On Sunday, May 10, 2026, Duke Engineering celebrated over 1,200 graduates from its various programs.
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Duke Engineering Celebrates the Class of 2026
On a gorgeous May weekend in Durham, students and their families and supporters celebrated the 102nd class of graduates from Duke University. Within a weekend filled with emotions and memories, a series of events recognized the many accomplishments of the Class of 2026. The headline event was a university-wide ceremony on the morning of Sunday, May 10, where the entire school gathered to celebrate. Later in the day, Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering gathered at 2:45 pm in Cameron Indoor Stadium to recognize about 330 members of this year’s graduating class in a ceremony led by Vinik Dean of Engineering Jerome P. Lynch.
In remarks, Lynch compared the lessons instilled in graduating engineers to the traits that made one of history’s great engineers and artists, Leonardo Da Vinci, so famous and successful. He pointed out that Da Vinci believed in himself, found purpose in helping humanity, was immensely entrepreneurial and, given that many of his designs never saw the light of day during his lifetime, was extraordinarily resilient.
These traits, Lynch said, were what allowed Da Vinci to create something from nothing; a task and qualities that Duke Engineering’s curriculum has worked to instill in them all. Those lessons, he continued, now must be turned toward their generation’s greatest technological revolution: artificial intelligence.
“As Duke Engineers fashioned in DaVinci’s image, you must learn to harness the power of AI to complement your creative capacities to produce solutions that matter,” Lynch said.
Lynch also warned that there would be barriers and disruptions as AI continues to converge with global political and economic forces. But with the lessons learned during their short time at Duke, he argued that today’s graduates are well equipped to meet the challenge.
“Please, do not be a bystander and lean in to ensure you are heard,” Lynch said. “Make Duke proud by being a principled technology leader who never stops thinking about the safeguards needed to ward off the more nefarious uses of technological power.
“If you do, my colleagues and I have every reason to be confident that we are moving into a second Renaissance that will be known of a rapid expansion of human flourishing across our communities based on AI.”
My colleagues and I have every reason to be confident that we are moving into a second Renaissance that will be known of a rapid expansion of human flourishing across our communities based on AI.
Jerome P. LynchVinik Dean of Engineering
Kate Stutheit and Pranav Mukund, co-presidents of the Pratt School of Engineering Class of 2026, also spoke during the ceremony as representatives of their classmates.
“You showed up, you iterated, you pushed through, and you made it,” Mukund said. “No matter where you’re headed next, you’ve earned this moment.”
“Celebrate the people around us,” added Stutheit. “Celebrate ourselves. And really allow ourselves to enjoy it. Thank you so much for doing these last four years with us. You inspire us each and every day.”
Beyond the Duke campus, hundreds of families and friends around the world watched a live stream of the Duke Engineering undergraduate ceremony broadcast over YouTube.
PhD Awards
Engineering Graduate Student Council Service Award
Yifei Wang
Aaron Appelle
Kaichun Yang
PhD Plus Program Service Award
Luisa Piccolo Serafim
Jaleesia Amos
Elizabeth Dimbath
Connor Amelung
Doctoral Dissertation Award
Luca Menozzi
(Jongwang) Daniel Park
Outstanding Graduate Research & Service Award
Isaac Musazzi
Outstanding Dissertation Award
Juncheng Dong
James Doherty
Outstanding Dissertation Award
Yun Bai
Jianping Xia
Outstanding Service to the Department Award
Anshu Agarwal
Luisa Piccolo Serafim
Undergraduate Awards
Walter J. Seeley Scholastic Award
Presented annually by the Engineering Student Government to the member of the graduating class who has achieved the highest scholastic average in all subjects, and who has shown diligence in pursuit of an engineering education. Initiated to honor the spirit of academic excellence and professional diligence demonstrated by the late Dean Walter J. Seeley.
Ananya Bhatia
Carson Alexander Brantley
Sara Sofia Canale
Nolan Werner Hawkins
Joyce Hu
Jaeyoung Kil
Benjamin Li
Hannah Lanling Mekaru
Joel Valan
Christian Kei Wacker
Sarah Jayne Willmann
Harrison Peter York
Otto Meier, Jr. Tau Beta Pi Award
Presented in recognition of Dr. Meier’s leadership in establishing the North Carolina Gamma Chapter on January 10, 1948, and his continuous service until April 19, 1975, as the chapter advisor. Given annually to the graduating member of Tau Beta Pi who best symbolizes the distinguished scholarship and exemplary character required for membership.
Eduardo Bortolomiol Passos
Pratt School of Engineering Student Service Award
Established in 1978 and given to graduating seniors who, by contributions of time, effort and spirit, have significantly benefitted the community of the Pratt School of Engineering.
David Ntim
Kate Elizabeth Stutheit
da Vinci Award
Presented to the Biomedical Engineering senior with the most outstanding academic record, as determined by a faculty committee. Commemorates the contributions of Leonardo da Vinci in laying the foundation of the mechanistic study of human life.
Hannah Lanling Mekaru
Joel Valan
Helmholtz Award
Given to a graduating senior who presents the best research project, as judged by department faculty. Commemorates the work of Hermann von Helmholtz in laying the foundation of biomedical engineering.
Shelby Dawn Cherkas
Edward D. “Ned” Light Memorial Award
Given to a Pratt Research Fellow in biomedical engineering with the best engineering design project, as judged by a faculty committee. Established in 2012 in memory of Ned Light, who worked for at Duke 22 years—pioneering research in real-time 3D ultrasound imaging and mentoring a host of undergraduate students both in the lab and in life skills.
Lauren Leigh Shiell
Theo C. Pilkington Memorial Award
Established in 1993 by the Whitaker Foundation as an endowment award in memory of Dr. Pilkington, founding chairman of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. The recipient is selected at the end of the junior year and the award is given in recognition of outstanding perseverance and accomplishment in the study of biomedical engineering.
Kylie Ann Gregory
Craig Henriquez Memorial Award
Established in 2025 in memory of Dr. Henriquez, who epitomized the best of academia throughout his 35-year career in Duke BME—a gifted researcher and leader within Duke University, the 7th chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, who was passionate about teaching and sharing his love of science with his students. The recipient is selected at the end of the senior year and the award is given in recognition of outstanding teaching as a teaching assistant in a BME course.
Hannah Lanling Mekaru
American Society of Civil Engineering Outstanding Senior Prize
Presented annually to a graduating civil engineering senior in recognition of an exceptional, positive impact on the Duke student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineering.
Sarah Jayne Willmann
William Brewster Snow Environmental Engineering Award
Established in 1979 and presented annually to seniors who have demonstrated academic excellence, interest, and enthusiasm in the study of environmental engineering.
Neeharika Rao Chintalapudi
Aubrey E. Palmer Award
Established in 1980 and presented annually to a civil engineering or environmental engineering senior in recognition of outstanding academic achievement. Selection is made by the faculty of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.
Lily Rae Jarosz
Alba Uriarte Jimenez
Sarah Jayne Willmann
Eric I. Pas Award
Established in 1998 in memory of Dr. Pas, former director of undergraduate studies in Civil & Environmental Engineering, and presented to the graduating civil or environmental engineering senior judged by the faculty to have conducted the most outstanding independent study project.
Alba Uriarte Jimenez
Sarah Jayne Willmann
David Randall Fuller Prize for Achievement in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Presented annually to the graduating senior who has shown the most improvement in academic performance over the first three years.
Kavishka Patabendige Bartlett
George Sherrerd III Memorial Award in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Awarded annually to the senior in electrical and computer engineering who, in the opinion of the Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty, who has attained the highest level of scholastic achievement in all subjects and has simultaneously has rendered significant service to the Pratt School of Engineering and the university at large. Established in 1958 by the parents of Class of 1955 graduate George Sherrerd III, to recognize outstanding undergraduate scholarship.
Eduardo Bortolomiol Passos
Marie Foote Reel Undergraduate Research Award
Awarded each year to the most outstanding undergraduate research project and presentation as judged by the faculty in Duke Electrical & Computer Engineering as part of the Graduation with Departmental Distinction presentation session. Established in 2021 in honor of electrical engineer Marie Foote Reel ’46, one of the first women to graduate from Duke’s College of Engineering.
Claire Grace Andreasen
Wanghley Soares Martins
Charles Rowe Vail Memorial Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award
Established in 1997 by former students and colleagues of Charles Vail, a graduate of the Class of 1937, a professor from 1939-1967, and chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering from 1956-1964, recognizes the most outstanding undergraduate teaching assistant in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.
Ananya Bhatia
David Ntim
Joyce Hu
Fletch Rydell
Pi Tau Sigma Scholarship Award
Established in memory of T.C. Heyward, Sr., and presented annually by Pi Tau Sigma to an outstanding senior in Mechanical Engineering at Duke. Selection by a committee of the engineering faculty is based on academic excellence, engineering ability, and leadership.
Nolan Werner Hawkins
Ashley Isabella Huang
Brock Jensen Neorr
Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science Faculty Award
Presented annually in recognition of academic excellence to the graduating Mechanical Engineering seniors who have attained the highest level of scholastic achievement, as determined by the faculty.
Sara Sofia Canale
Cortner Crumlish
Gabrielle Elyse Gitman
Eric Huang
Undergraduate Graduation with Departmental Distinction
Recognizes students who demonstrate exceptional achievement through independent research and a distinguished written thesis. The Howard G. Clark Award (*) recognizes exceptional independent research showcased at the Graduation with Distinction presentations.
Tahirah Yasine Abdullah
Anokh Ambadipudi
Kunyu Du *
Anthony Zhao Ming Du
Sean F. Gao
Lisa Garnier
Meghan Elizabeth Gill
Ashley Jiashing Hsu
Alexander J. Ivan
Harrison Tyler Kane *
Pranav K. Kannan
Veronika Kostina
Srijan Meesala
Isabella Ann Myer *
Alexander Clinton Nelson *
Hannah Paige Newman
David Ntim
Aiden Pasinsky
Mahi Sanjay Patel *
Martina Jayne Peroni
Chelsea Alexandra Proutt
Jarvis Cesar Savage
Marshall Phillip Seligson *
Sneha Uma Sengupta
Lauren Leigh Shiell
Avery Rose Simon
Alicia Cameron Sotres *
Nicholas Alan Taber
Nikol Marie Trajkovski *
Micah Emanuel van Praag
Christopher Ryan Wyrtzen
Diego Alejandro Zalles
Recognizes students with outstanding academics who complete an independent study, write a publication-quality research paper, and professionally present their work.
Siena Ashley Fowler
Alba Uriarte Jimenez
Sarah Jayne Willmann
Recognizes students with outstanding academic performance who complete and defend a faculty-supervised senior research project through a formal report and oral presentation.
Claire Grace Andreasen
Ella Hamer
Ting Jiang
Devon James Knox
Wanghley Soares Martins
Shaan Yadav
Recognizes students who conduct advanced faculty-supervised research, maintain a high GPA, submit a research paper, and present their work to a faculty committee.
Graduating mechanical engineering major Megan Glasgow spent four years in Duke’s ROTC program getting hands-on design experience and honing interdisciplinary skills.
Percussionist, ASCE Co-President and CEE senior Sarah Willmann reflects on the experiences that helped her discover the kind of civil engineering researcher she wants to be.
Graduating electrical and computer engineering major Fletch Rydell discovered a love of computer architecture through classes, research and teaching.
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