A&S Scholar Conrad Smart delivers commencement address
Conrad Smart of Versailles has been selected to speak at this week's commencement ceremony.
Each of the 2,000 UofL students who will attend this year’s Spring commencement ceremony have reason to be proud, but one College of Arts and Sciences student will receive an extra honor: Conrad Smart of Versailles, Ky. has been selected to deliver a commencement speech to his fellow students. Speed School of Engineering student Jalyn Shontee will also deliver an address.
Smart, a 2013 graduate of Woodford County High School, is graduating with his bachelor’s degrees in physics and mathematics, anticipating a perfect 4.0 GPA. As an undergraduate student, he participated in various research projects with applications including nanomaterials, plasma physics and particle accelerators. His work has taken him to the laboratories of UCLA and Cornell University as an undergraduate research assistant.
“The University Physics and Astronomy department has been pivotal in my development as a scientist,” Smart said. “In the mentorships, the opportunities, the community as a whole, I have watched students, including myself, become independent and creative thinkers.
“My peers and the faculty in the department have constantly provided me with the new and interesting stimulation necessary to bring a young student into the scientific fields.”
Smart is a recipient of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, James Graham Brown Scholarship and the Dean’s Scholarship, and has participated twice in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduate Programs.
When he’s not trying to unravel the universe’s secrets, Smart enjoys playing saxophone, ballroom dancing and hiking.
Commencement will be held on Saturday, May 13 at the KFC Yum! Center beginning at 10 a.m.
