Before Sunday's undergraduate commencement, the College's three graduate schools held ceremonies Saturday called Class Day at Dartmouth Medical School and Investiture at the Thayer and Tuck Schools to send their graduates into the professional world.
240 students received hoods upon their graduation from the Tuck School with Masters of Business Administration. Tuck Overseer Donald Peterson Tu '73 spoke at their Investiture ceremony. Peterson is the chairman and CEO of Avaya, a leading global provider of communications networks and services. Student speaker Christopher Matthew Gostyla Tu '04 joined him in sending off graduates to become business leaders of America.
Dartmouth Medical School graduated 131 students, including 49 who received their M.D. degrees and 32 who received their Master in Public Health degrees. 22 students received MS degrees, while 28 Ph.D. degrees were given out in fields ranging from genetics to pharmacology and toxicology.
Dr. Judah Folkman, professor of pediatric surgery and cell biology at Harvard Medical School, helped send off the graduates with a speech entitled "Don't Practice on Me." He was joined by two student speakers -- medical student Gary R. Maslow and graduate student Margaret Ann Crane-Godreau.
Folkman, formerly chief of surgery at Children's Hospital in Boston, is a pioneer in the field of angiogenesis, which concerns the formation of blood vessels. While serving in the Navy, Folkman theorized that cancerous tumors are dependent on new blood vessel growth. His method of addressing this new growth is now used to fight cancer worldwide.
On June 11, students unveiled murals depicting defining moments in Medical School history on the front lawn of the Medical School. The murals, painted by medical student Joseph Dwaihy and his professional artist partner Sara Dykstra, will be hung at the school and DHMC. The first depicts a scene dating from 1799 of Medical School founder Nathan Smith traveling on horseback. with students to visit a patient. Another illustrates the first x-ray performed in the United States in 1886, while the last portrays the country's first Intensive Care unit in 1955.
Thayer School's Investiture ceremony proceeded similar to Tuck's. One hundred nine students -- 57 Bachelors of Engineering, 30 Masters of Engineering Management, 18 Masters of Science in Engineering Sciences and four Doctors of Philosophy in Engineering Sciences. -- received hoods or caps signifying completion of the degree programs.
Rita Colwell, professor at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, delivered the keynote address. A noted life scientist, Colwell was the first woman to be appointed director of the National Science Foundation, a position she held from 1998 until earlier this year.
