It was an honor and a privilege to help preside over the commencement celebrations held earlier this month for all of our newly minted Duke engineers! At the very heart of every class, every project, every club that our school supports is the education of future engineering leaders. And this year’s class of over 1,200 graduates from all of our various programs is an exceptional example of what we can achieve with hard work and a common goal. Congratulations to all once again, and as always:

If you were in the Wilkinson Engineering Building on April 11, you might have caught sight of a bright blue whirlpool, a dancing minion or a robot dog doing handstands. These were just some of the demos families encountered during Discover Engineering @ Duke, an official event of the North Carolina Science Festival. The day was filled with lots of incredible interactive experiments and lively conversations.

"My colleagues and I have every reason to be confident that we are moving into a second Renaissance that will be known of a rapid expansion of human flourishing across our communities based on AI."

Dean Jerry Lynch
at the Class of 2026 commencement ceremony

The annual DukEngineer Magazine has been student-written since 1940, providing insight into the minds and lives of Duke engineers across nine decades. This year's edition features a look at the development of an early earthquake warning system for Nepal, a first-hand look at what it takes to build a climate startup, and cutting-edge research focused on avoiding a catastrophic asteroid impact.