The Juan Pestana Legacy Fund for Student Education & Experience

The Juan Pestana Legacy Fund aims to honor Dr. Pestana by raising funds for the geosystems students with a focus on education and the student experience. We invite all alumni and colleagues in the industry to contribute.

 

About Prof. Juan Pestana: From 1994 to 2017, Professor Juan Pestana educated, trained, mentored, and inspired generations of Berkeley geosystems students through teaching and research. Dr. Pestana was not just a brilliant engineer who brought his own professional and consulting experiences to the classroom; he was full of life and passion, with a devotion to the ideals, tradition, and excellence of Berkeley. A dedicated teacher who conveyed complex concepts with clarity, Dr. Pestana taught, mentored, and inspired a generation of successful researchers and engineers. He earned the coveted UC Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award, the campus' highest honor for teaching excellence, recognizing faculty who inspired students through eliciting intellectual curiosity.

Note: On Friday, May 8, 2026, as part of the 44th Annual Geosystems Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series, there will be a morning session to honor the accomplishments and many contributions of the late Dr. Pestana to the geotechnical community during his career with UC Berkeley and Geosyntec Consultants. You can sign up for this event here!

Make a donation online now

Note: Please select the "this gift is in honor or memory of someone" option at checkout and indicate that your gift is intended to honor Professor Pestana by typing "Juan Pestana" in the open box. If you wish to send a check, please add a note to include the fund number for this fund which is #N3476 (42398).

Donor List

Blue & Gold ($20,000+)

Geosyntec Consultants

Christopher Hunt and Diona Cheng

Gold ($10,000+)

Rudolph and Anna Bonaparte

Silver ($5,000+)

Bronze ($1,000+)

Sean G. Callan

Dimitrios and Adda Zekkos

Cal Bear ($100+)

David Umberg

Chi-Sharn Lim