Electrial engineering is one of the toughest majors at the Dartmouth campus. Ronald DiPippo, associate dean of the enfineering department, said Yafrate's GPA is a great achievement. "For a student to get consistently good grades in electrical engineering is phenomenal," DiPippo said. "It is a challenging curriculum."

Tony Costa, a professor of Yafrate's, said, "Chris was about our best student from freshman year forward. He had a very high GPA, and he has been accepted at several graduate schools. He was just a great student."

Yafrate, the son of two retired school teachers, says he has been acepted at UMass Dartmouth and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. At press time, he was still waiting to hear from UMass Amherst.

"In the field I am looking at, you have to go to graduate school at some time," Yafrate said. "This is a good time for me. I should know soon about Amherst but whatever the case, I am looking forward to the next level of study."

Yafrate had the opportunity to complement his studies with jobs during the summer. One was an internship with utility company NStar. Another was at the advanced technology center that the school manages. University officials say that the center works on projects brought forth by local companies and in many cases can solve problems that others have been unable to understand.

In part because of these short-term jobs, Yafrate is instersted in pursuing radio frequency and wireless research. "The job market in wireless and transmitters is strong now," he said. "I want to learn more so I can enter that field when I am ready." Despite the sophisticated courses the senior has taken, he says his interest was stimulated years ago when the father of a friend would demonstrate tasks he did on the job.

"He was an electrician," he recalled Yafrate, "and would take time to explain how things worked. It could be as simple as a circuit that enabled a light bulb to glow. But those lessons stayed with me and were my first steps in getting interested in electronics."