MAE Spring 2024 Departmental Graduation Ceremony
May 2 @ 8:00 am - 10:00 am
We are excited to celebrate our Spring 2024 graduates! The MAE Spring 2024 Departmental Graduation Ceremony will be held at the William Neal Reynolds Coliseum at 2411 Dunn Ave, Raleigh, NC 27607 on May 2, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. Important information and instructions for the graduation ceremony will be posted here: check back for updates.
Click here to watch this ceremony live.
Commencement Speaker: Lori Morton
Lori Morton is the founder and former President of Aerie Engineering and creator of the patented e- Library known as AerieHub. AerieHub clients include Prisma Health, General Electric, Carnegie Mellon, Greenville School District, Michelin, Netflix, and many others. Lori received her BS in Engineering from NC State University where she later became the first female to be inducted into the Mechanical and Aerospace Hall of Fame in 2012. Lori’s career began in manufacturing working with Michelin for 8 years, and then Fuji Film for 4 years, primarily in maintenance and construction. Her passion for entrepreneurship, however, began much earlier. Lori started her first business at age 12 doing bicycle repairs out of a shed. According to Lori, “Michelin taught me how to be an engineer and Fuji taught me how to think on my feet, but my parents taught me to work hard.” These experiences combined with a deep desire to follow her own path led her to start Aerie Engineering in 1998. Aerie first began offering document management in 1999 and created its first web-based solution in 2005. Lori transformed and grew Aerie over the years to become a prominent software solution for technical documents and information. Hospitals, schools, and manufacturing companies utilize AerieHub to quickly access critical drawings and efficiently manage facilities. Aerie now employs 30+, supports clients across the country, and is quickly gaining market share. Lori successfully sold her company in 2022 and is enjoying retirement. Her passions include construction projects on her 28-acres in Pumpkintown, SC, woodworking, travel, golf and helping other entrepreneurs realize their dreams. Lori believes strongly in the Platinum Rule: Treat others the way they want to be treated. This philosophy helped her to grow and sell a very successful business.
Undergraduate Speaker: Benjamin Black
Ben Black came to NC State in the Fall of 2020 from Broomfield, Colorado and he is graduating with a 4.0 in Mechanical Engineering. During his undergraduate career, Ben has been heavily involved in internships, undergraduate research, and student organizations. In Dr. Jong Ryu’s Multiphysics Multiscale Design for Manufacturing Lab, Ben’s main research focus is to develop scalable manufacturing processes for micro/nanotextured surfaces using a phenomenon in forward roll coating known as ribbing. These surfaces are multifunctional, with applications such as drag reduction for the global shipping industry, biofouling, and passive radiative cooling. Ben has received a first-author publication for his research in ASME’s Journal of Micro and Nano Manufacturing along with several co-author journal papers and conference presentations. Outside of his research, Ben has been the structures team lead for the Liquid Rocketry Lab where he has led a team of 20 engineers. In industry, Ben has interned at Nissan Motor Corporation in Detroit as a quality engineering intern and at Wolfspeed in Durham as a semiconductor device engineering intern. Recently, Ben received MAE’s nomination for an Outstanding Senior Award in Scholarly Achievement. Upon graduation, Ben will be joining General Dynamics Mission Systems’ Engineering Leadership Program where he will be pursuing his MS in Mechanical Engineering. Ben is proud to be a future graduate of the MAE department and would like to thank his family, friends, and girlfriend for their support during his time at NC State.
Graduates
- Arrive no later than 7:30 am: the ceremony will begin promptly at 8:00 am.
- Enter Reynolds Coliseum through the East entrance (the side facing the parking lot and Coliseum parking deck).
- Check in at the appropriate table (graduate or undergraduate) to pick up your name-call card before lining up.
- You must wear official NCSU graduate regalia (cap and gown) in order to participate in the ceremony. These can be purchased from the NC State Bookstore.
- Keep any personal items with you during the ceremony: you may not end up in the same seat after you walk across the stage.
- Degrees will be recognized in the order listed: PhD Aerospace, PhD Mechanical, MS Aerospace, MS Mechanical, BS Aerospace, BS Mechanical.
- Graduates will not walk across the stage in alphabetical order.
- Each graduate is allowed up to 10 guests.
- Tickets are not required.
Guests
- Ceremony room seating will open to family and friends of graduating students at 7:30 am.
- Enter through the front doors of Reynolds Coliseum: there will be staff on hand to direct guests who need accessible seating.
- Each graduate is allowed up to 10 guests.
- Tickets are not required.
Graduate Pictures
Professional photographers will be present to take a photo of each student when they are on the stage to receive their scroll. A portrait photo will also be taken of each student after they step down from the stage. The photography company will reach out to graduates via email and/or mail in the weeks after the ceremony with information about how to purchase pictures.
Parking
- Parking is available for all students and guests in the Coliseum Parking Deck. Parking is free and no permit is required during commencement.
- Handicap parking is located in the first Jeter Bay (parking lots beside Reynolds Coliseum). To qualify for handicap parking, you must display a valid state handicap parking permit. Handicap parking is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Diplomas
During the MAE graduation ceremony, students will receive a presentation scroll. The University will mail the diploma and diploma cover to each student’s home address shortly after graduation. Graduates, please make sure your diploma mailing address is up-to-date in the MyPack Portal. Information about diploma mailing timelines can be found here.
University Commencement
For information about the university graduation ceremony, regalia purchasing, diploma information and more, please visit the University Commencement Website. No tickets are required to attend the university graduation ceremony.