Graduates celebrated for advancing knowledge in the service of humanity

Written by
Department of Electrical Engineering
June 4, 2019

Professor Naveen Verma opened the graduate student Class Day celebration, held June 3 in the Friend Center convocation room, with words of congratulations and encouragement to all.

A total of 23 doctoral degrees were awarded in electrical engineering during the 2018-2019 academic year. An additional 21 students earned a master's degree.

The Bede Liu Best Dissertation Award was given to Mattias Fitzpatrick, who developed experimental methods for studying phase transitions in quantum circuits, using intricate lattice structures to force interactions between photons. Fitzpatrick was advised by Professor of Electrical Engineering Andrew Houck, a leader in quantum-computing research.

Second-year student Hooman Saeidi, advised by Associate Professor Kaushik Sengupta, received the Early Stage Career Award for outstanding general exam grade.

Alfred O. Hero, III, addressed the crowd as the invited alumni speaker. Hero received his Ph.D. at Princeton in 1984, and is now the John H. Holland Distinguished University Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the R. Jamison and Better Williams Professor of Engineering at the University of Michigan.

Verma and Chair of Electrical Engineering Sharad Malik presented each degree recipient with an engraved pen. Photos from the event can be viewed and downloaded from the department's online gallery.