May 3, 2016
MSU Engineering says good-bye to 600 undergrads, 68 master’s, and 52 PhD students this weekend
Michigan State University will host commencement ceremonies for more than 700 graduates of the College of Engineering this weekend.
Advanced degrees -- The Advanced Degree Commencement is Friday, May 6, at 3:30 p.m. in MSU's Breslin Center. There will be 68 master's and 52 PhD candidates from the College of Engineering. The ceremony is 2 1/2 hours long. There are no admission tickets required.
Undergraduates -- The College of Engineering will host graduation services for more than 600 undergraduates on Sunday, May 8, at 12:30 p.m. in the Breslin Center. The ceremony is two hours long. There are no admission tickets required. Leo Kempel, dean of the College of Engineering, will offer both the welcome and closing remarks at graduation. Alexandra MacKenzie, a senior in electrical engineering, will sing the Star Spangled Banner.
Amanda Idema, assistant dean for Undergraduate Student Affairs, serves as commencement coordinator.
Undergraduate commencement speaker
Henry Pan of Troy, Mich., will present the senior class address. He will receive a degree in chemical engineering during
spring graduation services.
Pan, a 2015-16 nominee for the Churchill Scholarship, is an active student leader at MSU. He served as president of the MSU American Institute of Chemical Engineers chapter and as executive vice president for the MSU Student Engineering Council.
He told Fox 47 TV Lansing that he applied to MSU because of its cultural diversity. "The diverse student body really helps in terms of broadening the student perspective and being able to see the world in different viewpoints," he said.
Pan worked as an intercultural aid at MSU to help international students. He was an undergraduate research assistant for David Hodge, associate professor of chemical engineering and materials science, on biofuels and genetic modification of algae.
Pan said at graduation he will talk about how engineering principles provide students with tools for overcoming not only scientific problems, but also some of life's greatest obstacles. His plans are to pursue a PhD in chemical engineering at the University of Texas, Austin.
Undergraduate keynote address
Martin C. Hawley (BS ’61, PhD ’64, chemical engineering) will present the undergraduate keynote address as the 2016 Claud R. Erickson Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient. Hawley will receive the honor at the College of Engineering Alumni Awards banquet on Saturday. The award is the highest honor presented to a graduate by the college. It recognizes professional accomplishment, volunteer service, and distinguished service to the college and the engineering profession.
Hawley is a professor and recent past chairperson of the MSU Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science (CHEMS). He is currently senior associate to the dean of engineering and director of the MSU Composite Vehicle Research Center. During 2010-2012 he was also director of MSU’s Office of Sponsored Programs. Earlier, he was co-director of the MSU Composites Center—a National Science Foundation, State of Michigan, and industry-supported center—for 10 years.
He teaches, directs research, publishes, and consults with industry and government in the areas of chemical kinetics, transport phenomena, enzyme separations, chemical reactor design, process design, materials processing, applied mathematics, computer simulation, economics, and optimization.
He has taught the senior capstone process design courses at MSU for more than 40 years to about 90 percent of the living MSU undergraduate CHEMS students. The success of his students is unsurpassed with 46 MSU students receiving national contest awards in the annual AIChE Student Contest Problem.
He holds six patents and has published more than 200 articles and books. Of his 22 graduating PhD students, five are noted faculty members at various universities.
About MSU Commencement
MSU is hosting 19 commencement ceremonies from Friday, May 6, through Sunday, May 8.
Notice to visitors: Consistent with Breslin Center policy, all bags will be subject to search. No food or beverages – including bottled water – will be allowed into Breslin Center, and this applies to graduates, guests and faculty participating in the ceremonies. As such, Breslin will offer a limited menu of concessions for sale one hour prior to the start of ceremonies and during the first hour of ceremonies. Additional prohibited items include large cameras, recording devices, noisemakers, sticks, pets, signs or weapons of any form. Smoking is prohibited at the Breslin Center.
Twitter users: #msugrad16
