Highly recognized and humble, Enrique Lavernia grew up in Puerto Rico, earned his Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from MIT, and is in the National Academy of Engineering, among his numerous accolades. Lavernia’s research on spray atomization deposition, nanostructured materials, and mathematical modeling of advanced materials and processes is notable. A Dean like no other, Lavernia held tenure at the University of California, Irvine, as a department chair for four years and went on to have tenure as dean of the UC Davis College of Engineering. During his time at UC Davis, Lavernia evolved the College of Engineering of the university into one of the nation’s fastest-growing and most prestigious engineering schools, increasing diversity and student enrollment by 22%. As Dean, Lavernia’s focus was research and people and how it brings together different cultures. Lavernia believes the Golden Era of materials science and engineering is now, and its interdisciplinary perspective will bring people together. His advice to students is to engage in their passions and let their passion for learning drive them.