WHAT: UNLV Fall 2012 commencement ceremony

WHEN: Tuesday, Dec. 18, beginning at 4 p.m.

WHERE: Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV

DETAILS: More than 3,000 UNLV undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to participate in this year's fall commencement ceremony. Graduates range in age from 18 to 75 and hail from 59 countries. For those unable to attend, the event will stream live at unlv.vegasgraduations.com.

Former Nevada governor Bob Miller will be honored with the Distinguished Nevadan Award for his commitment to higher education in Nevada. Honorary degrees will be awarded to UNLV alum and Food Network personality Guy Fieri and Las Vegas attorney Joe Brown.

UNLV President Neal Smatresk will also highlight two graduating students during the ceremony for their outstanding work in the classroom and the community.

NOTE: Floor access during commencement is limited to participants and credentialed media. Media can reserve a UNLV commencement credential by contacting the Office of Media Relations at (702) 895-0893 or by email at tony.allen@unlv.edu. Follow the festivities on Twitter at #UNLVGrad

Guest/Visitor Information

The doors of the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion will open at 3 p.m. All guests should enter through the Thomas & Mack Center, while all graduates should report to Cox Pavilion for line-up. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis; no tickets are required. Ample parking is available in the Thomas & Mack Center lot. The ceremony will last approximately two and a half hours. For more information, please visit http://commencement.unlv.edu.

Outstanding Graduates

Outstanding graduates are selected by UNLV President Neal Smatresk after a semester-long nomination process. Students are chosen based on outstanding academic achievements, community outreach and their ability to overcome adversity.

Sarah Trabia - B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Sarah Trabia is a shining example of what a student can do with the research opportunities UNLV affords its undergraduates. Sarah has worked on projects with the Center for Energy Research, including one to improve solar energy storage. She also developed a solar-powered autoclave to sterilize medical equipment in developing nations with limited access to power. A member of UNLV's Honors College, Sarah graduates with a 3.76 G.P.A. and both university and departmental honors. She has also found time to mentor high school students, serve as secretary of the student mechanical engineering society, and be a member of UNLV's Muslim Student Association.

Daniel Lowe - Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering
Daniel Lowe has achieved great success in the research field at UNLV, bringing in millions of dollars in research and equipment through work with the university's growing accelerator research program. He also has more than 20 peer-reviewed publications on topics including detection of special nuclear material and novel radiation detectors, with collaborators from Los Alamos National Laboratory, National Security Technologies and Varian Medical Systems. Daniel previously completed both undergraduate and graduate programs in engineering at UNLV and was the first graduate of our master's program in materials and nuclear engineering.