Alumni Updates Fall 2025

Steven T. Abell

B.S., Mathematics — 1979

After getting his degree in 1979, Steven Abell held various software engineering jobs for places like Hewlett-Packard, ParcPlace, and E*Trade. He's presently living in Fremont, California working on his own software designs. 

His current efforts focus on DragginMath, an iOS app that converts equations into interactive pictures. It helps illustrate the relationships between the parts of an equation, and then you can use those relationships to solve it by literally dragging math around the screen. As a tool, it is useful in teaching and learning middle and high school algebra. Steven was surprised to find it significantly more powerful than originally envisioned, and often amazed at what it can do. The unintentional effect is to turn algebra into something like a board game. While implementing it, he felt he learned surprising things about algebra, in particular feeling that traditional notation can keep us from seeing things that are important.

Steven Abell also wrote Days in Midgard: A Thousand Years On - Modern Legends Based on Northern Myth in 2008, a collection of short stories based on Viking myths, adapted to modern day. 

Richard Bode

A.B., Mathematics — 1970

Richard Bode delved into teaching after his time at UC Davis. He taught math at a number of high schools around Lake County and the surrounding areas: Pierce High (22 years), Analy High, Middletown High, Clear Lake High (12 years), and Kelseyville High. He was also a student/intern teacher supervisor at Dominican University for several years.

In addition to teaching math, Richard Bode also coached a variety of high school sports. He favored track, coaching for an impressive 50 years, including some time with cross country. He also coached junior varsity football for 17 years, and basketball for 7th and 8th grades for 10.

Though now retired from teaching, he's still coaching high school track at Clear Lake High.

He's been enjoying traveling across all 50 states in the US, as well as to 10 foreign countries. When he's not traveling, he's living in Lakeport, California. He would love to hear more about fellow alumni.

Jacob A. Miller

Ph.D., Mathematics — 2016

After graduating from UC Davis, Jacob Miller moved to Menlo Park where he worked as a Data Scientist for Allstate's D3, their data, discovery and decision science department. While there, he worked with large datasets doing data exploration, analysis, and built predictive models utilizing python, R, spark, and other software, while also working with distributed systems. He built loss and retention models, as well as creating a model to reduce loss of customers.

More recently, he has continued in various data science roles but working for Meta Inc., the parent company for Facebook and Instagram, returning to the area in Sacramento. He is the Staff Data Scientist supporting Instagram Teen Accounts, doing product analytics and testing, among other things.

Beyond work he's gotten married and has 3 kids: a crazy 2 year old and, more recently, twin girls born this year, 2024.

Harry David Price

B.S. — 1974

After graduating with a degree in Mathematics in 1974, Harry David Price became a physicist working for General Atomics, which now specializes in research and technology development including areas of physics research of nuclear fission/fusion, remote operated surveillance aircraft, and laser technology, among others, growing and adapting it's research in the energy and defense sectors over the years. General Atomics is headquartered in San Diego.

He was also General Manager for Physics International, an international journal dedicated to open-access. They focus on articles encompassing applied, theoretical, and experimental research with the goal to promote new research and discussion.

Price is now retired and living in Idaho.

Noppakan Sirikul

B.S., Applied Mathematics — 2023

Noppakan Sirikul was an undergraduate peer advisor for the Department for several years. After graduating in Applied Math, she went to Long Beach, where she recently received her M.S. in Applied Statistics at California State University, Long Beach.

She has been one of the network leaders for the alumni association for our very own Cal Aggie Alums, helping out with Fresno and Orange County events. She's also recently become a Higher Ed Research Intern at EdTrust to mine and integrate national datasets covering over 4000 institutions to provide data-driven recommendations to help identify barriers for students struggling in higher education.

She says she'd love to hear other alum are up to!