Clemson awards Degrees and honors Astronaut

Clemson University awarded 1,200 degrees Thursday, including the nation’s first Ph.D. in automotive engineering earned by a woman and an honorary degree to a former astronaut. Ala Qattawi made history when she walked across the stage to receive her doctorate in automotive engineering. Retired General Charles Duke Jr., a former NASA astronaut who was the 10th man to walk on the moon, received an honorary Doctor of Science degree. Posthumous bachelor’s degrees were also awarded to two students who died this fall in car accidents: Kohleigh Michelle Hunt of Seneca, a senior graphic communications major who died Oct. 21; and Tyler Sands of Exton, Pa., a senior in financial management who died Oct. 16.