Speaker encourages students to think boldly

Tufts alumnus Arul Jayaraman, EG95, spoke at the Tufts School of Engineering Graduate Programs Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 18. He delivered his address to graduating MS and PhD students from the School of Engineering as well as their friends, families, and loved ones.

Speaking from his own experience as a former Tufts School of Engineering graduate student himself, and now as executive associate dean of Texas A&M University’s College of Engineering and Ray B. Nesbitt Endowed Chair in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Dr. Jayaraman shared the importance of working across disciplinary boundaries. He counseled that the new graduates should think outside the box and beyond their work, embrace risk and the possibility of failure, and find ways to keep moving even after hitting bumps in the road. 

“Going places means more than professional and academic success,” Dr. Jayaraman told the graduates. He encouraged them to think beyond their final destination — to stop and smell the roses, and to invite others to join them along the way as they enjoy the journey.

“From [Tufts advisor Dr. Edward B. Goldberg] and so many others, I learned that getting ahead was not about making the most money or having the most notoriety, but about doing the things that give you the most joy, asking the questions that make you curious, seeking the solutions that might help make the world better, and having friends and family who love one another,” Dr. Jayaraman said to the Tufts audience.

In gratitude for his inspiring remarks and his service to Tufts, and in recognition of his academic and professional achievements, Dean and Karol Family Professor Kyongbum Lee presented Dr. Jayaraman with a Tufts School of Engineering Dean’s Medal at the commencement ceremony. The Deal’s Medal is one of four types of medals that Tufts University awards, and is the only medal awarded by deans of the individual schools within Tufts. 

Dr. Jayaraman is the executive associate dean of the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University, where he is also Ray B. Nesbitt Endowed Chair in the Department of Chemical Engineering. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology & Sciences, Pilani (India) and an MS in chemical engineering from Tufts School of Engineering. He completed his doctoral work at the University of California at Irvine. 

At Texas A&M, Dr. Jayaraman’s lab investigates the interaction between the intestinal microbiota and immune cells in the intestinal tract. He is an elected fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and a Texas A&M University Presidential Impact Fellow. He serves as a member of the Tufts Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering’s External Advisory Board.