Graduate Honors Convocation · 2020-06-11 · Convocation award recipients! We honor you today with these prestigious awards based on your impressive achievements, academic excellence,

Graduate Honors Convocation

Virtual Ceremony

Thursday, June 11, 2020 4:30 PM

Program

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Frank M. LaFerla, PhDDean and Chancellor’s Professor

Graduate Convocation AwardsR. Michael Mulligan, PhD

Associate Dean of Graduate Studies

Procession of Students

Closing RemarksR. Michael Mulligan, PhD

Associate Dean of Graduate Studies

Closing Video

Dear Graduate Honorees,

Congratulations on receiving awards at our UC Irvine School of Biological Sciences 2020 Graduate Honors Convocation. Although we cannot meet in person to applaud your achievements, we are pleased to be able to host a virtual celebration to recognize every one of you, as well as to thank our donors for their unwavering support.

As you know, the idea of life interconnected underscores our School’s foundational theme, MIND|BODY|WORLD, and the COVID-19 global pandemic illustrates just how interconnected life is.

Your research is extremely important to UCI, to the state of California, to our country and our world. Discoveries by students like you will continue to help enhance the quality of life on the planet. You inspire great hope that the next generation of researchers will make breakthroughs that will safeguard our world for generations to come.

Best wishes,

Frank M. LaFerla, PhD Dean and Chancellor’s Professor

Message from Dean LaFerla

Congratulations to Bio Sci’s Graduate Honors Convocation award recipients! We honor you today with these prestigious awards based on your impressive achievements, academic excellence, and deep commitment to research and teaching. Although we cannot be together in person, we hope you, your families, friends and faculty will join together to celebrate your incredible accomplishments.

We wish you continued success in all your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

R. Michael Mulligan, PhD Associate Dean of Graduate Studies

Message from Associate Dean Mulligan

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Jean-Louis Bru Molcular Biology and Biochemistry

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Edward Steinhaus Teaching AwardSince 1970, the Edward Steinhaus Teaching Awards have been presented to outstanding graduate students with promising futures as educators.

Stephenson Chea Developmental and Cell Biology

Alexander Duman Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Jonathan Hasselmann Neurobiology and Behavior

Jean-Louis Bru is an exceptional teaching assistant who always goes above and beyond to make sure that his students have the best learning experience.

Stephenson Chea is an exceptionally accomplished TA with a long-term commitment to teaching and outreach.

Faculty praise Alex Duman as one of the best TAs they have ever worked with! He has a deep understanding of course material and effective com-munication with students.

Jonathan Hasselmann loves to teach and is an inspiration for students. He is a master of organization and pedagogy.

Sloan Alexandra Lewis Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Robert Warner Award for Outstanding Achievement in Nucleic Acid Biochemistry

The Robert Warner Award is given to PhD students who demonstrate the greatest promise for outstanding research careers in nucleic acid biochemistry.

Sloan Lewis studies epigenetics in immune cells as molecular markers of alcohol damage.

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Bryan David Clifton Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Graduate Fellowship AwardThe Graduate Fellowship Award is given to a doctoral student early in their program who has outstanding academic achievements and great promise as a researcher.

Bryan Clifton is a productive researcher who studies recent gene duplications and the role they play in gene expansion in adaptative diversification.

William D. Redfield Graduate Fellowship Award

The William D. Redfield Graduate Fellowship Award is awarded to graduate students within a broadly defined area of molecular biology.

Katherine WilliamsDevelopmental and Cell Biology

Kate Williams is a master experimentalist who studies the genetic and epigenetic regulation of gene expression in muscular dystrophy.

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Dr. William F. Holcomb Scholarship

Johanthan HasselmanNeurobiology and Behavior

The Dr. William F. Holcomb Scholarship is given to doctoral students in the biomedical sciences or marine biology who have exhibited distinguished academic accomplishments through their research publications and communication of research activities to scientific and laymen audiences.

Jonathan is the recipient of a second award for his research. He is a highly productive researcher who studies the role of immune cells in Alzheimer’s Disease.

Allergan Foundation Graduate Award

Joshua Daniel Crapser Neurobiology and Behavior

The Allergan Foundation Graduate Student Award recognizes a student who shows outstanding scientific promise, as evidenced by his/her research accomplishments. Award winners are selected based on additional criteria such as academic performance, work experience and leadership potential.

Joshua Crapser is known for collecting “exquisite data,” and the ability to place his research in “the big picture.”

Edward K. Wagner Memorial Award in Virology

Andrew OliverMolecular Biology and Biochemistry

The Edward K. Wagner Memorial Award is given to an outstanding graduate or undergraduate student studying virology.

Andrew Oliver investigates the role of gut bacteria and viruses in health using NextGen sequencing and metabolomics, and is known to engage in exhilarating scientific conversations.

Susan V. Bryant Graduate Fellowship Award

David Manuel Tatarakis Developmental and Cell Biology

The Susan V. Bryant Graduate Fellowship Award recognizes Dr. Bryant’s overwhelming contributions in the field and is given to doctoral students studying developmental biology with an emphasis in stem cell regeneration.

David Tatarakis studies neural development in Zebrafish, and his work identified key developmental signaling pathways in neural cell migration.

Barbara K. Burgess Fellowship Award

Andrew J. JasniewskiMolecular Biology and Biochemistry

The Barbara K. Burgess Fellowship Award provides student support or financial aid to a deserving post-doctoral researcher who has demonstrated excellence in their research.

Andrew Jasniewski is a highly prolific post-doctoral researcher who uses cutting edge biophysical spectroscopy methods to study nitrogenase assembly.

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Grover C. Stephens Memorial Fellowship Award

Michelle Herrera Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

The Grover C. Stephens Memorial Fellowship Award is given to a graduate student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, with a preference towards students who are working in comparative/evolutionary physiology.

Michelle Herrera is a nutritional physiologist who studies how an animal’s diet affects gene expression in digestive organs.

Krishna and Sujata Tewari Scholar AwardThe Krishna and Sujata Tewari Scholar Award is given to students who demonstrate proclivity and aspirations in science and/or medicine. Two awards are given annually, one to graduate students in Biological Sciences and the other to medical students pursing an M.D. or Ph.D. in the School of Medicine.

William Joseph Pandori Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

William Pandori studies inflammation and host defense with human parasites and is known as a productive and meticulous scientist.

Howard A. Schneiderman Fellowship Award

Lee Alexander RettbergMolecular Biology and Biochemistry

The Howard A. Schneiderman Fellowship Award recognizes excellence in research, and is awarded to graduate students who have completed their second year of study.

Piper Diane WallingfordEcology and Evolutionary Biology

Lee Rettberg has been highly prolific as a doctoral student with 15 publications, including four first-author papers in high impact journals. Based on his excellent academic performance, his outstanding research productivity, and his natural leadership skills, Lee is an outstanding recipient of the Schneiderman Award.

Piper Wallingford conducted thesis research in Global Climate Change that identified patterns and processes that transform our understanding of ecological communities. Piper aspires to push the boundaries of what we know about the role of microbes in driving community and ecosystem relationships.

Joseph H. Stephens Memorial Fellowship Award

Rebecca Elizabeth Vargas Developmental and Cell Biology

The Joseph F. Stephens Memorial Fellowship Award is given to a graduate student doing work in the area of Dr. Stephens’ graduate study, biochemistry and molecular biology.

Rebecca Vargas is known for her intellect, creativity, and perseverance that has led to a highly productive start to her doctoral research.

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Special Thanks to Our DonorsThe Warner Family

The Steinhaus Family

The Redfield Family

The Burgess Family

The Holcomb Family

The Allergan Foundation

Judith Wagner

Professors Emeriti Susan Bryant and David Gardiner

Ann Stephens ‘70, ‘71

Drs. Nita ‘92 &Debu Tewari ‘93, ‘97, ‘14

Drs. Krishnansu ‘94 & Meagan Tewari ‘01

The Schneiderman Family