On 22 March, the Imperial College Chemical Engineering Society hosted its Annual Dinner to celebrate the graduating class of 2017.

Held at Porchester Hall, the black tie event included live jazz music and a three course dinner.

As well as giving students a chance to let down their hair down after a gruelling term, the evening also provided an opportunity to reflect on the events of the past year and the collective progress made by the Department.

See more high-resolution photos from the event in our Flickr gallery

In his opening speech, Head of Department Professor Nilay Shah remarked: “The Department of Chemical Engineering has got something special, and this is partly down to a genuine partnership between the staff and the students. It comes from a mutual respect for each other, and working together to try and improve everything that we do.”

Professor Paul Fennell, President of the Chemical Engineering Society, acknowledged that, despite an especially turbulent year in global politics, Imperial graduates would be destined to “join the ranks of the global citizens who will excel around the world.”

The event was also attended by the President of the City & Guilds College Association, Professor Roger Venables. Echoing Dr Fennell’s sentiments, he remarked that the graduating class of 2017 would be joining “an amazing bunch of alumni, who have done fantastic things in their chosen field.”

The Annual Dinner also gave students the opportunity to recognise the efforts of the Department’s teaching staff. Each year group had the chance to nominate their Lecturer of the Year, with the title being awarded to Dr Christos Markides (Year 1), Professor Amparo Galindo (Years 2, 4 and Overall Best Lecturer), and Dr Jerry Heng (Year 3).

For further information about the Chemical Engineering Society and future events, please visit the website.