Professor Rafael Bras returned to MIT from his post as dean of engineering at the University of California at Irvine to deliver the annual Killian Lecture and attend a symposium in his honor held March 29-30. About 50 of Bras’ former students from around the world gathered for the Symposium in Honor of Rafael Bras. Events included an afternoon of speeches at Parsons Lab, where participants recounted student days amid shared jokes and raucous laughter. Friends and family members enjoyed a dinner with a slide show reflecting many of Bras’ unique contributions to life at Parsons. A half-day of scientific presentations by former students preceded the Killian Lecture, which is presented each year by the winner of the James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed by the MIT Faculty on one of its own. “My wonderful and happy career at MIT was made possible by extraordinary mentors, extraordinary staff and truly extraordinary students,” said Bras. “To have this extended family come ‘home’ together to share this occasion was like a wonderful dream that I will never forget.” A video of Bras’ speech, “Planet Water: Complexity and Organizations in Earth Systems,” can be viewed online at MIT World.