University of Tennessee Sustainable Technology through Advanced Interdisciplinary Research (STAIR) PhD Program

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PhD Hooding Ceremony of Dr. Qianping He & Dr. Nethika Suraweera: Knoxville, TN, December 12, 2013 At the PhD hooding ceremony, we celebrated the accomplishments of Dr. Qianping He & Dr. Nethika Suraweera, who both received PhDs in Chemical Engineering. Dr. He was coadvised by Prof. David Joy and Prof. David Keffer. Dr. Suraweera was advised by Prof. Keffer with regular assistance from Prof. Craig Barnes. Both Qianping & Nethika earned Graduate Certificates in Sustainable Science from the STAIR program. Nethika also earned an Interdisciplinary Graduate Minor in Computational Science. Pictured here (from left): Ms. Jane Breder (STAIR coordinator), Dr. Qianping He, Prof. David Keffer & Dr. Nethika Suraweera. Nethika's father traveled from Sri Lanka to participate in the celebrations. Nethika's husband, Dinesh, and son, Ahas, also joined in the party. Jane has not only served as STAIR coordinator but, with her husband David, have helped international graduate students adapt to life in East Tennessee. It can be said, without any hesitation, that the best part of being a university professor is working with such talented and promising young people.