UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
17382 COMMENCEMENT
MAY 19-21, 2017
A MESSAGE TO OUR GRADUATES
On behalf of the University at Albany, it is my distinct honor
to congratulate you on the conferral of your degree. Whether
you are receiving a diploma for a bachelor’s, master’s, or
doctoral degree, this achievement is the culmination of years
of tremendous perseverance, intellectual development, and
iy a personal growth.
\
U N | V bE RS ITY You have completed your studies at a public research university
with access to 1,200 dedicated faculty members across a vast
ATALBAN Y academic and research portfolio — an institution committed
ae both to academic excellence and deep engagement in the
State University of New York ith:
community and the world.
During your time at UAlbany, you may have benefited from
a transformative education abroad program. Maybe you
participated in an internship that solidified your professional
plans. Or perhaps you carried out research that helps to address
a critical challenge facing society. And you have all been part of |
a culturally and intellectually rich campus community, which
will serve you well in the future as you navigate an increasingly
diverse and globalized society.
SRE
aa.
Vere Bik Today, you join the ranks of 177,000 UAlbany alumni who are |
mn
having a positive impact as professionals and leaders across the
globe. We celebrate your entrance into the world as a graduate
of the University at Albany, while encouraging you to remain
involved through our Alumni Association.
CONTENTS
ate Ceremonv............ 4 your degree will open new doors of opportunity, and that you
a
No matter your program or field of study, | am confident that
will make important contributions wherever life takes you.
Again, my congratulations to each and every one of you on this
University Officials s ‘ am ‘
very significant achievement!
larshals and Purple 8 |
Gold Ambassadors..............9 Sincerely,
Flag B@arers ..<sssecicvevesensaee 12
James R. Stellar
faster’s Candidates ......... 22 . el
Interim President
Bachelor’s Candidates ...... 30
Nass G3 2S 45
Alumni Association
“anor rilatinne
CONGTEATILNGUONS. wcccocccccecssees 40
COMMENCEMENT 2017 3
GRADUATE
COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017 ~ SEFCU ARENA, 5:00 P.M.
ACADEMIC PROCESSIONAL
Led by Grand Marshal John S. Pipkin, Distinguished Service Professor
NATIONAL ANTHEM
INVOCATION
The Reverend Sandra Damhof, Protestant Campus Ministries
WELCOME
James R. Stellar, Interim President
PRESENTATION OF THE EVAN R. COLLINS AWARD
James R. Stellar, Interim President
to Jeanette Altarriba,
Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education
to Julie Novkov,
Professor of Political Science, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES
Kevin J. Williams, Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Education
CONFERRAL OF DOCTORAL DEGREES
James R. Stellar, Interim President
INTRODUCTION OF CANDIDATES FOR DOCTORAL DEGREES
Edelgard Wulfert, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
William Alex Pridemore ’00, Dean, School of Criminal Fustice
Robert Bangert-Drowns, Dean, School of Education
Kim L. Boyer, Dean, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Nathaniel C. Cady, Associate Professor, College of Nanoscale Engineering, Technology and Innovation
R. Karl Rethemeyer, Interim Dean, Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
Laura Schweitzer, Interim Dean, School of Public Health,
Vice President for Health Sciences and Biomedical Initiatives
Lynn A. Warner, Interim Dean, School of Social Welfare
CONFERRAL OF MASTER’S DEGREES AND ADVANCED GRADUATE CERTIFICATES
James R. Stellar, Interim President
INTRODUCTION OF CANDIDATES FOR MASTER’S DEGREES AND ADVANCED GRADUATE CERTIFICATES
Martin L. Fogelman, Clinical Professor of Management
Lisa V. ‘Trubitt ’91, °93, Information Technology Services
RECESSIONAL
Platform Party and Faculty formally recess. Graduates may
remain in the seating area to reunite with their guests.
4 | UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
ree oe stn ~~
THE EVAN R. COLLINS AWARD
THE GRADUATE CEREMONY
In recognition of distinguished service and devotion to the University at Albany by members of the faculty.
Jeanette Altarriba, Ph.D.
1D: Jeanette Altarriba is currently serving a
second term as Vice Provost and Dean for
Undergraduate Education overseeing, among other
units, Advisement, General Education, the Writing
and Critical Inquiry Program, the Honors College,
and Undergraduate Research.
Dr. Altarriba joined the faculty of the University
at Albany’s Department of Psychology in 1992.
She has served as the chair of the Department of
Communication, the chair of the Department of
Psychology, and associate dean for Academic Affairs
for the College of Arts and Sciences. She has also
served as the director of the Doctoral Program in
Cognitive/Developmental Psychology and is the
founder and director of the Cognition and Language
Laboratory. Dr. Altarriba’s research and teaching
interests focus on bilingualism, memory, and emotion,
and she has published numerous scientific journal
articles in these areas.
The recipient of the President’s and Chancellor’s
Julie Novkov, Ph.D.
r. Julie Novkov is a Professor of Political
Science, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality
Studies, and is completing her service as the chair of
the Department of Political Science. She holds a J.D.
from New York University School of Law and a Ph.D.
in Political Science from the University of Michigan
(Ann Arbor).
Dr. Novkov’s career in public higher education
began at the University of Oregon, and she moved to
UAlbany as an associate professor in 2006. Her work
focuses on American law and political development,
considering how struggles over rights and civic
membership have shaped the American state over
time. She has been the mainstay of the Political
Science Department’s program in public law, and
is proud of its undergraduate and graduate alumni’s
career accomplishments and devotion to the bettering
of society.
Dr. Novkov has published three books, including Racial
Union: Law, Intimacy, and the White State in Alabama,
1865-1954 (2008), which won the American Political
Science Association’s Ralph Bunche Prize in 2009, and
Excellence Awards in Teaching
(2000) and in Service (2005),
Dr. Altarriba is known for her
mentoring and guidance of
students, both undergraduate
and graduate. She was honored
with the Early Career Award
for Teaching and ‘Training by
the American Psychological
Association (1995), as well as their Dalmas A. ‘Taylor
Distinguished Contributions Award (2012).
Dr. Altarriba earned her master’s and doctorate in
Cognitive Psychology from Vanderbilt University,
Nashville, Tennessee.
She states, “I can think of no more important,
gratifying, or humbling experience than to see
students grow, and learn, and develop a sense of self-
confidence and achievement. It has been an honor
and a privilege to be able to devote a grand part of my
career to serving them.”
she is also the recipient of
both the University’s and
the Chancellor’s awards
for Excellence in Teaching.
She is the immediate
past president of the
Western Political Science
Association. She also
received an Outstanding
Achievement Award (2010) from UAlbany’s Disability
Resource Center and the Teaching and Mentoring
Award (2015) from the Law and Courts Section of the
American Political Science Association.
Dr. Novkov is grateful to her students for their
curiosity and engagement and to her colleagues, both
faculty and staff, in political science and Rockefeller
College for their teamwork, dedication to the mission
of public higher education, and commitment to the
liberal arts. She thanks her children for their patience
with her and the daily sense of radical amazement they
provide. Most of all, she thanks Joel Bloom for his
love, companionship, and support over the years.
COMMENCEMENT 2017 | 5
UNDERGRADUATE
COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2017 ~ THE ENTRY PLAZA, 11:00 A.M.
ACADEMIC PROCESSIONAL
Led by Grand Marshal John S. Pipkin, Distinguished Service Professor
NATIONAL ANTHEM
University at Albany Chamber Singers
INVOCATION
Catherine Reid, Director of Catholic Campus Ministry
WELCOME
James R. Stellar, Interim President
INTRODUCTION OF THE COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
Darrell P. Wheeler,
Interim Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
and Vice Provost for Public Encacement
“ eo. >
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
Scott J. Kelly,
NASA Astronaut and Captain, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
INTRODUCTION OF THE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT SPEAKER
Michael N. Christakis ’01, 05, Vice President for Student Affairs
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT SPEAKER
Akeela M. Makshood 7°17
ALUMNI RECOGNITION
Brian C. Fessler ’06, 07, President, Alumni Association
ALMA MATER
University at Albany Chamber Singers, joined by graduates and guests
HONORS RECOGNITION
Darrell P. Wheeler, /zterim Provost
PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES FOR BACHELOR’S DEGREES
Jeanette Altarriba, Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education
Bachelor’s candidates will be acknowledged by major, and degrees will be conferred collectively.
CONFERRAL OF DEGREES
James R. Stellar, Interim President
7
RECESSIONAL
Platform Party and Faculty formally recess. Graduates may
remain in the seating area to reunite with their guests.
6 | UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
THE UNDERGRADUATE CEREMONY
Captain Scott Kelly
History-Making U.S. Astronaut & Retired U.S. Navy Captain
B*: from his historic record-breaking year in
space, NASA astronaut Captain Scott Kelly has
laid the groundwork for the future of space travel
and exploration, and is a true pioneer of our time.
The world remains in awe -
his Twitter following is at 3.24
million! — as we celebrate a
hero’s return to the planet that is
home from an adventure that is
extraordinary.
With life lessons and personal
stories that reveal unique and
valuable advice on_ pushing
one’s own limits, to insight on
the leadership and teamwork
required in such demanding
conditions, and the challenges
— such as long term deprivation
from loved ones and Planet
Earth -— Captain Kelly’s
interviews and never-seen-before photos from the
International Space Station. The historic mission
also included NASA’s groundbreaking ‘Twins Study,
in which Kelly’s identical twin brother, retired NASA
astronaut Captain Mark Kelly,
served on the ground as a control
model in an _ unprecedented
experiment to understand how
space affects the human body.
In recognition of his work, Kelly
has received numerous special
honors and awards from NASA,
the U.S. Navy, U.S. Department
of Defense, and an Honorary
Doctorate of Science degree
from SUNY Maritime.
Prior to his career with NASA,
Kelly served 25 years in the U.S.
Navy, retiring as an experienced
commencement address will
reflect on the choices and life
events that paved his journey’s path.
An astronaut since 1996, Kelly’s achievements over his
illustrious 20-year career with NASA earned him the
coveted position as America’s first year-round astronaut.
On his historic mission that spanned from March 2015
to March 2016, Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail
Kornienko conducted
experiments, reconfigured
station modules, and captivated the world with live
aviator and decorated Captain.
He has logged over 8,000 hours
in more than 40 different aircraft and spacecraft and
has over 250 carrier landings. Kelly holds a United
States Coast Guard Third Mate’s license.
Born in Orange, New Jersey, Kelly received a Bachelor
of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from
SUNY Maritime and a Master of Science degree in
Aviation Systems from the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville.
Captain Kelly’s commencement address is made possible by support from the University at Albany Speaker
Series, which brings renowned guest speakers from across the globe to campus in order to engage the
.
.
University community in compelling and purposeful discussions addressing contemporary issues and
events. Since its inception in 2008, it has featured such icons as President Bill Clinton, Colin Powell,
Barbara Walters, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Bill Nye, and, most recently, Brandon Stanton.
COMMENCEMENT 2017
PIN VERSITY OFFICIALS
2016-2017
CHANCELLOR
Nancy L. Zimpher, Ph.D.
TRUSTEES OF THE STATE
UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
H. Carl McCall, Chair
Joseph W. Belluck
Courtney Burke
Marshall Lichtman
Stanley S. Litow
Marc Cohen Richard Socarides
Eric Corngold Carl Spielvogel
Robert Duffy Edward Spiro
Ronald G. Ehrenberg
Angelo M. Fatta
Peter L. Knuepfer
Cary F. Staller
Nina Tamrowski
Lawrence J. Waldman
Eunice A. Lewin
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF
THE UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
James R. Stellar, Interim President
Darrell P. Wheeler, Interim Provost and
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs,
Vice Provost for Public Engagement
Bruce P. Szelest, Chief of Staff
Vice Provost for Administration
T. Simeon Ananou, Vice President for Information
Technology Services and CIO
Mark Benson, Director of Athletics
Joseph A. Brennan, Vice President for
Communications and Marketing
Michael N. Christakis ’01, ’05, Vice President
for Student Affairs
James A. Dias, Vice President for Research
Tamra Minor, Chief Diversity Officer
Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
John H. Reilly, Senior Council
Fardin Sanai, Vice President for University Development,
Executive Director of the UAlbany Foundation
Laura Schweitzer, Interim Dean, School of Public Health,
Vice President for Health Sciences and Biomedical Initiatives
James R. Van Voorst ’95, Vice President for
Finance and Administration
Leanne Wirkkula, Vice President for Planning,
Policy and Compliance
8 | UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
THE UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY COUNCIL
Michael Castellana ’84, ’92, Chair
Robert P. Balachandran, Esq. ’88
Nancy M. Burton
Patricia A. Caldwell ’75, Secretary
James M. Clancy ’90
Stanley De La Cruz ’15,
Graduate Student Representative
Mark N. Eagan
John R. Fallon Jr., Esq. 77, ’81
Brian C. Fessler ’06, 07, Alumni Representative
James O. Jackson
Abner JeanPierre ’93
Jarius Jemmott, Elected Student Representative
Karin Reinhold, Faculty Representative
DEANS OF THE UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
Jeanette Altarriba, Vice Provost and Dean for
Undergraduate Education
Robert Bangert-Drowns, Dean, School of Education
Kim L. Boyer, Dean, College of Engineering
and Applied Sciences
Hui-Ching Chang, Dean, Honors College
Harvey Charles, Vice Provost and Dean for
International Education and Global Strategy
Rebecca Mugridge, Dean and Director,
University Libraries
William Alex Pridemore ’00, Dean, School of
Criminal Fustice
R. Karl Rethemeyer, Interim Dean, Nelson A.
Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
David L. Rousseau, Interim Dean, College of Emergency
Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
Laura Schweitzer, Interim Dean, School of Public Health,
Vice President for Health Sciences and Biomedical Initiatives
Hany A. Shawky, Interim Dean, School of Business
Lynn A. Warner, Interim Dean, School of
Social Welfare
Kevin J. Williams, Vice Provost and Dean for
Graduate Studies
Edelgard Wulfert, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
These University at Albany faculty have volunteered to assist with the student lineup and processional.
John S. Pipkin, Grand Marshal Aaron Major, College of Arts and Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
Jonathan Mandle, College of Arts and Sciences
Cynthia Fox, College of Arts and Sciences Mary McCarthy, School of Social Welfare
Sanjay Goel, School of Business David Miller, School of Education
Elana Gordis, College of Arts and Sciences James H. Neely, College of Arts and Sciences
Teresa Harrison, College of Arts and Sciences Blanca Ramos, School of Social Welfare
David Lewis, College of Arts and Sciences Paul Stasi, College of Arts and Sciences
PURPLE AND GOLD AMBASSADORS
Purple & Gold Student Ambassadors are comprised of a select group of students who represent the
University at Albany to its various constituencies on behalf of the president, various vice presidents,
and the Alumni Association. Listed below are members who are graduating this Spring.
Mary Adeyeye
Kayla James
Jessica Levine
Michael Lorka
Adam Mrowca
Jacob Wasserman
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.
A copy of the University’s oldest existing diploma. Issued to George H. Dunham °4 He eainaton dG chem Cectteat. Ge eabecignd. Se Cnmtes Gq
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~ ed Ietehy recommend the seid ye a6 8 worthe
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ana SIQNea D the first Executi cs I f DOard OT II Cet tia!
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COMMENCEMENT 2017 j 9
MINERVA
mA a nor eR NET ER HO eR NCR Cae
oe the University at Albany’s beginnings as the New York State Normal College, Minerva, the Roman
goddess of wisdom, has been the institution’s enduring symbol.
The figure of Minerva and the Latin motto, Sapientia et sua et docendi causa (“Wisdom, both for its own sake and for
3 tae . the sake of teaching”) have appeared on the University seal since
i : about 1913. ‘loday, Minerva, wearing her distinctive helmet,
i A continues to symbolize the University’s proud past and
oe long-standing reputation for educational excellence.
Mt ie
pa ¢ UAlbany’s seven-foot-plus white plaster statue of Minerva
a — . Vee was purchased in 1888.
ee
¢ While there is no official record of where she came from,
remembrances have it that the statue was purchased with
funds from a $1 student fee collected for make-up exams.
¢ ‘The Minerva statue was originally located at 88 Willett
St. in Albany when the University was the New York State
Normal College. In 1906, when a devastating fire broke
out in the college’s administrative offices, a brave
custodian, Charles Wurtham, rescued the statue
from the burning building.
¢ Minerva assumed her new home in the rotunda of
Draper Hall when UAlbany was the State College for
‘Teachers. For more than six decades, she was a
popular meeting place for students. “Meetcha at
Minnie” was a favorite phrase and her photograph
appeared frequently in UAlbany yearbooks.
¢ In January 1962, UAlbany’s Minerva achieved
national fame when an article about the teacher’s
college appeared in an issue of the Saturday
Review and she was pictured on the cover.
¢ In 1966, as a gift to the University, the senior
Class of 1967 moved the statue from the
downtown campus to the new main campus and
paid for her refurbishment. The Class named
themselves the “Guardians of Minerva.”
¢ In 1987 Minerva was rededicated and today
graces the lobby of the Science Library.
UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
ACADEMIC HERALDRY
he caps, gowns, and hoods worn at college
and university functions date back to the
Middle Ages. Monks and students of those days
wore them to keep warm in the damp and drafty
12th-century castles and halls of learning. The gowns
for the bachelor’s degree, earned after undergraduate
study, have long, pointed sleeves and are designed
to be worn closed.
The holder of the master’s degree wears a gown
with an oblong sleeve open at the wrist. The sleeve
base hangs down, and the rear part of its oblong
shape is worn square cut. The gown may be worn
open or closed. An alternate and older master’s
gown is also permissible. The gown is always worn
open, has a long sleeve, which is square and closed
at the end, and has a slit near the forearm.
Gowns for the doctoral degree may also be worn
open or closed, but they carry broad velvet panels
down the front and three velvet bars on the full,
round, open sleeves. The velvet trimming may be
either in black or the color distinctive to the field
of learning to which the degree pertains.
At the University at Albany, academic gowns for
bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates are black.
Doctoral recipients wear purple gowns, characteristic of
our institution’s colors.
Academic protocol allows trustees, presidents, and
marshals of higher education institutions to wear
gowns which are especially designed and colored. The
president of the University at Albany wears a black and
royal purple gown bearing four horizontal royal purple
bars with gold braiding on the sleeves. The marshals’
gowns at UAlbany are navy blue with gold accents.
Caps may be of serge, broadcloth, or, for the doctoral
outfit only, of velvet. The tassel is black or the color
appropriate to subject, except the doctoral cap may have
a tassel of gold or bullion.
It is the hood that gives color and real meaning to the
academic costume. The hoods of the master’s degree
recipients are a black shell made of material to match
the gown and use the institutional colors. UAlbany’s
institutional colors are royal purple and gold. The
doctoral hood, which uses the same institutional colors,
is larger and of a different style, having a flat panel at the
back. The hood is bordered with velvet of the proper
width to indicate the degree and of the color signifying
the field of learning to which the degree pertains.
If more than one degree is held, the gown and hood of
the highest degree are worn. Holders of several doctoral
degrees may make a choice of hood for any particular
occasion. The colors indicative of the various fields of
learning are as follows:
Arts (Liberal Arts), Humanities, Letters
(Literature): White
Commerce; Accountancy, Business: Drab
Communication Studies: Silver Gray
Economics: Copper
Education: Light Blue
Engineering: Orange
Environmental Studies: Russet
Fine Arts: Brown
Journalism: Crimson
Library Science, Information Management:
Lemon Yellow
Music: Pink
Philosophy: Dark Blue
Public Administration, Public Policy: Peacock Blue
Public Health: Salmon Pink
Social Science, Natural Science: Golden Yellow
Social Work: Citron
Graduating students at UAlbany wear tassels of the color
representing their field of study. Honors graduates of
the baccalaureate program also wear honor medallions.
Candidates for degrees are listed as _ of
April 17, 2017. No changes in status could be made
after this date. Honors for degree candidates were
computed using the cumulative grade point average as of
this date and a projection that the student will have
earned 56 or more credits at UAlbany, of which a
minimum of 40 credits are A-E graded. Official honor
status will be recalculated when term grades are
recorded and will appear on the diploma.
***Summa Cum Laude: signifies a cumulative
grade-point average of 3.75 or above
**Magna Cum Laude: signifies a cumulative
grade-point average of 3.50-3.74
*Cum Laude: signifies a cumulative
grade-point average of 3.25-3.49
f
dd
1.
Y) a = pooner §
-
COMMENCEMENT 2017 | 11
FLAG BEARERS
Presentation of Colors by the following members
of the ROTC Mohawk Battalion Color Guard:
Cadet Ryan Clemente Cadet Michael Pepe
Cadet Alyssa Griffith Cadet Kevin Quinde
Cadet Jake Maltz Cadet Joseph Stielde
Presentation of international flags representing members
of the graduating class, by the following students:
Ibrahim E. Abdalla
Sana E. Ahmida Abdelkarim
Ubaidat Abdul-Rahman
Ore Adelaja
Temilayo Elizabeth Adeyeye
Vishal Agarwal
Kossi D. Agbozo
Sumayya Adib Al-Chalabi
Jane Anyango Gregory
Betelehem Solomon Bera
Anne-Carolin Beuttler
Sharareh Biglari
Volha Boyles
Fanta Camara
Xiaofeng Cao
Yadi Chen
Sodgerel Chinburen
Marlene Emilse Diaz
Jonathan Michael Diraddo
Mamou Doumbia
Denisse Duran-Reyes
Cassandra Edwards
12 UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
Christophe Maxime Fokoua Dongmo Alaa Yassin Muhiddin
Zahraa Ismail Ahmed Foraida
Ashley Giannita
Marcos Aurelio Grael Jr.
Maria Vittoria Gronchi
Kapil Gupta
Sebastian Herrera
Hoang Nghia Hoang
Jona Hoxha
Chu-Chun Huang
Hannah Brigida Isla Infantado
Maik Katko
Nobumasa Kawakami
Hina Khalid
Sabrina Khan
Min Pyo Kim
Kavi Kiriella
Maria Koga
Grace Esther Caroline Korompis
Lin Li
Tianqi Liao
Changha Lim
Marshall Makate
Akeela Makshood
Marieka Felesia McLeod
Paul Mensah
Laura M. Milanes
Andrea Minchala
Stuti Misra
Gertrude Morgan Dadzie
Chansa Everline Mushota
Sameera Sinha Nallanthighal
Arunkumar Odedara
Urenna Joy Onwuanaibe
Irene Owusu- Takyi
Giovana Padilla
Liying Pang
Olena Petrashchuk
Mai Quynh Pham
Pritisha Pradhan
Elipha Pradhananga
Riasat Hussain Rana
Vishwanath Boorgucharla Rao
Sergey Romanishin
Fusun Sahin
Alba Sala
Luzi Shi
Seunghyun Shin
Daria Sidoruk
Yutthana Srisakunkhunakorn
Barbara Ellis Suarez
Nicolas Texeira Nunez
Merve Turan
Munzerin Uddin
Monica Sabina Venegas Urbina
Xiyuan Wang
Bakhytkul Zhakipbayeva
Daniela Zolorzano
qr i ee — en nn i a a : —
Many members of the Class of 2017 have been supported and encouraged by donors who generously fund
scholarships, awards and prizes which are presented annually through UAlbany’s philanthropic entity, The
University at Albany Foundation. As these students prepare to embark upon the next phase of their lives, we
invite you to read the stories of several who share their plans for the future while acknowledging the thoughtful
donors who made their aspirations possible.
Douglas Crook Jr.
“Life changing,” is how Douglas Crook Jr. describes
the assistance he received as The Mark Pnini ’98
Football Scholarship recipient. The West Barnstable,
Mass. native transferred to UAlbany a year and half
ago and never looked back. After accumulating
significant debt at another institution, he was relieved
to be able to complete his education at UAlbany
with the help offered by the Pnini Scholarship. “I’ve
enjoyed the change, and I will now be proud to be a
Great Dane forever,” he states. Crook earned a degree
in economics and sociology and intends to put his
studies to use expanding his Aquaculture business on
Cape Cod.
Outside of the classroom, Crook’s biggest commitment
was to the UAlbany football team. This was his fourth
Kristin Flatow
year playing at the
collegiate level, and
he has had a love and
passion for the sport
since he was a child.
His scholarship was
truly the perfect fit,
supporting him both
on and off the field.
When
able to find a spare
moment, he enjoyed spending time at his favorite
place on campus, the fountain. “Not only is it a good
place to catch up with friends,” he says, “but it also has
this presence that is unique to only our school.”
Crook was
“I appreciate the support and relationship I’ve been
able to build with my donor and how it has helped me
grow professionally,” reflects senior Kristin Flatow,
recipient of The David P. Schaffer ‘83 and Paul C.
Schaffer ‘86 Scholarship. In addition to helping make her
UAlbany education possible, Paul Schaffer welcomed
Flatow as an intern at Alterna Capital Partners, his
private equity firm in Wilton, Conn.
Flatow is an accounting and business administration
double-major with a minor in journalism. She also
served as president of the UAlbany Stock Exchange
and treasurer of her chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an
international honorary organization for accounting
students and professionals.
Impressively, she has already signed on with Deloitte, a
multinational firm providing audit, consulting, advisory
and tax services, and plans to get her master’s degree in
taxation. After reflecting on what a huge impact her
scholarship experience
at UAlbany has had
on her, Flatow muses,
“Maybe someday
Pll establish a
scholarship here in
my own name.”
COMMENCEMENT 2017 | 13
UNDERGRADUATE HONORS, AWARDS
AMI? SCHOLARSHIPS
(CONT.)
Wahing Lau credits his
experience at UAlbany
with helping to explain
the world to him. The
first-generation college
student from New York
City decided to double
major in_ sociology
and economics as a
way to understand
the reasoning behind
er human actions and the
decisions we choose to make. He describes leaving
Andrew
Theory class “in complete awe and enlightenment” on
favorite professor Horvitz’s Sociological
multiple occasions.
Noni Murphy
Receiving the Yang Family Scholarship helped Lau finish
up his last year at UAlbany and gave him the financial
freedom to begin thinking about his career. “I plan to
get a job at a financial firm and be a personal trainer
on the side, eventually owning my own gym/personal-
training business,” he explains. Lau is dedicated to
physical fitness and spent many hours of his free time
at the campus fitness center. Working out on a regular
basis revolutionized his life, and he wants to help
others achieve the same benefits. “I know the value
that fitness can bring to someone’s life,” he says.
Lau is grateful for the assistance his scholarship
has provided and thanks the Yang family for their
generosity.
“I have loved my time
here,” declares Noni
Murphy, recipient of
The Barnes and Noble
Scholarship.
Murphy
Achievers
When
choosing a_ college,
UAlbany the
most sense financially
for
was
made
her, and her
scholarship has helped
her her
dreams. She was able
achieve
to attain success in the classroom and do all the things
she planned to do during her time here without the
worrisome burden of financing her education entirely
on her own.
14 | UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
Murphy is a vocal-performance major with a minor
in psychology. Her classes have kept her busy and
engaged during her time at UAlbany. “My most
memorable professor is Dr. Victoria von Arx, my piano
teacher. She is personable and warm toward her classes.
I’ve enjoyed my time with her.” Murphy also served
as vice president of Phenomenal Voices, the student
performance group on campus, and was a member of
Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Greek-lettered sorority
established by African-American college women.
After graduation, she’d like to put her musical talents
to use and begin auditioning on Broadway. She’s also
considering graduate school, where she would pursue
a degree in music and therapy. “My ultimate goal in
life is to be happy with what I’m doing,” she says. It’s
clear UAlbany has given Murphy a foundation to
achieve just that.
Hasina Noory
During her time at UAlbany,
Roselle DeCarlo Memorial Scholarship NIVF
recipient Hasina Noory’ was
determined to take advantage of
every opportunity available to her
here. Knowing medical school was in
her future, she chose to double major
in human biology and sociology. As a
complement to her classwork, Noory
also worked with favorite professor
Dr. Maksim Royzen, conducting
research at the RNA Institute. There,
she gained hands-on experience
running reactions in a real laboratory setting.
The Galloway, N.J. native also made sure to get
involved in campus life as much as her busy schedule
would allow. She became a member of the Presidential
Ralphy Sanchez
Honor Society; volunteered with Student
Support Services’ free peer tutoring
program; and was active in Doctors 4
Hope, a student group that connects pre-
med students with volunteer and research
opportunities.
Noory is grateful for the assistance
provided by the DeCarlo Scholarship,
particularly because it freed up some of
her finances to pay the hefty fees attached
to applying for medical school. She is
considering specializing in emergency
medicine eventually, but is keeping that door open
for now. She has enjoyed her UAlbany experience and
reflects, “it opened up a lot of opportunities I don’t
think I would have gotten anywhere else.”
Senior Ralphy Sanchez explains
that coming from the Bronx and
being able to remain in college is
not always easy. However, with the
assistance of The Edith and Otto Katz
Scholarship he received, Sanchez was
able to thrive at UAlbany. The Katz
Scholarship stipulates its recipient must
demonstrate academic achievement.
As an outstanding student double
mathematics and
certainly fit
majoring in
economics, Sanchez
that criterion. He plans to enter the
financial world after graduation and
eventually pursue a graduate degree.
Originally drawn to UAlbany for its
diverse student body, Sanchez became
wholly involved in campus life. He is a
member of La Unidad Latina Lambda
Upsilon Lambda Inc., a fraternity
dedicated to service in the Latino
community, and Fuerza Latina, a
student group that serves and supports
Latino students on campus. Sanchez
also enjoyed playing intramural sports
on a regular basis and meeting up
with friends at the fountain. He feels
lucky to have been chosen to receive
the Katz Scholarship and is grateful to
the donors for “reaching out and giving
out a helping hand to so many.”
COMMENCEMENT 2017 | 15
UNDERGRADUATE HONORS, AWARDS
AND SCHOLARSHIPS ‘cont
Kayla Potter
mene = oes _ — — a
Kayla Potter is the first person in her immediate family
to attend college, something her parents proudly
supported. However, financing an undergraduate
education was a major concern. Thankfully, with the
assistance of The Robyn Fishelberg Memorial Scholarship
and The Barnes & Noble Achievers Scholarship, Potter
was able to complete her studies and much more.
The senior from Endicott, N.Y. earned a degree in
both criminal justice and English with a minor in
sociology. Throughout her time at UAlbany she was
also deeply involved in campus life — president of the
Phi Alpha Delta Pre Law Fraternity and chair of the
UAlbany Fund Philanthropy Council. She enjoyed
her work outside of the classroom and always strived
to inspire her peers to
do the same. Potter
was recognized for
her
President’s Award for
Leadership in 2016.
efforts with a
Potter will be
attending law school
after she says goodbye
to UAlbany but will
never forget her time
here. She notes, “No
amount of thanks will ever do enough justice, but
thank you for making such a difference.”
UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS
SUNY CHANCELLOR’S
AWARD FOR STUDENT
EXCELLENCE
Outstanding Senior Award
This award recognizes seniors who have
contributed greatly to the University during the
PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS
FOR UNDERGRADUATE
RESEARCH
course of their undergraduate careers through
This award is presented by the Chancellor to
students who have best demonstrated the
integration of academic excellence, which may
include leadership, community service, arts,
athletics and career achievement.
Mathew Boll
Caitlin Qingyang Briggs
David Bunn
Cassandra Edwards
Erik Augspurger
Mathew Boll
Caitlin Briggs
Rashan Brown
David Bunn
Carlie Eagle
; Kayla James
Kay la James Ermida Koduah
Ermida Koduah Laini Leindecker
Akeela Makshood Michael Lorka
Naomi McPeters Akeela Makshood
Stuti Misra
Aritra Saha Jibin Manimala
John McCauley
PRESIDENT’S AWARD
FOR LEADERSHIP wigan pe
‘Troy Norton
Kayla Potter
Nicholas Rizzo
Kimberly Roc
Aritra Saha
Elizabeth Snow
Natalie Turner
Distinguished
Scholar-Leader Award
Awarded to one graduating senior who best
exemplifies the scholar-leader-service ideal,
demonstrating academic excellence, effective
leadership, a commitment to serving others,
and creative scholarly activity.
Brittany Egnot
their demonstrated leadership abilities.
Cassandra Edwards
Grant Hilsenrath
Colin Manchester
Naomi McPeters
The recipients of this award have been selected
on the basis of a major paper or project produced
by the student, whose significance is judged in
terms of its academic quality and originality.
College of Arts & Sciences
Mathew Boll
Haylee Shepard
Deirdre Curry
Sebastian Herrera
Margaret Norway
Sean Johnson
Naomi McPeters
Seunghyun Shin
Caitlin Briggs
College of Engineering &
Applied Sciences
Stuti Misra
Rockefeller College of
Public Affairs & Policy
Jona Hoxha
School of Public Health
September Johnson
For a complete list of graduate and undergraduate
honors, awards and scholarship recipients, please
16 | UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
visit www.albany.edu/uafoundation/scholarships
DOCTORAL DEGREES
COLLEGE OF ARTS &Q SCIENCES Leonardo J. Correa, Ph.D., Spanish
scaihe at —_—— Dissertation Chair: Prof. Lotfi Sayahi
Muberra Allahverdi, Ph.D., Mathematics “Variacion y cambio en el espanol de Bogota:
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Alexandre B. Tchernev anilisis de dos variables sociofonéticas”
“Torsion freeness of symmetric powers, exterior ; : ;
powers, and Schur Functions” Christopher Michael DeMott, Ph.D., Chemistry
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Alexander Shekhtman
Olivia L. Barone, Ph.D., French Studies “Using In-Cell NMR to Study Biologically
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Cynthia A. Fox Important Interactions”
“The Effects of Increasing Object Pronoun Input
Frequency on the Aural Comprehension of 3rd person
Object Pronouns among second semester Classroom
Learners of French”
Cristina Dubceac, Ph.D., Chemistry
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Marina A. Petrukhina
“Site-Specific Functionalization of Corannulene:
Tailoring Structures and Properties”
Susan Elizabeth Beckhardt, Ph.D., Mathematics
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Boris Goldfarb
“Extension properties of asymptotic property c
and finite decomposition complexity”
Wahida Ferdousi, Ph.D., Economics
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Kajal Lahiri
“Inequality in access to dental and vision care:
examining the role of income and insurance”
Beatriz E. Bolivar Vega, Ph.D., Chemistry
Dissertation Chair: Prof. John T. Welch Richard E. Ferro, Ph.D., Mathematics
’Co nctiral Chasamadisation of Gis Tarehacrions of Dissertation Co-Chairs: Profs. Charles A. Micchelli
Nicotinamide and Analogs with Human SIRT6 by a sep, yetanee =
Saturation Fassfer Difference (STD) NMR sid Structured Pseudospectra of Block Matrix Structures
ae ae Nicholas James Figueroa, Ph.D., Spanish
Elise R. M. Bouhet, Ph.D. French Studies Dissertation Chair: Prof. Maurice J. Westmoreland
“Variation in /r/ Outcomes in the Speech of U.S.-Born
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Jean-Francois Briere ia ; a
Puerto Rican and Dominican Heritage Spanish Speakers
“L’espace du jeu dans les émeutes de 2005 en France”
Jessica Wooldridge Brown, Ph.D., Industrial & Alyssa Maureen FitzGerald, den ssid
Organizational Psychology Dissertation Chair: Prof. Jeremy J. Kirchman
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Michael Ford “Speciation and ecological niche divergence of a
“The Effect of Justice and Injustice on Sleep Quality” boreal bird species complex
Ozgur Celenk, Ph.D., Sociology Kristen Lee Hourigan, Ph.D., Sociology
' ¢ Dissertation Chair: Prof. Joanne M. Kaufman
“Redefining Murder: A Qualitative Exploration of Emotion
and Identity Following Loss of a Loved One to Homicide”
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Steven Seidman
“The Transformation of Political Islam in Turkey: A
Cultural Analysis of the Islamic Narratives of the “West’”
Andrew J. Clark, Ph.D., Anthropology Chu-Chun Huang, ree. none barace
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Sean M. Rafferty Dissertation Chair: Prof. Wei-Chyung Wang
“Landscape of War: A Spatial Analysis of Village “Sensitivity of Meiyu Front to Aerosol Spatial Distribution
Settlements in the Middle Missouri Subregion of Over Yangtze-Huai River Valley”
the North American Great Plains Vivian Shing-wei Hwang, Ph.D., Clinical Psychology
Christopher M. Colose, Ph.D., Atmospheric Science imi Chair: Prof, Mfivce Pas ate :
Dissertation Clic Prot. Minhies Vole A Pilot Study of a Brief Motivational Intervention
“Influence of Volcanic Eruptions on ‘Tropical for Marijuana Use in College Students”
Hydroclimate During the Last Millennium William 1. Yarensiea, Phd, Chemaary
Cecily Brainerd Corbett, Ph.D., Spanish cep te ei Chair: Prof. Li Niu
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Lotfi Sayahi Developing Channel-Selective & Subunit-Selective
“Sociophonetic accommodation as a function of RNA Aptamers for AMPA Receptors”
interlocutor target language competence: The case
of New York Dominican Spanish”
COMMENCEMENT 2017 | 17
DOCTORAL DEGREES ‘cont
Andrew Jordan Lavender, Ph.D., Spanish
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Maurice J. Westmoreland
“Code Switching, Lexical Borrowing, and Polylanguaging
in Valencian Spanish: An Analysis of Data from
Conversational Corpora and Twitter”
Mark F. LaVigne, Ph.D., Communication
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Matthew D. Matsaganis
é«C sp ;
onstructing the Municipal Innovation Exchange
(MIX): How an interorganizational network of local
government associations contested passage of a
proposed property tax freeze”
Sarah Heins Ledogar, Ph.D., Anthropology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Marilyn A. Masson
“A zooarchaeological and geochemical analysis of the faunal
remains from the Tripolye site Verteba Cave, Ukraine”
Benjamin Howard Leeming, Ph.D., Anthropology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Louise M. Burkhart
“Aztec Antichrist: Christianity, Transculturation,
and Apocalypse on Stage in Two Sixteenth-Century
Nahuatl Dramas”
Theodore W. Letcher, Ph.D., Atmospheric Science
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Justin R. Minder
“The Impact of the Snow Albedo Feedback Over Mountain
Regions as Examined Through High-resolution Regional
Climate Change Experiments Over the Rocky Mountains”
Zhaojin Lu, Ph.D., Sociology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Richard W. Lachmann
“Official Nationalism with Dominant Narratives
on the Imperial Pasts: A Comparison between
Britian and China, 1900-2016”
Marshall Makate, Ph.D., Economics
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Pinka Chatterji
“Three essays in health economics”
Rebecca R. Mendelsohn, Ph.D., Anthropology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Robert M. Rosenswig
“Resilience and Interregional Interaction at the
Early Mesoamerican City of Izapa: The Formative
to Classic Period Transition”
Laura Margarita Milanes, Ph.D., Sociology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Ronald N. Jacobs
“Narrating Economic Crises in the Media. An Analysis of
the Media Coverage, in Colombia and in the United States,
of Iwo Crises: The Great Recession (2008) and the
Colombian Crisis of the End of the Century (1998)”
Darcy Mullen, Ph.D., English
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Laura A. Wilder
“There’s No Space like Home: Locavore Writing
and Rhetorics of Place”
18 | UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
Zahir S. Mumin, Ph.D., Spanish
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Lotfi Sayahi
“A Sociolinguistic Sudy of Puerto Rican Spanish
in Amsterdam, NY”
Claire Kathleen Muro, Ph.D., Chemistry
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Igor K. Lednev
“Further Development of Raman Spectroscopy for
Body Fluid Investigation: Forensic Identification,
Limit of Detection, and Donor Characterization”
Megan K. Murphy, Ph.D., Sociology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Steven Seidman
“Queer Youth Activism: Generational Change
in the US LGBTQ Movement”
Natalie Jean O’Neil, Ph.D., Chemistry
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Marina A. Petrukhina
“Multi-Charged Buckybowls: Self-Assemblt and
Metal Ion Intercalation”
Basak Ozgenc, Ph.D., Sociology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Hayward D. Horton
“Human Capital, Assimilation and Local Labor Markets:
A Multilevel Analysis of Earnings Inequality between
Non-Hispanic US-Born and Foreign-Born Whites
in the U.S.: 1980-2010”
Md. Muhit Rana, Ph.D., Chemistry
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Mehmet V. Yigit
“Multifunctional Nanomaterials Utilizing Hybridization
Chain Reaction For Molecular Diagnostics and
Bioanalytical Application”
Edelmira Reynoso, Ph.D., Sociology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Hayward D. Horton
“Mexican-American Professionals: An Oxymoronic
Concept or New Reality”
Garima Siwach, Ph.D., Economics
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Byoung Park
“Impact of Employment Barriers on Individuals
with Criminal Records: An Econometric Evaluation
of Criminal Background Checks in New York”
Joel P. Sodano, Ph.D., English
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Richard A. Barney
“Novel Passions: Re-Reading English Fiction
Through the History of Emotion, 1689-1751”
Sarah R. Strahan, Ph.D.,
Industrial & Organizational Psychology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Kevin J. Williams
“Understanding Trait-Turnover Relationships: An
Examination of the Utility of Holland’s Congruence
Theory and the Riasec Typology”
Allen W. Wong, Ph.D., Sociology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Joanne M. Kaufman
“Immigration and Victimization: Applications of
Criminological Concepts to the Lesser-Known
Side of the Immigration and Crime Nexus”
Yin-Shuo Wu, Ph.D., Chemistry
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Li Niu
“A Mechanistic Study of Inhibition on Complex AMPA
Receptor Channels by 2,3-Benzodiazepine Compounds”
Linbin Zhong, Ph.D., Chemistry
Dissertation Chair: Prof. John T. Welch
“The preparation and characterization of hypervalent
sulfur-A6-tetrafluorosulfanes”
Yu Zou, Ph.D., Economics
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Hany A. Shawky
“Three Essays on Electricity Pricing, Congestion,
and Market Efficiency”
SCHOOL OF
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Daniel W. Waddington, Ph.D., Criminal Justice
Dissertation Chair: Prof. David H. Bayley
“A SWOT Analysis of Community Policing as a
Reform Schema for the Egyptian National Police
to Counter Violent Extremism”
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Maribeth Hope Ballert Potter, Ph.D.,
Educational Psychology & Methodology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. David Yun Dai
“The Lived Experiences of High-Achieving Adults during
Their Middle School and High School Years: A Phenom-
enological Study”
Holly J. Breault, Psy.D., School Psychology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. David N. Miller
“Effects of the Helping Early Literacy with Practice
Strategies (HELPS) Program on Reading Fluency
with Secondary Level Students Attending an
Alternative Education Program”
Piera Camposeo, Ph.D., Curriculum & Instruction
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Alex K. Kumi-Yeboah
“Investigating Teacher and Administrator Response
to a Care-Based Curriculum Implementation”
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May 19, 2017
Owen M. Donovan, Ph.D., Curriculum & Instruction
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Robert P. Yagelski
“Using Technologies to Support the Social and
Academic Engagement of Young People with Cancer”
Thomas E. Enderlein, Ph.D..,
Educational Policy & Leadership
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Alan P. Wagner
“Patterns of Graduate Student Finance”
Deepti V. Marathe, Ph.D..,
Educational Psychology & Methodology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Joan Newman
“Parental Involvement during College: Student Perceptions
and Relationship with Self-Efficacy”
Martha Lois Oldfield-Maser, Ph.D..,
Curriculum & Instruction
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Istvan Kecskes
“Humor in Secondary Students’ World Language Writing”
Gretchen Patricia Oliver, Ph.D..,
Curriculum & Instruction
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Carol Rodgers
“Taking it to Heart: A Case Study of Supporting English
Language Learners through Culturally Responsive
‘Teaching, Collaboration, and ESOL-Focused Leadership”
Patterson R. Rogers, Ph.D., Curriculum & Instruction
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Alandeon W. Oliveira
“Mathematics Discourse and Its Relationship to the
Development of Collective and Individual Student
Knowledge in the Context of Limits”
Celia C. Rouse, Ph.D., Curriculum & Instruction
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Alandeon W. Oliveira
“Factors impacting minorities in their decision to pur-
sue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
(STEM) fields and the licensed professions in College”
Fusun Sahin, Ph.D., Educational Psychology
& Methodology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Kimberly F. Colvin
“Exploring Validity of Computer-Based Test Scores with
Examinees’ Response Behaviors and Response Times”
Jason Toole, Ph.D., Educational Policy & Leadership
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Kathryn S. Schiller
“Student Departure at West Point: An Examination
of Persistence Within A Total Institution”
Maureen Baginski ’79 ~ Senior Intelligence Advisor
COMMENCEMENT 2017 | 19
DOCTORAL DEGREES ‘ont
Jennifer Robin Wrage, Ph.D.,
Educational Policy & Leadership
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Heinz-Dieter Meyer
“Understanding the Perceptual Divide Between
Students with Disabilities, Faculty and Administrators
in an Open Enrollment Environment”
Thea A. Yurkewecz, Ph.D., Literacy
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Virginia J. Goatley
“Navigating the Complex Nature of Specialized Literacy
Professionals in Formalized Teacher Leadership Positions”
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
& APPLIED SCIENCES
Avinash Bachwani, Ph.D., Information Science
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Suraj Commuri
“Reducing medication errors: a dialectical journey
from the phenomenological to the ontological”
Stephen B. Buerle, Ph.D., Information Science
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Jagdish Gangolly
“BioONT: Improving Knowledge Oganization and
Representation in the Domain of Biometric Authentication’
’
Mary Catherine Peters, Ph.D., Information Science
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Philip B. Eppard
“Personal Digital Archiving in Public Libraries:
A Critical Realist Approach”
Jingnan Xie, Ph.D., Computer Science
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Harry B. Hunt, II
“Complexity Theoretic Parallels Among Automata,
Formal Languages and Real Variables: Including
multi-patterns, L-systems and cellular automata”
COLLEGE OF NANOSCALE
SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
Karsten Beckmann, Ph.D., Nanoscale Engineering
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Nathaniel C. Cady
“Resistive Random Access Memory from Materials
Development and Engineering to Novel Encryption
and Neuromorphic Applications”
Vishal Umeshbhai Desai, Ph.D., Nanoscale Engineering
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Nathaniel C. Cady
“Novel uses of directly patternable silicon oxide based
resist for advanced patterning applications”
L. Oliver Robinson ’96 ~ Superintendent, Shenendehowa School District
The first from his Bell Glade, Fla., high school to graduate from an Ivy League college, he is an authority on public
school finance who rose in ten years from an administrator in the Berne-Knox-Westerlo schoo! district to
: anrtoannont at ar Ale far AAnRRnanac On l trey Antonnant nf tho aAnitc , ’ larnact o7rhrny 4
superintendent of scnools tor Mononasen Central, to Superintendent of the Capital Region’s largest school district,
2 NT EN eS Wy ee re ee ee
She enaenowa Central. He Was
20 | UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
amed one of the region's “Best and Brightest Under 40” by The Business Review.
Zahraa Ismail Ahmed Foraida, Ph.D., Nanoscale Sciences
Dissertation Chair: Prof. James Castracane
“Towards a biomimetic elastin-based scaffold for salivery
gland tissue regeneration and growth factor delivery”
Avyaya Jayanthinarasimham, Ph.D., Nanoscale Sciences
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Vincent P. LaBella
“Materials for Giant Spin Hall Effect Devices”
Stephen Henry Kasper, Ph.D., Nanoscale Engineering
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Nathaniel C. Cady
“Novel Approaches to Mitigating Bacterial Biofilm
Formation and Intercellular Communication”
Machara Krishna Malladi, Ph.D..,
Nanoscale Science & Engineering
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Hassaram Bakhru
“Exploring magnetic nanostructures embedded
within single-crystal Silicon for generation of
spin-polarized carriers”
Jacob Jordan Terracina, Ph.D., Nanoscale Engineering
Dissertation Co-Chairs: Profs. Susan T. Sharfstein
& Magnus Bergkvist
“Computational Optimization and Characterization
of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers”
NELSON A. ROCKEFELLER
COLLEGE OF PUBLIC
AFFAIRS & POLICY
Amira Saleem Jadoon, Ph.D., Political Science
Dissertation Co-Chairs: Profs. Victor H. Asal &
Bryan R. Early
“Aiding Repression? The Effects of U.S Military Aid
on Conflict Intensity and Civilian Targeting”
Hina Khalid, Ph.D., Public Administration & Policy
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Erika G. Martin
“Improving HIV outcomes in Pakistan: the interaction
between politics, power, and implementation”
Manabu Nakashima, Ph.D..,
Public Administration & Policy
Dissertation Chair: Prof. R. Karl Rethemeyer
“Antecedents and Consequences of Performance Informa-
tion Use in Collaborative Networks”
Rachel Rappaport, Ph.D., Political Science
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Victor H. Asal
“THE NEW RIGHT IN EUROPE: SUPPLY, DEMAND,
AND ELECTORAL PERFORMANCE A Qualitative
Comparative Analysis of New Right parties, 1980-2015”
Katherine M. Zuber, Ph.D., Political Science
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Julie Novkov
“Then Came Marriage: Legal Advocacy in the
Movement for LGBT Equality”
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Temilayo Elizabeth Adeyeye, Ph.D.,
Environmental Health Sciences
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Erin M. Bell
“Wheezing and Food Allergies in Infants Delivered
via Cesarean Section - The Upstate KIDS Study”
Marcie Fraser, Dr.P.H., Public Health
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Jennifer Manganello
“Impact on Substance Abuse and Obesity/Overweight on
the Relationship Between Domestic Violence and Bullying”
Lusine Rafik Ghazaryan, Dr.P.H., Public Health
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Perry Smith
“Maltreatment Related Outpatient Visits and
Hospitalizations Among Children in New
York State, 2011-2014”
Elisabeth R. Knoll, Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Randall H. Morse
“Influence of the pre-initiation complex on Mediator
recruitment in Saccharomyces cerevisiae”
Grace Esther Caroline Korompis, Dr.P.H..,
Public Health
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Erin M. Bell
“Early Diagnosis and Intervention for Young Children
with Autism Spectrum Disorder in New York State”
Ming Luo, Ph.D., Biometry & Statistics
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Igor G. Zurbenko
“KZ Spatial Wave Separation with Applications
to Atmospheric Data”
Zainab Magdon-Ismail, Dr.P.H., Public Health
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Barry R. Sherman
“Mortality One-Year Post Stroke: What Matters?
An exploratory study of a cohort in New York State”
Sameera Sinha Nallanthighal, Ph.D.,
Biomedical Sciences
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Ramune Reliene
“Understanding the genotoxicity of silver nanoparticles
and the chemoprevention of pomegranate extract”
Sridevi Ranganathan, Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Kathleen A. McDonough
“Structural and functional characterization of an
unusual cAMP responsive transcription factor,
Cmr, in TB complex mycobacteria”
Janmeet Singh Saini, Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Sally Temple
“Retinal Disease Modeling and Drug Screening
using Stem Cell Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium”
Lauren Elizabeth Schlichting, Ph.D., Epidemiology
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Alissa Rachel Van Zutphen
“Pregnant Women with Congenital Heart Disease:
Pregnancy Outcomes and Proximity to Care”
Charlene J. Schulz, Dr.P.H., Public Health
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Wendy E. Weller
“Genetic Counselor Workforce Trends in the
United States: 2002 to 2016”
Christopher James Sevinsky, Ph.D., Biomedical
SciencesDissertation Chair: Prof. Douglas S. Conklin
“The Role of N-MYC Downstream Regulated
Gene | in Breast Cancer Lipid Metabolism”
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE
Suran Ahn, Ph.D., Social Welfare
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Katharine Briar-Lawson
“The Effects of Employment and Training Programs on
Low-Income Workers’ Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence
from the Survey of Income and Program Participation”
Megan Brophy-McLean, Ph.D., Social Welfare
Dissertation Co-Chairs: Profs. Toni Naccarato
& Lynn Warner
“Factors Associated with Successful Completion
of a Transitional Living Program for Homeless
and Former Foster Youth”
Caroline Weiss Dawson, Ph.D., Social Welfare
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Philip McCallion
“The Lived Experience of Caregivers for
Children with Asthma”
Emily DeLorenzo, Ph.D., Social Welfare
Dissertation Chair: Prof. Katharine Briar Lawson
“Evaluation of the Equinox, Inc. Transitional
Living Program”
COMMENCEMENT 2017
21
MASTERS DEGREES AND
CRADUATE CERTIFICATES
Degree candidates are listed alphabetically by School/College and degree.
COLLEGE OF ARTS
AND SCIENCES
Master of Arts
Nishangani Shashika Abegunawardana
Laura Auketayeva
Matthew George Bandurchin
‘Tegan Paula Barron-Shashok
Haris Bektesevic
Amanda Sarah Belasen
Sade Shannen Bowen
Ovegu Bozgeyik
Oyku Bozgeyik
Kristen E. Brayden
Mary-Elizabeth Theresa Breitmaier
Claire Elizabeth Burgon
Lauren Palma Burke
Johnathan Cassidy
Matthew J. Chamberlain
Graig Ernest Chapman
Yoon Seok Choi
David James Coffey
Christina Hodsoll Coogan
Marissa Jean Crary
Ellie Yaqiao Deng
Stephanie Rene deNormand
Kaleb Oliver Dornheim
Deidre Michelle Dumpson
Qiang Fang
Stacey Lyn Farmer
Sabrina Fernandez
Aleesha F. Fiddemon
Jamie Ann Frankenfield
Matthew Christian Fritzsch-Long
Kingsley Gaa
Michael Goodman
Zeryai Peter Hagos
Caryn Livia Halle
Carolyn Difiori Hopkins
Samantha Marie Horton
Rachel Lynn Jason
Ashli Jean-Louis
Zhengxiong Jin
Najeebullah Khan
Heeyeon Kim
Sean Kingsbury
Melanie Martin LaBarge
UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
Lukas W. Lahey
Jean-Paul P. LeBlanc
Sih Lee
Kyle Reese Lockhart
Lyam Lugo
Colin Hugh Lunde
Jimmy Mathew
Jamie Marie Meinsen
Jaquelyn Mendez
Dylan Jacob Molho
Raphael Faith Moser
Melanie Anne Mosher
Hanna Marie Pageau
Adam Paul Pasnik
Shelley Polanco
Witchuda Pollack
Nicole Marie Popielarz
Mahfuza Rahman
Kaitlin Steven Resler
Janis Carolyn Robare
Naaja Nicole Rogers
Noel DeJesus Roman
Brianna R. Ryan
Catherine Louise Sharkey
Christina Shea
Alisa Sikelianos-Carter
Steven Sinanis
Melissa Nicole Slavin
Avi David Solkoff
Jacob Brett Spiegel
Elizabeth Sweeny
Joseph Anthony ‘Torres
Scott Jacob ‘Tringali
Erica Nicole Valiente
Lindsay M. Wiginton
Zongyjie Wu
Justin Paul Yerry
Edgardo Sabino Zea-Laura
Ziyang Zhang
Anqi Zhao
Zitong Zhao
Master of Fine Arts
Kimberly Lynn Brown
Kyle Martin Contestabile
Matthew John Crane
John Kading
Theresa Anne Mc Tague
Samuel William Negrich, Jr.
Stephanie Ellen Palazeke
Jacqueline A. Zysk
Master of Regional
Planning
Robert Benoit
Sharareh Biglari
Katherine Elizabeth Crawford
Jamie Lee Konkoski
Devin Bryant Mason
Jeremy Adam Monte
Kimberly Lynn Moshier
Yogeswar Potluri
Poulomi Sen
William Sikula
Garreton Stanley Smith
Michaela Anne Sweeney
Haotian Wang
Merritt J. Westfall
Master of Science
Yasmine Ahmed
Benjamin Bechand
Christine Elizabeth Bloecker
Joseph Charles Bradley
Zhihua Chang
Janell M. Crowder
Cassidy L. Drasser
Alexandre Giongo Fernandes
Danielle Justine Hayden
Yizhou Jiang
Brandi Marie Lewis
Stephanie Marie Magliocco
Colleen Elizabeth McHugh
Emily Christine Morgan
Christopher Anthony Myers
Kyle James Pallozzi
Michael Cameron Rencurrel
Yu-Chuan Shen
Molly Becker Smith
Rebecca Blair Steeves
Lindsay Meghan Tomaszek
Steven Kwun Young
Lin Zhu
CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES
MAY 19, 2017
Certificate of Graduate
Study in Geographic
Information Systems
and Spatial Analysis
Rebecca Allmond
Jeffrey M. Bryant
Ellie Yagiao Deng
Kyle Mangione
Dylan J. Nagy
Erin Anne Sanderson
Certificate of Graduate
Study in Latin American,
Caribbean and US Latino
Studies
Jose Alejandro Arango-Londono
SCHOOL OF
BUSINESS
Master of Business
Administration
Kaylee Rose Barr
Raaha Leslie Barrow
Margarite Benevento
Anne-Carolin Beuttler
Alexander Ryan Billen-Calhoun
Dustin Samuel Bond
Volha Boyles
‘Todd M. Brasel
John George Chandler
Amanda Brin Clowe
Kelsey McNaughton Cornell
Jonathan Michael Diraddo
Camm Abram Epstein
Craig Michael Farrar
Grace Elaine Fitzgerald
Madeline M. Green-Cornell
Joshua Michael Hunt
Scott B. Irvine
Daniel Gerald Jaromin
Michael Christopher Jones
Salim Francis Kaddo Mouawad
Nakul Kaura
Muhammad Zubair Khan
Gitanjali Kodoth
Adem Kotil
Edward C. Lane
Daniel John Lang
Patricia Andrea Lenihan
Jessica L. Lussier
Sima Majid
David Patrick Martin
Deidre Marie Matte
Ashley Elizabeth McAlpine
Matthew McCloskey
Matthew Owen McGuire
Jason Eric McMillen
Benjamin Padraic Mitchell
Kyle Peter Monsees
Brittany Claire Mullaney
William Charles Myles
Usama Noor
Daniel Nordland
Ayoola O. Ogunwale
Michael Timothy Papa
Stephen Andrew Payne
Christopher Polacco
Jay Arthur Quackenbush
Marc Andrew Quail
James Michael Quinn
Joseph Thomas Raffaele
Jamie Lee Ruiz
Michael Vincent Saccone
James Sanchez
Gary Jonathan Shear
David William Sowinski
Bonnie Stears
Jacqueline M. Thibault
Oumar Wann
Richard M. Weiner
Ayanna Williams
Ting Zhao
Master of Science
Gregory Charles Albert
Jamie Lee Aldrich
Michael William Almes
Eric Michael Andler
Nicolette Anzelone
William Thomas Barbaro
Sara Anne Barry
Zana Marie Beck
Lisa and Debbie Ganz 88, ’89 ~ Twin Talent Agency,
Jared Berkowitz
Joseph Boyajian LI
Justin Barry Brock
Carrie Lynn Brotsch
Cody Brown
Deon Sharet Brown
Kevin M. Brown
Kristen Lee Bucki
Jacqueline Cappa
Xiao En Chen
Xiaoweiwei Chen
Zheren Chi
Juan Cifuentes
Lauren M. Clark
Bridget Anne Clifford
Mark Collins
Paul Donald Comfort
Matthew Arden Connolly
Dylan Michael Devino
Jonathan Donohue
Julie R. Drahushuk
Jessica Marie Dudek
Ashley Eastwood
Dallas Ennema
Meitong Fan
Emily Lynn Frantz
Matthew Alexander Gilliam
Steven Goldberg
Gregory Philip Goldstein
Sara Elizabeth Gravelle
Matthew Joseph Gura
Matthew Benjamin Halfon
Roberto Antonio Hernandez
Max Timothy Hillman
Randall Kyril House
Brendan Samuel Jackson
Carrie Mariah Jackson
Karen Elizabeth Jennings
Karyn Elizabeth Kalita
Wei-Chun Kang
Dennis Kerstanski
Tyler Kessell
Allison Kiefer
Lauren Grace Koshgarian
Brian Mark Lazaro
Jungeun Lee
Richard Jon Lee
Nicholas Lentini
COMMENCEMENT 2017
tN
MASTERS DEGREES AND
GRADUATE CERTIFICATES (cont
Angela Marie Leo
Nicole Lynn Leonard
Michelle Looney
Cheok Hei Lou
Haofan Lu
Victoria Yuen Ying Ma
Colin Richard Macdonald
Matthew Ian Mallahy
Armando Andres Martinez
Rachel Marie Matthews
Kyle McCurry
Heather Ann McDougall
Yulia V. McLaughlin
Michael Joseph Mistretta
Jonah Paul Moeller
Jessica Leigh Murcin
Manishaa Alicia Nazareth
Jorge Luis Ochoa
Jennifer Oh
Thomas Papazicos
Pamela Payette
Marta Pelyo
Mai Quynh Pham
Joel Polonia
Aneeda Kaveeta Rahaman
Nadia Rahman
Joshua Ignacio Ramos
Mursil Siddiq Raza
John Reda
Michele Ann Reina
Anthony ‘Taylor Rizzo
Peter Michael Rooney
Harrison Ian Rosen
Matthew Jay Royer
Connor Mason Rutherford
Lea Andrews Rutherford
Christina Sigismondi
Ryan M. Smith
Gianni Anthony Spensieri
Danika Leigh Strand
Mbemba Ben Sylla
Shuang ‘Tan
Zachary E. Thomas
Joshua Craig Vine
Jamie Nicole Warfield
William Hall Warren
Quinton Daniel Washburn
24 UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
Christine Wemette
Brandon Wengert
James Marshall Willis
Jason Michael Wolbrom
Nathaniel Jordan Wood
Amani James Wynne
Ping Xu
Certificate of Graduate
Study in Information
Security
John George Chandler
Craig Michael Farrar
Philip Robert Frisbie
Josiah Koehn
Inyong Lee
Usama Noor
Aneeda Kaveeta Rahaman
Ting Zhao
SCHOOL OF
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Master of Arts
Mistura Adewole
Megan Mae Alsleben
Cristina Evangeline Alston
‘Tahirih Zaynab Anthony
Lafonso Terrelle Bonner
Justine Katherine Brace
Danielle M. Brutus
Dominick Canty
Ryan Champagne
Rebecca Dimond
Colby Cope Enides
Sheri Marie Farrell
Mark T. Fisher
Britanee Nicole Gugel
Luis M. Heras
Jaimee Aylissa Hernandez
Kea Marie Jelliff
Alex John Kasper
Tishana A. Lawhorne
Noreen Erin Lazarus
Cassandra Tung-Kai Lee
Harvey Milk ’51 ~ Champion for Gay Rights
Inyong Lee
Robert Ralph Maisano
Victoria D. Maresca
Brittany Rejeanne McDonald
Rosanna Moquete
Evan H. Nolan
Zuleyma Iris Pena
Tal Moria Porat
Samantha Sue Reitz
Stephany Alejandra Ruiz
Heather Marie Savage
Luzi Shi
Sungji Shin
Chanel Barbara Smith
Oneil O. Smithwick
Anna Elizabeth Stanbro
Jessica Julia Tyree
Genevieth Vargas
Jhaton White
Curtis Leston Yearwood
SCHOOL OF
EDUCATION -
Master of Science
Jason Leonard Abramowitz
William Patrick Adams
Karl Keisahn Allison
Elizabeth Octavina Aritonang
Alison Joy Armpriester
Matthew Angelo Battisti
Julia Maxine Bensley
Katie Marie Bornstein
Alexandria Gerard Brannigan
Jeanette Marie Brendese
Emily Forrest Burnham
Nicholas Butler
Christopher David Cheung
Jennifer Marie Chieco
Heeyeon Chung
Chelsea Anna Connolly
Catherine Coons
Colette Angelee Crawford-Mack
Kelsey Elizabeth Crosby
Emily Rose Crosier
Kendra Alysa Cunningham
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