SEAS Celebrates Class of 2016

Members of the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science community celebrated the awarding of 192 Engineering degrees on May 23, 2016.

Degrees in Biomedical Engineering were conferred upon 32 members of the class of 2015; in Chemical Engineering, 19 degrees; in Computer Science, 78 degrees; in Electrical Engineering, 15 degrees; in Environmental Engineering, 10 degrees; and in Mechanical Engineering, 38 degrees.

Later in the day, at the departmental convocations, the prestigious Henry Prentiss Becton Prize for Excellence in Engineering and Applied Science was presented to Samuel Faucher in Chemical Engineering. Academically the top ranked student within the major (3.96 overall GPA, and a perfect 4.0 GPA in science/math/engineering courses), Faucher was elected to both Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi honor societies.

His topics of research have included "pressure retarded osmosis," a type of membrane-based water purification. He also spent a summer at National University of Singapore researching metal organic frameworks for carbon dioxide capture, which resulted in a published paper in Chemistry: A European Journal. Faucher, who was of Timothy Dwight college, will go on to pursue PhD studies in chemical engineering. Having gained admission to many elite programs, he is currently deciding between Stanford and MIT, and will benefit from having recently been awarded an NSF Graduate Fellowship.

Prof. Paul Van Tassel, chair 
of the Dept. of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, praised him as an "intelligent, mature, creative, and highly respected – in short, an elite student, even by Yale's high standards."

Thirteen other graduating seniors were also honored for the achievements:

- Rebecca Su
D. Allan Bromley Prize in Biomedical Engineering
Awarded to a Senior based on criteria established by the Biomedical Engineering faculty
College: Silliman

- Joel Sher
Department of Biomedical Engineering Prize
Awarded to a Senior based on criteria established by the Biomedical Engineering faculty
College: Davenport

- Benjamin Bartolome
Harry A. Curtis Prize
Awarded to a Senior who has contributed most to the academic life of his or her class
College: Trumbull

- Sophia Charan
Walker Prize in Chemical Engineering
Awarded to a Senior for outstanding scholarship in the field of Chemical Engineering
College: Morse

- Jonathan Lam
Edward O. Lanphier Memorial
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
College" Morse

- Gabriella Hefietz
Franz Tuteur Memorial Prize
Awarded to a Senior who has accomplished the most outstanding senior project
College: Pierson

- Hannah Nesser
D. Allan Bromley Prize in Environmental Engineering
Awarded to a Senior who has exhibited superior accomplishment and scholarly achievement in Environmental Engineering
College: Branford

- Madeline Landon
Environmental Engineering Prize
Awarded to a Senior based on criteria established by the Environmental Engineering Faculty
College: Silliman

- Ryan Humble
L.C. Lichty and E.O. Waters Prize in Mechanical Engineering
Awarded to a Senior for high scholarship and original research
College: Calhoun

- Sung-Hyun Kim
Donald Warren McCroskey Memorial
Awarded to a Senior who is deserving of greatest distinction for scholarly achievement in fields related to mechanics and its applications
College: Ezra Stiles

- Iulia Tamas
Computer Science Prize
Awarded to a Senior who has exhibited superior accomplishment and scholarly achievement in Computer Science
College: Branford

- Dylan Visher
Computer Science Prize
Awarded to a Senior who has exhibited superior accomplishment and scholarly achievement in Computer Science
College: Trumbull

- Alexander Reinking
Department of Computer Science Prize
Awarded to a Senior based on criteria established by the Computer Science Faculty
College: Trumbull