Class of 2025 celebrates Commencement exercises
By Patrick L. Kennedy
With formal rituals and inspiring messages of persistence and compassion during uncertain times, the Boston University College of Engineering celebrated its Class of 2025 in a pair of ceremonies last week, for recipients of bachelor’s degrees and of master’s and doctoral degrees.
“‘It was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope,’” recited guest speaker Anita Sengupta (ENG’98), quoting Charles Dickens, in remarks to more than 400 bachelor’s degree recipients, along with their families and friends, on May 17 in Agganis Arena. “We’re in the spring right now, and I am hopeful about the future.”
Sengupta is an aerospace engineer whose best-known accomplishments include designing the supersonic parachute used to safely land the Curiosity rover on Mars, and managing the Cold Atom Laboratory aboard the International Space Station.
“You have done what very few have, which is to earn an engineering degree,” said Sengupta, “which in my opinion is a degree that uniquely trains people to think, invent, create, and make the world a better place.”
“In life, as in engineering, you will be challenged to solve problems that span belief systems, oceans, continents, our solar system, and even the fabric of space-time,” Sengupta said. To meet these challenges, she urged graduates to continue seeking knowledge, to stay humble, to maintain a sense of purpose, to be resilient, and to show compassion for others.
Her Martian parachute exploded during its first test, Sengupta confided, but she and her team persevered, building a stronger one. The refined chute successfully landed Curiosity on the Red Planet in 2012. “The message is,” said Sengupta, “if you learn from others and overcome failures, you can do whatever you put your mind to.”
Your real job
In her remarks, ENG Dean ad interim Elise Morgan said, “During your time at BU, you developed your technical skills in engineering, and gained a broader education in science, humanities, social science, communication, teamwork, global studies, artistic creation, and more. I urge you to carry all that knowledge forward with you, no matter what path you take. Through the combination of knowledge in all those disciplines, you are equipped to lead in a world where technology is inseparable from human experience.”
Adapting one of her favorite quotes, from author Toni Morrison, Morgan said, “You are brilliantly trained for your jobs, it’s true. But more broadly, you’re brilliantly trained for your real job of creating solutions in service to society, solutions to the problems that matter the most for our time. That is a power you all share, it’s a power that naturally uplifts others, and it’s a power that sets BU engineers apart.”
Kindness and community
“There are a lot of great attributes an engineering school can have, but I think one of the most underrated ones is kindness,” said student speaker Marissa Ruiz. “BU Engineering radiates kindness. Maybe a classmate went out of their way to help you on an assignment or share snacks with you during a long lecture. When I sprained my ankle and was on crutches, a classmate filled up my water bottle during class. It really is the small things!
“Over the past four years, we have also accomplished so many big things together,” Ruiz added. “Many of us took our first coding class. We worked in teams to build our first client-oriented product. We learned how to 3D print, how to wire, how to solder.” In a group project in EK210, Ruiz said, “We built an automatic wheelchair light” that she credited to not only her team but also to “the TA who helped us with our circuitry and to the professors who taught us how to build it. That’s what BU Engineering is about. We help each other. We care for one another.
“There is a lot of uncertainty in our world today, and so I encourage everyone to take this sense of community with you beyond BU, whether it be in industry, hospitals, labs, or grad schools,” said Ruiz. “As Societal Engineers, we strive to leave any and every place better than we found it.”
Well deserved honors
Mete Gumusayak and Michel Shaker tied for the honor of Class of 2025 valedictorian, each with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Gumusayak earned his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in computer engineering with a concentration in machine learning. Shaker earned his bachelor’s summa cum laude in biomedical engineering.
Morgan also announced that the senior class selected Associate Professor Ray Nagem (ME) as the recipient of the 2025 College of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award. In addition, Master Lecturer Caleb Farny (ME), associate chair for undergraduate programs, was named recipient of the ENG Faculty Service Award. And Professor Hamid Nawab (ECE, BME), Assistant Professor Andrew Sabelhaus (ME, SE), and Senior Lecturer Christine Mulvey (BME) earned the inaugural awards for Teaching Excellence in the Engineering Core Curriculum.
“You can make an impact.”
At the graduate convocation and doctoral hooding ceremony on May 15 in the Case Center, William Weiss (ENG’83, ’97) addressed an audience of 155 master’s and 50 doctoral graduates, along with their families and guests.
“The skills you leave here with, and your societal and convergent thinking, have never been more relevant,” said Weiss, who recently retired as vice president of manufacturing, quality, and systems support at General Dynamics Mission Systems after a long career in the defense industry. “Solutions to difficult problems require your skills.”
“You can make an impact,” said Weiss, who is also a member of the ENG Dean’s Leadership Advisory Board. He pointed to just a few opportunities, such as health care and clean energy, where the convergent approach holds promise. Moreover, Weiss added, “Here at Boston University, you’ve already been impactful” through research, helping to make progress in areas ranging from synthesizing heart tissue to developing carbon capture technology.
“In addition to the interdisciplinary approach we necessarily apply to hard problems, the way we behave–embracing diversity of ideas and backgrounds and domain knowledge, taking time to mentor, putting project goals and the greater good first–is just as vital,” said Weiss. “That behavior exemplifies the Societal Engineer.”