04-30-07

Iowa State University to graduate more than 3,000 in May 4-5 ceremonies

An estimated 3,005 students will receive degrees from Iowa State University during commencement events May 4-5.

The undergraduate ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, in Hilton Coliseum where 2,496 will receive bachelor's degrees. Robert Byron Bird, Vilas Professor Emeritus of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science degree at the ceremony and also give the address.

Bird's research and four landmark textbooks have greatly influenced the teaching of chemical engineering and thermal science for the past five decades. His 1960s research replaced the concept of "unit operations" in chemical engineering with transport phenomena, a change that transformed the discipline and impacted industries as varied as food processing, petroleum and space travel.

Bird spent most of his childhood in Fort Dodge. He earned a B.S. from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. from Wisconsin.

The commencement ceremony for graduate students will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, May 4, in Stephens Auditorium. An anticipated 92 Ph.D. candidates and 320 master's students will receive their degrees.

Diane Birt, Mary B. Welch Distinguished Professor in Family and Consumer Sciences and a professor of food science and human nutrition, will address the graduates. Birt directs the Center for Research on Botanical Dietary Supplements. She has a B.A. degree from Whittier College, California, and a Ph.D. from Purdue University.

Also, ISU's College of Veterinary Medicine will award 97 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees during a noon ceremony Saturday in Stephens Auditorium. Dr. Keith Prasse, dean emeritus of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia and currently a consultant to the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, will address the graduates. Prasse earned four degrees - B.S., M.S., Ph.D. and D.V.M. - from Iowa State. He is a 1998 recipient of ISU's Stange Award, the veterinary college's premier recognition of alumni for outstanding professional achievement.

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