Convocation is a momentous occasion for all students — an event that marks the culmination of their academic journey at McMaster.

More than 866 Faculty of Engineering graduands from all levels will be conferred degrees at the spring convocation ceremonies, which take place Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at Hamilton Place. Within that group, 141 students will graduate with a doctoral or master’s degree and some 725 students will be conferred an undergraduate degree (B.Eng.; B.Eng.Mgt.; B.Eng. Society; B.Tech.; or B.A.Sc.).

Undergraduate students Laurence Marie-Pierre Rivard and Richard Aranha were selected as class valedictorians for the morning and afternoon ceremonies, respectively.

Honorary degree recipients during the Faculty of Engineering ceremonies are Chandra Kudsia, Doctor of Science (morning ceremony) and Robert Walker, Doctor of Science (afternoon ceremony).

McMaster alumnus Chandra Kudsia is a world leader in engineering technologies for satellite communication and aeronautics. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Engineering Institute of Canada.

Robert Walker is the president and chief executive officer of Atomic Energy Canada Limited. He has served as assistant deputy minister of Science and Technology in the Department of National Defence and as CEO of Defence R&D Canada, a national network of defence research centres. He has also served as chairman of the NATO Research and Technology Board.