AMES, Iowa -- An estimated 837 students will receive degrees from Iowa State University during its summer commencement ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, at Hilton Coliseum. The ceremony is free and open to the public.
During the ceremony, Iowa State University will award 523 bachelor's degrees, 212 master's degrees and 102 doctoral degrees.
The guest commencement speaker will be Raymond L. Orbach, the U.S. Department of Energy's first Under Secretary for Science. Orbach will discuss energy challenges and the many opportunities ISU graduates will have in helping overcome these challenges.
He has served in the post since June 1, 2006, and is responsible for planning, coordinating and overseeing the DOE's research and development programs; 17 national laboratories, including the Ames Laboratory; and scientific and engineering education activities.
A physicist by training, Orbach spent much of his career in the University of California system, including positions as associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and campus chancellor at the University of California, Riverside. He received a B.S. degree in physics from the California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of California, Berkeley.
