This post was updated March 6 at 12:09 a.m.

The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science held a celebration of life Feb. 19 in honor of Ioanna Kakoulli, a professor of materials science and engineering, who died Jan. 1.

[Related: Materials conservation scholar, engineering professor Ioanna Kakoulli dies at 57]

The event – held in the Mong Auditorium – featured a memorial tribute, eulogies and a reception for Kakoulli, UCLA’s first female professor hired by the department of materials science and engineering. Kakoulli’s colleagues, family and students recounted their favorite stories with her and shared how Kakoulli had inspired them. Kakoulli’s husband, Giorgos Bayadas, and sister also spoke via Zoom from Cyprus – where Kakoulli was born and raised.

Alissa Park, the dean of the School of Engineering, said in a speech that Kakoulli’s work on historic art materials and conservation bridged science and humanities and will leave a long-lasting legacy in cultural preservation.

“It was so clear how much she felt so connected to her research,” Park said. “I was really fascinated by her research and the passion she had.”

Park added that faculty will remember Kakoulli for her service in the Academic Senate. Kakoulli chaired the Graduate Council and was a member of the executive board.

Magdalena Balonis, a professor of materials science and engineering, said Kakoulli encouraged her to incorporate more fun into her life, including pushing Balonis to learn how to dive during her time visiting Cyprus with Kakoulli.

“She would encourage me to go out – to go and party, have a well-balanced life,” Balonis said in her speech. “She said to me: work hard, party harder.”

Kakoulli mentored more than 40 graduate students throughout her career, said Glenn Wharton, a professor of art history. Several students who said Kakoulli mentored them attended the event.

Kakoulli had a large impact on the UCLA/Getty Conservation Program, which prepares students for careers in archaeology and cultural preservation, Wharton said. Kakoulli created the program’s doctoral degree offering and also set up the Getty, Kahn Foundation, and Lore and Gerald Cunard Chair endowments – which provide stipends for the program’s students, Wharton added.

Isabella Kim, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering, said Kakoulli was both a colleague and a friend to her coworkers.

“After COVID, when I actually got to see her in person for the first time, she would grab my arm and drag me to every single professor’s offices, introducing me and giving a warm hug to everyone she knew,” Kim said.

Sandoval Martinez, a UCLA alumnus who worked as an undergraduate researcher in Kakoulli’s lab, said Kakoulli made her more confident in her academic abilities. Martinez said she credits her continuing her work in materials science to Kakoulli’s lab, adding that Kakoulli’s mentorship reignited her love for engineering.

Several speakers were moved to tears during their speeches as they recounted memories with Kakoulli.

“Kakoulli was so cool, and I bragged about that every time I could to my friends about her in their face that I had the honor and privilege to work with her,” Martinez said. “It feels so strange to think about how I was just emailing you days before your passing, and you were still so kind, and you still believed in me even when I couldn’t myself.”

The event ended with a reception for attendees to socialize and remember Kakoulli.

“Even though she’s gone, she is not lost,” said Tatiana Sarafi – Kakoulli’s sister – in a speech. “She will live on through her work, the ideas she left behind, the people she inspired and above all – in our hearts – there, she will remain alive, whole and radiant.”