*********************************
There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
*********************************
Atlanta, GA | Posted: May 1, 2008
Dean Kamen, founder and president of DEKA Research and Development Corp., will deliver the address to the bachelor's and master's degree recipients at the Georgia Institute of Technology's 230th commencement ceremony at 9a.m. on Saturday, May 3, at the Georgia Dome.
The two ceremonies will feature more than 2,300 graduates. Approximately 1,500 bachelor's degrees and more than 750 master's degrees will be conferred at the May 3, ceremony. Two honorary degrees will be presented to Kamen and former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn. A total of 135 Ph.D. candidates received degrees at an April 23 ceremony.
Kamen is an inventor, an entrepreneur and a tireless advocate for science and technology. Among Kamen's proudest accomplishments is founding FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use and enjoy science and technology. Among Kamen's most famous invention is the Segway.
Kamen received the National Medal of Technology in 2000 for inventions that have advanced medical care worldwide and for innovative and imaginative leadership in awakening America to the excitement of science and technology. He was also awarded the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2002, and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005.
Since his retirement from elected office in 1996, former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn has focused his energies on his role as co-chairman and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a charitable organization working to reduce the global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
To acknowledge Nunn's exemplary service to the nation and the state, Georgia Tech's School of International Affairs was named in his honor upon its founding in 1990. Following his retirement after 24 years of service in the Senate, Nunn was named a distinguished professor of international affairs at Georgia Tech. He is also retired from the law firm of King & Spalding.
Raised in the small town of Perry, Georgia, Nunn attended Georgia Tech, Emory University and Emory Law School, where he graduated with honors in 1962. After active duty service in the U.S. Coast Guard, he served six years in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. He first entered politics as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives in 1968.
