Undergraduate Ceremony Guest Speaker
Chao Wu Ph.D. ’09
Chao Wu Ph.D. ’09 is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, where he is a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Howard and Montgomery Delegations, Maryland Transit Caucus, Legislative AAPI Caucus, and Maryland Apprenticeship 2030 Commission. Prior to being elected as a state representative in November 2022, he worked as a senior data scientist at Booz Allen Hamilton, Fannie Mae, and Radian.
Wu began participating in community activism by first running for the board of his community association of his Columbia, Maryland, neighborhood, which then led to being elected as council representative and board member of the Columbia Association in 2015. In 2018, Wu became the first Chinese American elected to the Howard County Board of Education. He was the first Asian American chair for Howard County School Board in 2021. He was also elected to the Maryland Association of Board of Education in 2021.
Wu holds a B.S. from the University of Science and Technology of China, M.S. in electrical and computer engineering from the National University of Singapore, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland. His research interests range from signal processing, embedded programming, cybersecurity, natural language processing, and machine learning to artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Advised by Professors Pat O’Shea and Eyad Abed, his dissertation was titled “Precision control of intense electron beams in a low-energy ring.” As a graduate student, Wu became involved with the graduate student community on campus, which led to positions as president of UMD Chinese Student and Scholar Association, and finance committee member of Graduate Student Government.
Undergraduate Ceremony Student Speaker
Gustavo Lang Jr. '24
Gustavo Lang Jr. is graduating with a B.S. in aerospace engineering.
During his time at the University of Maryland, Lang Jr. gained valuable industry experience through internships and co-ops. He co-oped as a product design engineer for Apple, where he was responsible for the design and validation of a MacBook Air keyboard and was chosen as Intern of the Year. He also interned for Boeing as a liaison engineer on the NASA Space Launch System (part of the Artemis Program), where he was responsible for dispositioning manufacturing repairs and presenting to NASA review boards.
Lang Jr. was actively involved with the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering as an LSAMP scholar and was presented with the Director’s Award. He was also involved with Terps Racing, where he designed aerodynamic packages for its electric vehicle. Through the Institute for Systems Research, he competed in an industry-judged systems engineering design challenge, where his team earned first place.
Lang Jr. is a loving husband and father of two boys—both of whom were born as he earned this degree! Upon graduation, he will begin his aerospace career as a flight performance engineer with Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, thereby fulfilling his goal of providing a brighter future for his family, with whom he looks forward to spending more time.
Graduate Ceremony Guest Speaker
Rattan L. Khosa M.S. ’71
In 1981, Rattan L. Khosa M.S. ’71 founded AMSYSCO, Inc., a leading post-tensioning and barrier cable supplier for commercial construction buildings. Khosa currently serves as president and chief executive officer. Previously, he was division manager at Concrete Construction Supply, Inc. and sales manager at INRYCO, Inc. Khosa started his career in post-tensioning as a design engineer at Atlas Pre-stressing Corp.
Khosa holds a MBA with concentrations in finance and marketing from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. Additionally, his degrees include an M.S. in structural engineering from the University of Maryland, a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Rajasthan, and a B.S. from the University of Jammu & Kashmir. Khosa is a registered engineer in several states.
Khosa serves on the Board of Directors of AMSYSCO, Inc., Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI), Khosa JG Foundation (charity), and US-India Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the Entrepreneurship Advisory Board for the Booth School. Khosa has served as President of Post-Tensioning Institute and received its 2009 Fellows Award. Additionally, he serves on several PTI committees and is chairman of its Special Topics Committee.
Graduate Ceremony Student Speaker
Dewansh Rastogi Ph.D. ’23
Dewansh Rastogi graduated with a Ph.D. in chemical engineering in December 2023.
Throughout his doctoral studies, Rastogi worked alongside Professor Akua Asa-Awuku as a research assistant, focusing on aerosols, particle visualization, and particle capture technology. His findings have been published in various peer-reviewed journals. During his graduate studies, Rastogi collaborated with different labs in the Clark School’s Fischell Department of Bioengineering, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and the university’s School of Public Health, as well as the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wilfrid Laurier University.
Alongside his research, Rastogi took on leadership and mentorship roles, guiding high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, and received recognition and awards for teaching and research. This includes the Kulkarni Foundation Fellowship, Sengers Candidacy Scholarship and Travel Grants, American Association for Aerosol Research Travel Grant, and an Honorable mention for Outstanding Teaching Assistant Services.
Rastogi works with Assistant Professor Catherine Fromen at the University of Delaware, focusing on particle deposition inside 3D-printed structures for pulmonary drug delivery and particle capture technology. Outside academia, Rastogi volunteers as a local Google Guide, sharing experiences and valuable information about places he visits. He hopes to pursue a career in industry focusing on technology development in particle and surface engineering.
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