UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences

05/21/2026

We are proud to congratulate recent CEMS graduate Alisson Fernandez Tuiro on being named the University of Vermont's 2026 Kidder Medal recipient, recognizing extraordinary scholastic achievement, leadership, and service.

A biomedical engineering major, Alisson has achieved an exceptional 3.89 GPA while pursuing minors in pure mathematics and computer science. Her journey as an international student reflects resilience, determination, and a deep commitment to learning and growth.

Beyond the classroom, Alisson has contributed to neuroscience research in UVM’s Glass Brain Lab and participated in Yale’s prestigious Leadership Alliance Program, where she conducted research on recurrent neural networks and presented at a national conference. She has also applied her skills to advance healthcare accessibility through work with UVM’s Center for Biomedical Innovation.

Equally remarkable is her dedication to leadership and service. From serving as President and Vice President of the International Student Club to being a Resident Advisor, teaching assistant, and student organization leader, Alisson consistently uplifts those around her. Her involvement in programs like HHMI Our Common Ground highlights her commitment to building belonging and leading with empathy.

Her achievements exemplify the very best of UVM—academic excellence, purpose-driven leadership, and meaningful impact.

https://bit.ly/4v2jMwM

05/18/2026

During his moving Invocation, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Eric Hernandez, tasked our graduates with one final exam: “Take a few moments in silence to identify a handful of people that have become the main characters in your life up to this point? People who have made a significant impact and have poured into your life the ingredients necessary to achieve this important milestone in your life.”

Once the silence had passed, Dr. Hernandez ended his speech saying, “As you leave this graduation ceremony tonight and embark on new adventures, I encourage you to live a life such that when others think about the characters in their life’s story, when they think about people that they are truly grateful for, they think about you.”

Congratulations to the CEMS Class of 2026!! We have no doubts that wherever the next leg of your life’s journey takes you, your impact will be memorable and lasting!



University of Vermont

05/18/2026

The CEMS Commencement Ceremony arrived yesterday at the Essex Fairgrounds on a spectacular spring evening—if the blessings of the weather gods provide any indication of the success that awaits a graduating class, then there are very big things in store for the UVM class of 2026.

The excitement was palpable as students and faculty gathered in preparation for the ceremonial entrance march—the final act of UVM’s commencement weekend.

Stay tuned for more images from the ceremony!



University of Vermont

05/16/2026

2026 Commencement Weekend has arrived!

Our graduates were welcomed to campus this morning by a glorious spring day—brilliant blue skies replacing the lingering rain clouds overnight and creating a lush, verdant setting for the main ceremony.

We could not be prouder of these remarkable students who, over the past four years, have inspired us with their determination, courage, and passion for building bold new futures.

We look forward to another beautiful day tomorrow as diplomas are presented at the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences Ceremony.

Congratulations, CEMS Class of 2026!!!



University of Vermont

05/15/2026

This week, Dean Mandar Dewoolkar presented the 2026 CEMS Faculty and Staff Awards during the college’s annual retreat. The awards recognize members of the CEMS community for exceptional contributions across a range of core academic, research, and performance metrics:

Mechanical Engineering Professor Douglas Fletcher was presented with the Outstanding Faculty Member Award. The college’s highest honor, this award recognizes a member of the faculty for their all-around contributions to CEMS and their field in terms of teaching, service, and research.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Professor Eric Hernandez was presented the Wiggans Innovation in Teaching Award for his demonstrated commitment to innovation and excellence in the classroom.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Senior Lecturer Bree Mathon was presented with the Award for Excellence in Student Advising. Chosen by the student leadership council, this award recognizes a faculty member for their outstanding commitment to and success in student advising.

Computer Science Professor Laurent Hébert-Dufresne was presented the Excellence in Research Award for achieving excellence in research as measured by their external publications and presentations, citations, grants, awards, and other scholarship.

Mathematics and Statistics Senior Lecturer Joan “Rosi” Rosebush was presented the Professional Service Award, given to a CEMS faculty member for their commitment to internal UVM service as measured by the impact of their service on the students of CEMS.

Business Transaction & Operational Support Specialist Brianna Belleville was presented the Staff Award for Exceptional Citizenship. This award recognizes a staff member who, through their everyday actions, demonstrates the values outlined in Our Common Ground; consistently models what it means to be compassionate, responsible, and an engaged member of our community; and contributes to making CEMS a place of pride and belonging.

Teaching Laboratory Coordinator Patrick Charron was presented with the Staff Award for Innovation and Creativity. This award is given to a staff member who has been particularly creative or innovative in developing more efficient processes, new facilities, improved advising, or other key components of CEMS.

Please join us in congratulating our exceptional faculty and staff members who elevate the college, inspire us, and make a lasting impact on our students!



University of Vermont

05/12/2026

Congratulations to Laurent Hébert-Dufresne, a core faculty member of the Vermont Complex Systems Institute and a professor of Computer Science in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS), who has been awarded the 2026 Erdős–Rényi Prize by the Network Science Society (NetSci).

Widely regarded as the field’s top honor for early-career researchers, the Erdős–Rényi Prize is awarded annually to a young scientist for “outstanding achievements in network science and contributions to the interdisciplinary development of the field.”

The Network Science Society recognized Hébert-Dufresne for his “foundational contributions to the theory of contagion on complex networks, illuminating how network structure, higher-order interactions, and nonlinear transmission mechanisms shape the spread of diseases, behaviors, and ideas.”

The Erdős–Rényi Prize marks another major international recognition for Hébert-Dufresne, who earlier this year received the German Physical Society’s 2026 Young Scientist Award for Socio- and Econophysics.

Join us in congratulating Dr. Hébert-Dufresne on an exceptional year of well-earned recognition!

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4diRo2i



University of Vermont

show the image caption close caption UVM Professor of Computer Science Laurent Hébert-Dufresne. Photo courtesy of the Santa Fe Institute. Laurent Hébert-Dufresne Wins 2026 Erdős–Rényi Prize The prestigious award is considered the top honor for young researchers in the field of Network Science ...

05/12/2026

Meet Alisson Ailhin Fernandez Tuiro, a Biomedical Engineering major with minors in Computer Science and Mathematics from Lima, Peru, who discovered the field she would major in during her college search—and quickly realized it was an ideal fit for her interests.

Driven by a passion for interdisciplinary learning and improving access to healthcare, she has embraced both the technical and humanitarian sides of the engineering discipline.

At UVM, Alisson embraced that interdisciplinary spirit. What began as an effort to strengthen her technical toolkit led her to add minors in Mathematics and Computer Science, where she uncovered a talent for coding. Through her coursework, she built skills in multiple programming languages, expanding her ability to solve complex problems at the intersection of engineering and technology.

Her time in CEMS has also been shaped by connection and experience—engaging in hands-on design work, collaborating with peers, and finding community on campus. As a student attending a University 3,900 miles from her home, Alisson found a sense of belonging and support with a number of on-campus organizations and clubs, including the International Student Club, where the culture of acceptance and discovery inspired her to take on leadership roles—serving as the club’s president— to help other international and exchange students navigate the uniquely challenging transition of attending college abroad.

Whether in classrooms, in research labs, or in campus clubs and organizations, Alisson has taken full advantage of the opportunities around her to grow both personally and professionally. As she prepares to take her next steps, Alisson reflects the very best of what a CEMS education represents: intellectual curiosity, adaptability, and a desire to make a meaningful impact.

Read more about her story: https://bit.ly/4nllAhA



University of Vermont

05/11/2026

Congratulations to UVM Complex Systems Institute Director and Professor of Computer Science Peter Dodds and his team of researchers on a landmark new study that challenges decades of conventional thinking about how language works.

Published last week in Science Advances, the study reveals that human language isn’t primarily organized around emotion—as widely believed for more than 70 years—but instead around something even more fundamental: safety.

By analyzing billions of words across real-world texts, the researchers found that language consistently favors expressions associated with safety over danger, suggesting that communication may be deeply rooted in our need to navigate risk, signal stability, and support survival.

The team also introduces a new framework for understanding meaning—centered on power, danger, and structure—that significantly outperforms traditional models used across psychology, linguistics, and AI.

This work has far-reaching implications—not just for academic theory, but for how we design AI systems, interpret communication, and understand human behavior at scale.

Along with Dodds, who served as senior author, the study features contributions from an interdisciplinary group of UVM researchers, including postdoctoral fellow Julia Zimmerman; Assistant Professor of Computer Science Juniper Lovato; postdoctoral associate Shawn Beaulieu; VCSI data research engineer Michael V. Arnold; and Professor of Mathematics and Statistics Chris Danforth.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4txu2vD



University of Vermont

05/08/2026

Huge congratulations to UVM’s ASME eHPVC team for earning 2nd place overall at the ASME Electric & Human Powered Vehicle Challenge at UCF in Orlando!

In just their second-year competing, the team designed and built a new lightweight carbon fiber e-bike that earned 2nd-place finishes in both the drag and endurance races against teams from across the country.

Shoutout to riders Ben Rodgers, Matt Rodgers, Dan Mazzarese, and pit crew members Alex Zaccardi, Luke Ste. Marie, Morgan Barnes, Connor Kilduff, and Grafton Lyons for this incredible achievement—and to UCF’s team for showing great sportsmanship during an emergency repair. We can’t wait to see what this team builds next year!

Learn more about their impressive showing at the races: https://bit.ly/49AfWCy

-ASME -eHPVC

University of Vermont

College of Engineering and Mathematical SciencesUniversity of VermontDepartment of Mechanical Engineering Burlington, VT 05405

05/07/2026

A native Vermonter who grew up among the mountains surrounding Warren, Rachel Goodwin was partly drawn to environmental engineering as a way to help protect the beautiful landscape she called home.

“I found this major to be the perfect fit for me, learning about the natural world and climate concerns from a solutions-oriented perspective,” she reflected as our Senior Spotlight for UVM’s Environmental Engineering program.

During her academic journey at UVM, Rachel joined Dr. Matthew Scarborough’s Environmental Microbiome Engineering Research Group (EMERG) lab, where she focused on research to reduce methane emissions in landfills by leveraging the benefits of methanotrophic (methane-eating) bacteria. It is a project she will continue to work on with Dr. Scarborough as she pursues a Master's degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering through the Accelerated Master's Program at UVM.

“I am fortunate to have worked closely with Rachel in three courses and in research. Coming from a small town in Vermont, we’re especially lucky that she chose to stay in-state and share her talents with the UVM community,” reflected her mentor, Dr. Scarborough. “She brings a rare combination of intellectual depth and genuine kindness to everything she does. She is equally comfortable discussing the metabolism of methanotrophy as she is Richard Powers’ latest novel.”

Learn more about Rachel’s time at UVM: https://bit.ly/4ez9wXP

Engineering

University of Vermont