Congratulations to the SEAS Class of 2020!

05/18/2020

Members of the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science community celebrated the awarding of 199 undergraduate Engineering degrees Monday.

Degrees in Biomedical Engineering were conferred upon 15 members of the class of 2020; in Chemical Engineering, 13 degrees; in Computer Science, 118 degrees; in Electrical Engineering, 9 degrees; in Environmental Engineering, 6 degrees; and in Mechanical Engineering, 38 degrees.

School of Engineering & Applied Science Dean Jeffrey Brock addressed the class of 2020 from Zoom, noting that this period of the COVID-19 outbreak has made for unprecedented circumstances. But he said the class of 2020 will rise above the obstacles it presents. 

“You will be remembered for your ingenuity and your contributions in the face of this extraordinary challenge,” he said. “These are problems that call on our broadest base of creativity, on our depth of knowledge, and on our sense of common purpose to face a faceless threat to our basic freedoms and way of life. This is an extraordinary time - this is a time for innovators, this is a time for problem solvers, and this is a time for engineers. Congratualtions to the SEAS class of 2020."

Dean Brock also announced Valerie Chen, a computer science major, as the winner of the Henry Prentiss Becton Senior Prize, awarded by the Dean of Engineering to a senior for rewarding and encouraging outstanding student performance. 

Numerous other graduating students received department honors:

Electrical Engineering

  • Ashley Aponik - Edward O. Lanphier Memorial Prize, awarded to a senior who has a superior accomplishment in fields related to electricity and its applications and who has demonstrated initiative in the field of research

Biomedical Engineering 

  • Jonathan Weiss - D. Allan Bromley Prize in Biomedical Engineering, awarded to a senior who has exhibited superior accomplishment and scholarly achievement in Biomedical Engineering.

  • Kelly Li - Department of Biomedical Engineering Prize, awarded to a senior based on criteria established by the Biomedical Engineering faculty.

Computer Science

  • Yifei Shen - Computer Science Prize, awarded to a senior who has exhibited superior accomplishment and scholarly achievement in computer science.

  • Max Levatich - Department of Computer Science Prize, awarded to a senior based on criteria established by the computer science faculty.

Chemical Engineering

  • Victoria Gomerdinger - Harry A. Curtis Prize, awarded to a senior who has contributed the most to the academic life of his or her class.

  • George Zhang - Walker Prize in Chemical Engineering, awarded to a senior for outstanding scholarship in the field of Chemical Engineering.

Environmental Engineering

  • Annabelle Pan - D. Allan Bromley Prize in Environmental Engineering, awarded to a senior who has exhibited superior accomplishment and scholarly achievement in environmental engineering.

  • Joseph Lybik- Environmental Engineering Prize, awarded to a senior based on criteria established by the environmental engineering faculty.

Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science

  • Pamela Banner - Donald Warren McCroskey Memorial, awarded to a senior who is deserving of the greatest distinction for scholarly achievement in fields related to mechanics and its applications.

  • Duncan Lee - L.C. Lichty and E.O. Waters Prize in Mechanical Engineering, awarded to a senior for high scholarship and original research.