INSIDE OUR SCHOOLS
Caltech 2022 Commencement (Photo – Kitty Cahalan)
On Friday, June 10, 2022, Caltech held its 128th Commencement with a ceremony on campus, marking the first in-person Commencement since 2019, allowing hundreds of graduates to process in front of a crowd of cheering friends and family on Beckman Mall.
The Institute honored graduates with 560 degrees: 218 bachelor’s degrees, 139 master’s degrees, and 203 doctoral degrees.
Dave Thompson (MS ’78), chair of the Caltech Board of Trustees, opened the ceremony by welcoming the graduates and their families and friends, and acknowledging a number of special guests, including two of Caltech’s 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, Sudhir Kumar Jain (MS ’80, PhD ’83) and Bette Korber (PhD ’88). Thompson then highlighted another year of innovation at Caltech, mentioning discoveries that ranged from the development of methods to coax jellyfish, fruit flies, and mice to regenerate body parts to the first picture of the supermassive black hole in the heart of our Milky Way. He noted the conclusion of the Break Through campaign, which was supported by donations from more than 14,500 individuals and raised a total of $3.4 billion.
2022 commencement speaker, Jad Abumrad
Thompson then introduced the 2022 commencement speaker, Jad Abumrad, creator and former co-host of the science and technology-inspired public radio podcast Radiolab as well as More Perfect and Dolly Parton’s America.
“You all are about to graduate from one of the top colleges in the country. You’ve already weathered a singularly difficult moment in history,” Abumrad said. “What could I possibly say to you as you stand on the brink that resembles wisdom? And then I thought, perhaps that’s the point. There’s a void out there. Looming. For all of you. That void is called tomorrow.”
Abumrad then relayed the story of the monarch butterflies that pass through California on their migration from Canada to Mexico. Their journey is so long that it requires three or four generations to complete, he noted, meaning that the grandchildren or great-grandchildren of the original monarchs are the ones who reach the destination.
“And the thing is, you might not be the first butterfly,” he said. “You won’t know it, but you might be the third. Or more likely the three hundredth, taking the work or the knowledge or the discovery of those that came before you. And in your lifetime, you are going to move it forward in ways no one can imagine. And you’re not going to get all the way. And that’s OK. Because without your effort, humanity is never going to get there.”
Following the conferral of degrees, Caltech president Thomas F. Rosenbaum presented four prizes to members of the graduating class:
Isabel Swafford and Saehui Hwang
The Mabel Beckman Prize, awarded annually to female juniors or seniors, recognizes academic and personal excellence, contributions to the Institute community, and outstanding character and leadership. It was awarded to Isabel Swafford and Saehui Hwang.
Ayooluwa Odemuyiwa
The Frederic W. Hinrichs, Jr., Memorial Award recognizes the senior who, in the opinion of the undergraduate deans, made the greatest contribution to the student body during their undergraduate years. The award was given to Ayooluwa Odemuyiwa.
Tianyi Zhang
The George W. Housner Prize for Academic Excellence and Original Research is given to seniors who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship and the preparation of an outstanding piece of original scientific research. This year’s Housner Prize was presented to Tianyi Zhang.
Magnus Hoffmann
The recipient of the final award, the Milton and Francis Clauser Doctoral Prize, was first announced at the commencement ceremony, as is the tradition with this prize. The Clauser Prize is awarded to a student or students whose PhD theses reflect extraordinary standards of quality, innovative research, and the potential of opening new avenues of human thought and endeavor. This year’s Clauser Prize was awarded to Magnus Hoffmann for his thesis in biology, titled “Nanoparticle Technologies to Cure and Prevent Infectious Diseases.”
In his charge to the graduates, which closed the event, Rosenbaum reminded the graduates to look forward. “The Caltech experience, intense and daunting as it is, provides a certain safety and comfort within the embrace of a tight-knit community,” he said. “But the world beckons. You will be entering into experiences that are rare in the pleasures they can provide and astounding in their potential. And you have been prepared to take full advantage of the opportunities ahead.”
> Read the full story at Caltech’s website. Watch the 128th Commencement below:
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