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2015 Electrical Engineering Graduation Ceremony

June 4, 2015

DSC_0500The Department of Electrical Engineering’s graduation ceremony on Friday, June 12, in Kane Hall, saw the largest attendance of graduating students since 2001. Congratulations to all 210 graduates!

The department was honored to have alum Stewart Wu (MSEE ’85, Ph.D. ’90), who is a member of the Advisory Board, deliver the graduation address. Learn more about Stewart Wu’s keynote speech.

Wu, together with EE Chair Radha Poovendran, surprised emeritus faculty member Ward Helms, who was Wu’s advisor, with an award honoring 40 years of dedication to the department. Learn more about Ward Helms’ 40 Years of Excellence Award.

The annual EE Department Awards were also presented during the ceremony, honoring students, faculty and staff for excellence in the following areas:

The Outstanding Staff Award was presented to two staff members: Lindsay Appesland and Bill Lynes. A conference coordinator, Lindsay Appesland was recognized for her exceptional talent organizing department events and logistics. An instructional lab manager, Bill Lynes was honored for his work providing students with an excellent lab experience.

The Outstanding Faculty Award was presented to Georg Seelig, an innovative researcher and instructor dedicated to enhancing the curriculum by introducing novel material at the graduate level. Seelig also mentors students through the UW College of Engineering BRIDGE program.

The Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award was presented to Zerina Kapetanovic in recognition of commitment to service activities. Kapetanovic was in two honor societies, served as a TA and research assistant and mentored high school students. An undergraduate researcher, she presented a paper at the 2015 IEEE radio frequency identification conference.

The Outstanding Professional Student Award was presented to Chelsea Olson for her commitment to education and career. Olson joined Boeing as a flight test engineer after her graduation from UW EE and quickly advanced to top-secret design work. She is also on the board of the Washington Aerospace Scholars and is involved in Amelia’s Aero Club, which provides mentoring for young girls in science.

The Yang Research Award for Outstanding Doctoral Student was presented to Tamara Bonaci in recognition of outstanding research in the field of electrical engineering. Bonaci’s research is highly innovative and she has received numerous awards and contributed to three filed patents to date. In her research on the security and privacy of cyberphysical systems, Bonaci also explores legal and ethical issues.

A new award, the Vikram Jandhyala and Suja Vaidyanathan Endowed Innovation Award in Electrical Engineering, was founded by former department chair Vikram Jandhyala and his wife to recognize students with an entrepreneurial spirit. The award was presented to graduate student Rahil Jain, the founder of Hook, a home automation hub that allows customers to convert existing home devices to smart gadgets, which decreases energy consumption.

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2015!

Watch the graduation video. View graduation photos on Instagram and Facebook.

Pictures are available from Yuen Lui for purchase — visit the Yuen Lui site and search for “University of Washington.”  You can also view a selection of the Yuen Lui photos on Flickr.