Mechanical Engineering Celebrates Class of 2026 Graduates at Convocation Ceremony
The Stony Brook University Department of Mechanical Engineering celebrated the achievements of its newest graduates during the 2026 Mechanical Engineering Convocation Ceremony on May 21, 2026, at the Stony Brook Student Activities Center Auditorium. The ceremony recognized the accomplishments of graduating Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students as they marked the culmination of years of dedication, innovation, research, and perseverance.
This year, 89 undergraduate students crossed the stage to receive their diplomas, alongside 26 Master’s students and 3 PhD students who received their degrees. Reflecting on the dedication of the graduate students who completed advanced research and dissertations, Toshio Nakamura, Professor and Director of the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program, said, “They have worked vigorously to complete their dissertations. The Department congratulates them all.”
Carlos Colosqui, Associate Professor and Director of the Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Program, shared his perspective on the achievements of the Class of 2026, their experiences at Stony Brook, and the impact they will have as they move forward, stating:
“It has been a privilege to watch this class grow into engineers. As artificial intelligence reshapes the workplace and society, their commitment, curiosity, and resilience will be exactly what society needs to turn new technology into meaningful progress.”
The celebration brought together graduates, faculty, staff, family members, and friends to honor the Class of 2026. The ceremony featured the presentation of awards and honors, along with remarks from graduating students Cassandra Laguatan, representing the Master’s program, and Angel Matos de los Santos and Brian Hui, representing the Bachelor’s program.
In his remarks, Department Chair P. Scott Carney reflected on the collaborative nature of engineering, emphasizing that “Engineering is a team sport.” He expressed gratitude to the many individuals who supported the graduates’ journeys, including department faculty and staff, family and friends who helped them reach this milestone, and the students themselves for their dedication and determination.
Following the ceremony, Stony Brook’s newest alumni celebrated with family, friends, faculty, and members of the department community at a reception honoring their achievements. Mec A. Wolf, the department’s robotic social media ambassador, joined the festivities, posing for a photo with the graduates and offering a cheerful wave as they embarked on the next chapter of their journeys.
The class of 2026 pose with Mec A. Wolf
Awards and Honors
The department recognized outstanding achievements among its graduates through a variety of academic, research, leadership, and service awards.
Richard SL Lee Research Excellence Award for Graduate Students
Presented to select Master’s and PhD graduates who have completed exceptionally strong dissertation research.
- Penghao Dong, PhD — advised by Prof. Shanshan Yao
- Yizong Li, PhD — advised by Prof. Shanshan Yao
- Wanru Miao, PhD — advised by Prof. Kedar Kirane
- Sanket Vinod Wardhekar, PhD — advised by Prof. Kedar Kirane
- Victoria Joseph, MS — advised by Prof. Thomas Cubaud
Undergraduate Awards
The Undergraduate Award for Academic Excellence, presented to the highest academically performing undergraduate student, was awarded to:
- Samantha Zborovsky
The Undergraduate Award for Academic Honors recognizes the top 10% of academically high-achieving undergraduate students. This year's recipients were:
- Daria Armiyaeva
- Anthony Capellan
- Jason Chen
- Steven Chen
- Brian Hui
- Joseph Litjens
- Ryan Tang
- Jinheng Zhang
- Student Activity Leadership Awards
The Student Activity Leadership Awards recognized students who demonstrated exceptional leadership through their involvement in engineering organizations and activities.
Recipients included:
- Brian Hui — President of the ASME Student Chapter
- Daria Armiyaeva — Vice President of the ASME Student Organization
- Joseph Ortiz More — Rocket Team Lead
- Angel Matos-De Los Santos — AIAA Leadership
- Arash Khan — President of the Stony Brook Robotics Team
- Steven Chen — President of the Solar Racing Team
Golden Gear Award
The Golden Gear Award recognizes the top Senior Design team based on performance throughout the two-semester project, including prototype development, teamwork, and engineering problem-solving.
This year’s award was presented to:
Group 14: Test Platform for Ferrofluidic Cooling of Electric Vehicle Batteries
Advised by Prof. Spencer Zimmerman
Team members:
- Daria Armiyaeva
- Gianna Uliano
- Samantha Zborovsky
- Neinei Du
The department also recognized the runner-up team:
Group 1: Shock Absorber Dynamometer
Advised by Noah Machtay
Team members:
- Nick Clement
- Kevin Zhuo
- Ashton Gomes
- William Ouzounian
- Arib Chowdhury
Student Recognition Awards
The Student Recognition Awards honor graduating students who demonstrate strong character, overcome challenges, show resilience in their academic pursuits, or make an extraordinary impact on their peers and the department community.
Recipients were:
- Brian Hui — for having an extraordinary impact on his peers through community building
- Gianna Uliano — for exemplifying strong character through her work with the MACH 1 Innovation Hub
- Luca Leonardi — for demonstrating resilience in academic pursuits
As the Class of 2026 begins the next stage of their professional journeys, the Department of Mechanical Engineering celebrates their accomplishments and the lasting contributions they have made to the Stony Brook community.