Despite having the same last name, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Andrew Miller and Lauren Miller are not related. Nor had they ever met before this weekend.

There’s also a significant geographical difference. Lauren is from Highland, Ill., and Andrew is from Lebanon.

But they do have one big thing in common.

They were among seven seniors presented with the Heminway Gold Medal for graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average during Rose’s 138th annual commencement ceremony Saturday in front of a standing-room-only crowd inside the Sports and Recreation Center fieldhouse.

Also worth noting, both Millers carried a double major — Andrew in computer science and mathematics and Lauren in biomedical engineering and biochemistry and molecular biology. Andrew got his degree in three years, while Lauren needed the usual four years to acquire hers.

“It was pretty difficult, especially at the start,” Andrew Miller told the Tribune-Star afterward. “It was a lot of classes all the time.”

Even though academic requirements weren’t always easy, he said he really enjoyed his time at Rose-Hulman and he’s already landed a job as an associate software engineer with Interactive Intelligence in Indianapolis.

Meanwhile, Lauren Miller — whose father Wade graduated from Rose in the late 1980s — described her time here as “exceptionally” difficult.

“There were a lot of late nights that required time-management skills,” she pointed out. “I learned a ton. The double major really helped out a lot.”

Lauren’s next step is graduate school at Georgia Tech, where she’ll try to obtain a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering.

The other 4.0 graduates were Ivel Collins, a mechanical-engineering major from Fairfax, Va.; Matthew Conrad, a chemical-engineering major from Anderson; Cort Pugh, a computer-science and economics major from North Liberty, Iowa; Christopher Sander, a chemical-engineering major from Baileyville, Ill.; and Alec Sills, an electrical-engineering major from Whitehouse, Ohio.

Academic excellence wasn’t limited to the above-mentioned seven during this ceremony, where degrees were distributed to the largest graduating class in Rose-Hulman history.

A total of 540 students — 500 bachelor’s and 40 master’s — received diplomas after taking the traditional pre-commencement march through campus in the morning. The institute also recognized 40 students who anticipate completing their academic degree requirements following the summer or fall academic quarters.

One of the most interesting graduates was Javad Khusro of Bloomington, Ill. He had the distinction of being a quintuple major in physics, mathematics, optical engineering, engineering physics and computer science.

Nope, you won’t find “basket weaving” among the subjects for any of these grads.

In addressing the Class of 2016 late in the ceremony, Rose President Jim Conwell stated: “The challenges facing our world are daunting. The important point is that the world needs you, your passion, your intelligence, your creativity and your work ethic. And the good news is that you are arriving on the scene very well-equipped to answer the call and fulfill this responsibility.”

Approximately 87 percent of Rose-Hulman’s new graduates already has accepted full-time employment, plan to attend graduate school or will be commissioned military officers, according to the Office of Career Services. Top hiring companies are Rockwell Collins, Amazon, Eli Lilly, Epic, Texas Instruments, Google, Facebook, Ford Motor Company and Frito-Lay.

Mechanical-engineering alumnus Patrick J. Noyes, president and chief executive officer of Texas-based Grenadier Energy Partners, presented the commencement address and received an honorary doctorate of engineering.

Also receiving honorary doctorate of engineering degrees were Caterpillar Inc. Group President D. James “Jim” Umpleby III and Dennis A. Smith, vice president of oil drilling industry leader Nabors Industries. Both are mechanical-engineering alumni.

In other student awards, Abigail Etters, a biochemistry major from Oceanside, Calif., received the Herman A. Moench Distinguished Senior Commendation; Tyler Rockwood, a computer-science and software-engineering double major from Prineville, Ore., received the John T. Royse Award; and Elias Eteshola, a master’s degree recipient in chemistry from Gahanna, Ohio, received the Outstanding Thesis Award.

Associate professor of computer science and software engineering Matt Boutell was given the Dean’s Outstanding Teacher Award, while chemistry and biochemistry professor Ross Weatherman received the Board of Trustee Outstanding Scholar Award. Michael DeVasher, assistant vice president for enrollment management, was presented with the President’s Outstanding Service Award.

Twenty members of the 1966 graduating class returned to receive special 50-year commemorative degrees during commencement. The honor recognizes the institute’s alumni for their contributions to their professions, communities, families and Rose-Hulman. 

David Hughes can be reached at 812-231-4224 or at david.hughes@tribstar.com. Follow David on Twitter @ TribStarDavid.

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