Graduation ceremonies with a bang at the Faculty of Science
Filling up lecture halls with friends and family for graduation ceremonies is simply not an option this year. So the Faculty of Science came up with a safe yet festive way to put graduated bachelors and masters in the limelight: they transformed the restaurant of the Gorlaeus Lecture Halls into a corona-safe ceremony location, complete with 'a signing lane' and a CO2 cannon.
Mini ceremonies en walk-through ceremonies
On 15 October, the BSc Computer Science programme kicked off with the very first corona-proof graduation. A total of six study programmes made use of the setup. Some opted for a mini ceremony with a maximum of 22 graduates at a time and a plenary speech by the director of education. Others opted for a walk-through ceremony, with or without pre-recorded video speech, and a graduate with a plus one or two passing by every few minutes.
Diploma signing under the watchful eye of alumni
At each ceremony, the graduates walked one by one through 'the signing lane' to sign their diploma. To give this moment more spectators, this lane was decorated with photos sent in by graduated alumni.
Out with a bang
After the signing, a surprise followed with a 'sciency' touch: with a loud bang, the graduates were enveloped in a large cloud of liquid CO2 and photographed. This was followed by a more offical portrait photo with their diploma. On their way out, the graduates were given a rose or small gift.
On several points a webcam was situated, allowing family and friends of the graduate to follow the whole ceremony.
