First in-person Class Day ceremony in 3 years honors resilient Class of 2022

May 24, 2022

Princeton CBE honored its 33 graduating seniors in a Class Day ceremony on Monday, May 23, conferring honors and awards for outstanding academic achievement. The ceremony marked a return to tradition, held in person and on campus for the first time in three years.

"Seniors, you have overcome very special obstacles to get to where you are today," said department chair Athanassios Panagiotopoulos, the Susan Dod Brown Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. "Kudos to all of you!"

Due to the sharp rise of COVID-19 cases in March 2020, the Class of 2022 pivoted from regular instruction to remote instruction during the spring semester of their sophomore year. This cohort’s junior year was primarily remote, with some students living on campus and carrying out independent work. The whole class completed their senior year and thesis projects entirely on campus.

Panagiotopoulos also emphasized the role of the students' support networks — their families and friends who sustained the graduates throughout four years of personal and academic challenges.

"This is one of the most demanding majors at Princeton," said José Avalos, the department's director of undergraduate studies and an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. "But many of our graduates here were keen to explore all that Princeton has to offer."

Twenty-seven of the graduates earned certificates in 15 different programs, including neuroscience, music performance, German language and culture, sustainable energy, applications of computing, materials science and engineering biology.

Ten graduates earned honors; seven more earned high honors; and three students earned highest honors.

Twenty-two of the graduates were inducted into one or more honor society: Sigma Xi, for distinguished scientific research; Tau Beta Pi, recognizing outstanding engineering achievements; and Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's preeminent liberal arts honor society.

Ella Feiner received the department's top award, the Overall Excellence in Chemical Engineering Award, recognizing her exemplary coursework.

A ceremony held by the School of Engineering and Applied Science, in the afternoon, recognized the graduating seniors as part of the full BSE program. SEAS honored two CBE graduates: Syndey Hughes won the Elgin Prize, highlighting her work to advance the interests of SEAS in the community at large, particularly in the area of sustainability; Selena Chiu won the Lore von Jaskowsky Memorial Prize, honoring her excellence in research into biofilms and her all-around contributions to campus life, emphasizing her work as a peer mentor.

Princeton CBE's Great Class of 2022

The full list of chemical and biological engineering students graduating in the Class of 2022, along with any honors and awards they received, is below:

Matthew Adler

Anahi Ambrosio

Connie An
Honors, Sigma Xi
Christodoulos A. Floudas Chemical Process Design Award

Grace Bechtel
Honors, Sigma Xi

Taj-Jahnae Brailsford-Forde

Selena Chiu
High Honors, Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi
Lore von Jaskowsky Memorial Prize

Ella Feiner
Highest Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi
Overall Excellence in Chemical Engineering Award

Joanna Georgiou
Honors, Sigma Xi
Christodoulos A. Floudas Chemical Process Design Award

Sydney Hughes
High Honors, Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi
Michelle Goudie '93 Senior Thesis Award, funded by the DuPont Company
Elgin Prize

Shadman-as-sami Jahangir

Brian Kang
Honors, Sigma Xi

Dolly Lampson-Stixrud
Michelle Goudie '93 Senior Thesis Award, funded by the DuPont Company

Jarrad Li
Honors, Sigma Xi

Kimberly Lu

Harsimran Makkad
High Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi
Ernest F. Johnson Distinguished Service Award

Clare Martin
Honors, Sigma Xi

Sophia Martinez
Honors, Sigma Xi
Ernest F. Johnson Outstanding Senior Thesis Award

Satya Nayagam
Honors, Sigma Xi

Chiara Nilsson-Salvati
High Honors, Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi

Jimi Oniya

Monica Patiño

Derek Poletti
Sigma Xi

Sebastian Quiroga
High Honors, Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi Book Prize

Brianna Royer
Sigma Xi

Cristian Ruano Arens
Honors, Sigma Xi

Stephane Sartzetakis

Binglun Shao
Highest Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi
Richard K. Toner Thermodynamics Prize

Katherine Shelburne
High Honors, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi
Christodoulos A. Floudas Chemical Process Design Award

Alp Tartici
High Honors, Sigma Xi

Grace Wei
Highest Honors, Sigma Xi
SABIC Senior Thesis Award

Grace Xu
Honors, Sigma Xi

Ilya Yatsishin

Kevin Yee