Nagel’s Futuristic Eric Moss Designed Brentwood Home To Hit Auction Block

November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024

The Spaceship-Like Property Heads to Auction With No Reserve in December German actress Nicole Nagel, who was part of the...

LA Controller Kenneth Meija: City Left $513 Million of Homelessness Budget Unspent

November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024

Inefficiencies Blamed for Underspending Despite Record Allocation in FY2024  The City of Los Angeles hasn’t spent over half of its...

West LA College Expands Zero-Cost Textbook Programs with $600K Grant

November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024

College Aims for 50 Zero-Cost Textbook Programs by 2025  West Los Angeles College (West) is expanding its zero-cost textbook program...

(Video) At Vistamar School – Discover the way high school should be

November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024

Students achieve remarkable outcomes with our strong academics, small classes, andpersonalized approach. Our graduates don’t just attend college—they excel. Vistamar’sunique...

(Video) Celebrating 60 Years of Excellence in Education

November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024

Join our international community! Preschool through 12th grade, private school in West Los Angeles and Pacific Palisades, No French knowledge required...

Missing Person Alert: Authorities Seek Help to Find Michelle Lerner, 63, in Culver City

November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024

Woman Was Last Seen Near Prospect Avenue and Venice Boulevard  Authorities are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a...

Lodge Bread To Open New Beverly Hills Location on November 22

November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024

Popular Bakery Will Offer Its Signature Sourdoughs and Pastries  Lodge Bread, a highly regarded West Los Angeles bakery and café,...