Department of Biology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Commencement Ceremony
Saturday, May Eleventh
Two Thousand Thirteen
Carmichael Arena
THE COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM
ACADEMIC PROCESSION Please stand for the procession of the faculty
PRESIDING Dr Greg Copenhaver
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
WELCOME Dr William Kier
Professor and Chair, Department of Biology
STUDENT AWARDS Dr Sabrina Burmeister
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
PHI BETA KAPPA Dr Ann Matthysse
Professor, Department of Biology
TRI-BETA Stuti Das
President, UNC chapter of Beta Beta Beta
HONORS Dr Steve Rogers
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
TEACHING AWARDS Stuti Das
President, UNC chapter of Beta Beta Beta
SPEAKER INTRODUCTION Stuti Das
President, UNC chapter of Beta Beta Beta
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS Portia Nleya
Class of 2013
GRADUATE STUDENTS Dr Kerry Bloom
Professor, Department of Biology
CEREMONIAL RECOGNITION Dr William Kier
OF DEGREES Professor and Chair, Department of Biology
Dr Joe Kieber
Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Biology
Dr Kelly Hogan
Senior Lecturer, Department of Biology
Dr Corey Johnson
Lecturer, Department of Biology
CONGRATULATORY REMARKS Dr William Kier
Professor and Chair, Department of Biology
RECEPTION Hooker Field (adjacent to Carmichael Arena)
In case of rain, reception held in Carmichael lobby
BIOLOGY UNDERGRADUATE HONORS AND AWARDS
Robert Coker Award
Kelly Speare The Department of Biology presents the Coker Award to a senior Biology major for excellence in research in Organismal Biology and Ecology.
John Couch Award
Collin Price The Department of Biology presents the Couch Award to the senior Biology major with interests in Plant Biology who has demonstrated the highest ideals of scholarship and research.
Henry Wilson Award
Jessica Koontz The Department of Biology presents the Wilson Award to a senior Biology major for excellence in research in Cellular and Molecular Biology.
Francis LeClair Award
Jordan Preuss The LeClair Award is given annually by the Department of Biology to a senior Biology major for academic excellence in Biology with an emphasis in Plant Sciences.
Irvine Hagadorn Award
Georgia Titcomb The Department of Biology presents the Hagadorn Award to the top rising senior Biology major based on academic and research excellence.
Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Beta Kappa, the national academic honor society, elects members on the basis of outstanding academic achievement and high moral character.
Yash Neeraj Agrawal Maheer Muhammad Masood
Aidan Joy Berry Paul Thomas McIntosh
Seung Samuel Choi Jennifer Elizabeth Neal
Stephanie Manisha Doctor Jacqueline Wynne Nichols
Chelsea Elizabeth Earley Scott Hunter Oppler, Jr
Evan Michael Farina Kathleen Marie Quintana
Michael A. Gonzalez Kristen Knutsen Rosano
David Gu Patrick Joseph Short
Matthew Adam Hodges Chelsea Elizabeth Steele
Brent Blackwell Hoffman Michelle Marie Thompson
Kai Kang Georgia Catherine Titcomb
Rachel Lynn Kaplan Trent L. Wei
Jessica Brooke Koontz Mary Katherine Weinel
Molly Anne Laux Brooke Nichole Wolford
Nicole Lawing Jenna Leigh Wood
Robert Hollinshead Long Everett Glenn Young
Beta Beta Beta
Beta Beta Beta, the National Biological Honor Society, elects full members on the basis of outstanding academic achievement and elects associates on the basis of their interest in and dedication to biology.
Sarah Anderson Alexis Kendra
Vira Ayzenbart Laura Kennerly
Lauren Baldwin Mary Lewis
Rebecca Bennett Merlin Levine
Lisa Bowen Jonathan Lomboy
Taylor Brown Zack Mccaw
Michael Brent Capps Grant Muller
Ivan Carrion Matt Newsome
Veenadhari Chavakula Michael Oehler
Sheena Cooper Esita Patel
Jamie Creed Joey Patterson
Stuti Das Collin Price
Wesley Davis Natalie Reed
Shelia Enoh Olivia Caroline Roten
Devin Gibbs John Scarpa
Varun Tej Gonuguntla Lauren Scheetz
Kayla Hall Jenna Wood
Lauren Hare Jessie Zhang
Laura Ibeto
Tri-Beta Teaching Awards
Tau Iota, the UNC chapter of Beta Beta Beta selects a Biology faculty member and Biology Teaching Assistant to be recognized for their outstanding contributions in the classroom.
Faculty – Dr Gidi Shemer
Teaching Assistant – Marybeth Anderson
August/December 2012
Biology Doctoral Graduates
Doctor of Philosophy
Jean Marie Davidson
Melinda Margaret Roberts
Nathan Jay Harris
Cassandra Baheeya Jabara
Kimberly Ann Marston
Sarah Jeanne Stein
May 2013
Biology Masters and Doctoral Degree Candidates
Master of Science
Anthony Craig Blount
Doctor of Philosophy
Courtney Stanton Endres
Kyle David Grobe
Zhipeng Lu
Alyssa Julia Manning
Sarah Anne Seiter
Blaire Janell Steinwand
Andrew Daniel Stephens
August and December 2012
Biology Undergraduate Graduates
Karl Krisst Aguilar-Montoya
Lauren Elizabeth Allen
Kevin Fordyce Andringa
David Strauss Baron
Phillip Russel Benson
Justine M. Beres
Kim Ellen Bird
Kristopher Marcus Brevard
Christopher Alexander Bullock
Stephanie Burkhardt
Anne Frances Cappelletti
Andrew N. Chan
Avery Grayson Cheves
Jeong Hwa Cho
Esther Jin-Joo Choi
Seung Samuel Choi
Jaclyn Louann Cloninger
Matthew Phillip Conti
Stephen Cooper
William Costen
Brian Paterson Coules
Molly Hope Cunningham
Safia Johara Davis
Han Eol Eom
Lukas Scott Erlemann
Luke Scarpino Ferro
Maria Cristina Flanagan
Samantha Diane Freaney
Patrick Brian Fuller
Julie Francis Gassmann
Jesse A. Goldberg
Saul Gonzalez
Joseph Scott Goodwin
Jay Spencer Goss
Michael Loy Gracia
Paul Gerard Greback-Clarke
Margaret Elizabeth Green
Brian John Gribbon
Megan Elizabeth Hall
Phillip David Hamilton
Gali Bettie Hashmonay
Sara Bernice Head
Rachel Kate Henley
Matthew A. Hodges
Stevi Marie Holmes
Christanna Quinby Honer
William C. Hope
Molly Anne Hornsby
Lauren Nicole Huey
Alivia Iorio
Syed Sikender Jaffery
Kathleen Anne Janes
George Franklin Jones
Thomas Bryant Jordan
Jin Ho Jung
Julie Marie Kang
Lukas Gregory Keil
David Ryan Kelly
Caroline Suzanne Kirby
Samantha M. LeDonne
Sung Hwan Lee
Elizabeth Lee
Daniel Timothy Liguori
Morgan Taylor Locklear
Emily Grace Lopez
William Cleveland Lovell
Priyanka Manocha
Yasmeen M. Mansour
Jordan Alyssa Mays
Brenda Kim McCauley
Kimberly Lauren Mickey
Kenny K. Namkoong
Shirin Negmadjanova
Bao Xuan Nguyen
Mckenzie Campbell Noblitt
Nana Ama Anima Ofori
Noah Angelo Pagano
Nayan Raj Patel
Alexander Padraic Pellas
Jozeph Lacy Pendleton
LaShawn Antoinette Pennington
Raymond Keast Piatt
Katie Jo Pova
Ruben Prado
Vinca Puri
Christina Lee Raines
Paige Leigh Reagan
Sarah Elizabeth Ricker
Cody Adam Rigsbee
Stephanie Anne Robinett
Leslie Anne Defenderfer Rognstad
Sean Earl Rose
Lisa Christina Senko
Melissa Margarette Shatzer
Ruhina Riyaz Shemna
Siyuan Peter Sheng
Samuel David Shuford
Brent Robert Smith
Kyle Justin Smith
John Cortland Smith
Mary Katherine Sommers
Bradley Dewayne Strickland
Uttara Thanigaivasan
Donald Andrew Viets
Hannah Jesse McDonough Walker
Alexander Robert Walters
Connie C. Wang
Edina Cindy Wang
Jillian Danielle Weigel
Sebastian Andres Werner
Dayley Shea Wilson
Spencer Elizabeth Winbourne
Joseph F. Woodruff
William R. Woods
Jingyi Yang
Ji Won Yoon
May 2013
Biology Undergraduate Degree Candidates
Highest Honors in Biology
Highest Honors in Biology is bestowed on truly outstanding graduating seniors who have completed a research project of considerable depth and significance. An oral presentation of their research was presented at the John K. Koeppe Biology Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 22, 2013.
Salma Azam
Veenadhari Chavakula
Michael Conlin
Matt Danzi
Highest Honors in Biology (continued)
Meredith Deal
Molly DeCristo
Stephanie Doctor
Henry Evans
Natasha Fischer
Devin Gibbs
Serena Hackerott
Evan Harmon
Laura Kennerly
Jessica Koontz
Chelsea McMullen
Parin Nanavati
Esita Patel
Collin Price
Emily Simon
Amanda Small
Kelly Speare
Eva Stein
Brooke Wolford
Everett Young
Honors in Biology
Honors in Biology is bestowed on outstanding graduating seniors who have completed an independent project of considerable merit. They presented their research findings in an oral presentation at the John K. Koeppe Biology Undergraduate Research Symposium on
March 22, 2013.
Alejandro Antonia
Robert Bayne
Gabriella Brown
Matthew Cowper
Vivian Doan
Evan Farina
Andrew Guo
Advaita Punjala
Chris Rounds
Kathleen Diegan Wallace
Alexa Waters
Trent Wei
Jacob Weiss
Nicole Zalles
Research Commendation in Biology
Research Commendation in Biology is awarded to graduating seniors who have done research and summarized their work on a poster. Their poster was presented at the John K. Koeppe Biology Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 22, 2013.
Amit Amin
Stuti Das
Haylea Hannah
Katherine McAllister
Andrew Patterson
Matthew Safford
Chloe Snider
Christopher Spencer
Mary Wurzelmann
Final confirmation of undergraduate degrees will come from the University Registrar.
Diplomas for May graduates will be mailed by the Registrar’s Office in August 2013.
Bryan Quinn Abadie
Yousef Mohammad Abu-Salha
Marissa Danielle Acciani
Renee Jennifer Ackley
Erica Paola Afanador
Henry Adekule Christian Agbaje
Mohsin Ali
Calisha S. Allen
Joseph Gallus Alter
Amit Hemant Amin
Prosper M. Amponsah
Sarah Emily Anderson
Shelle Brooke Anderson
Alejandro L. Antonia
Christine Frances Archuleta
Courtney Marie Arrington
Alice Lynn Athey
Lauren Elizabeth Avery
Vira Ihorivna Ayzenbart
Salma Azam
Sung Ho Baek
Lydia Ruth Baldwin
Lauren Marie Baldwin
Brandon Charles Ballance
Lindsey Ann Ballard
William Barker
Ashley Barham
Thomas Edwin Bass
Timothy Edwin Bass
Jason Alexander Bastida
Robert Bayne
Abby Lynn Becherer
John Thomas Becton
Mayrim Bernard-Vega
Neil A. Bhathela
Michael Taylor Bitonti
Nathaniel D. Blichmann
Lauren Asheley Bonura
David Keith Boor
Abigail Elizabeth Bouchon
Lisa Marie Bowen
Sean Boyle
Ryan Matthew Bradley
Jamal Davon Brazan
Kristin Hali Brock
Dalton Peter Brooks
Allison Gayle Broome
Lauren Ashley Brown
Benjamin Paul Brown
Taylor Danielle Brown
Gabriella Margaret Brown
Christopher William Bujdos
Heather Rosemarie Burke
Shannon Michelle Burleson
Andrew Curtis Burton
Hillary Elizabeth Bush
Rachel Elizabeth Calhoun
Rochelle Louise Cameron
Allison Leigh Campbell
Courtney Y. Cannon
Michael Brent Capps
Alyssa Capps
Joshua L. Cardell
Johnathon L. Carpenter
Elizabeth Perry Carriel
Ivan Alexander Carrion
Philip Nichols Casey
Ian Thomas Cassidy
Hannah Y. Chae
Elim Chao
Karrie Michelle Chapman
Veenadhari Chavakula
Devika Chawla
Hsiao-Han Chen
Raymond Lawrence Ching
Matthew Richard Cho
David Andrew Chodosh
Patrick Clay
Jean M. Clement
Haley Elizabeth Cline
Julia Gabriella Cluceru
Sarah C. Cohn
Teniola Coker
Michael P. Conlin
Sheena Renee Cooper
Zachary Wayne Cope
Scott Thomas Cory
Matthew G. Cowper
Jamie Owen Creed
Elizabeth Cronin
Sean Michael Crosson
Sarah Anne Crowgey
Nicholas Cruise
Kristin Elise Culbreth
Nicole Alexandria Cummings
Risa Elaine Dalsing
Matthew Christopher Danzi
Zaki K. Dard
Stuti Das
Meredith Lee Daves
Cornelius James David
Wesley R. Davis
Meredith Marie Deal
Molly Jo Decristo
Sarah Jane Dehart
Nicholas G. Deluga
Paige Genevieve Derouin
Dipa Desai
Vivek Kanwal Dewan
Sidney Victoria Dickinson
Erik Henry Dilts
Vivian Doan
Stephanie Manisha Doctor
David Dong
Kyra Dorgeloh
Jonathan Allen Downs
Caitlin Elizabeth Drennan
Edna Du
Chelsea E. Dwyer
Steven Lucas Dykes
Anthony Brent Eason
Patrick Stuart Edmundson
Ziad C. El Tannir
Ariel Megan Elledge
Jenny Patricia Ellis
Marie Elizabeth English
Sheila Etchu Enoh
Celso Espinoza
Henry Washburn Evans
Ian K. Everitt
Roger Ruojie Fan
Evan Michael Farina
Ashley L. Farlow
Heather Marie Farthing
Hanqing Feng
Kirsti Michelle Ference
Natasha Lopes Fischer
Tyler J. Fletcher
Kevin Christian Pineda Flores
Spencer T. Foerste
Sara Elizabeth Francis
Tess Free
Andrew D. Gailey
Monique Gainey
Christine Gang
Laura R. Ganser
Ryan Joseph Germann
Shrija Ghosh
Devin Gibbs
Lauren Brooke Godbout
Varun Tej Gonuguntla
Abigail Tuazon Gonzales
Kate N. Gooden
Amanda Leigh Gorman
Caitlin W. Graham
Anne Elizabeth Gray
Rachel Lauren Greene
Alexandria Nykole Griddine
Jessica Lauren Grieger
Nicholas Bradley Grissom
Krista Emilia Gross
David Gu
Stephanie N. Gunst
Andrew Yi Guo
Kavita Gupta
Herodes Garzon Guzman
Serena Nicole Hackerott
Rachel A. Haggerty
Kayla Marie Hall
Joel Houston Hall
Saad Hamdani
Garin Lee Hamilton-Jones
Scott Howell Hammer
Stephanie Hanna
Haylea A. Hannah
Brittney Holland Harbin
Karen D. Hardy
Lauren Joan Hare
Evan Kenneth Harmon
Alexandra Grace Harris
Kevin Brian Harris
Katelyn Brook Harris
Katherine Harrison
Ibrahim D. Hashim
Meredith McIver Hawley
Brandon Russell Hays
Megan Rose Hayworth
Ronald David Hearn
Savannah E. Helvey
Katherine Caldwell Henderson
Ashley Michelle Hockaday
Parker Wilson Hodges
Brent Blackwell Hoffman
Tyler Hoke
Garrett Jimenez Hollingsworth
David Levi Hood
Sara Marie Hromadka
Justin Huang
Jordan Anders Humphrey
Margaret L. Hunter
Jamie Lynette Hunter
Jonathan S Hurley
Almin Husicic
Minh Vien Huynh
Laura K. Ibeto
Lariah Danyelle Ijames
Chelsea N. Ingram
Sara Elizabeth Isaacson
Briana L. Jackowski
Renae James
Sara Nicole James
Jenny Lin Jan
Jessica K. Jansson
Nathan Nelson Jeffay
Stephanie Jernigan
Meagan E. Johnson
Elizabeth Brooke Johnson
Douglass Camp Johnson
Emma C. Johnson
Stephanie Ann Jones
Monika Juzumaite
Darryl Bryan Kalil
Pratik Kanabur
Kai Kang
Binoy Sudhir Kapadia
Peter Daniel Karr
Sekar Kavya
Emily Keefer
Thomas Haynes Keith
Alexis M. Kendra
Laura Catheryn Kennerly
Lap-Ching Keung
Ivey Elizabeth Jane King
Emily Elizabeth Kingry
Charles G. Kissick
Heather S. Kizer
Preeti Kodavanti
Joseph Konerman
Jessica Brooke Koontz
Stefanie N. Kot
Sarah Elizabeth Krantz
Lauren Michelle Krimminger
Michelle Chen Kuei
Shelby Jonathon Lake
Scott Wesley Lallier
Caroline Kaleel Lambeth
James Wilson Lancaster
Alexa H. Le
Kelly M. LeDoux
Jessica Anne Lee
Yurhee G. Lee
Jee Yong Lee
Elizabeth A. Lee
Merlin Emrys Levine
Erin M. Lewchuk
Mary Elizabeth Lewis
Julia Kathryn Lewis
Jia H. Liang
Sungmin Lim
Karen Lin
Carolyn Rebecca Lisle
Xiao Fu Liu
James Lomax
Jonathan Andrew Lomboy
Robert Hollinshead Long
Amelia M. Lorenzo
Quyntt Vinh Ly
Matthew M. Lynch
Bradley Joseph Macdonald
Randi M. Mackler
Zahra Munther Mahbooba
Daniel Elias Marks
Ross Bradford Marsland
Michele Martin
Nicholas Joseph Masciello
Shelby Jeannette Mason
Michael Mastropole
Daniela Matallana
Nick Matinyan
Katherine Meacham McAllister
Zachary McCaw
Ashley McClelland
Lauren Alexandra Mccluney
Amanda Elizabeth Mcclung
Timothy James McCord
Tiffany Rosa McCreary
Jamie E. McGee
Paul T. MIntosh
Mary-Katherine Duvall McKenzie
Natalie C. McKeon
Michael Scott Mclendon
Benjamin David Mcmichael
Nettie E. McMiller
Chelsea Lee McMullen
Taryn V. McNamee
Megan Elizabeth Meade
Hannah Meeler
Neil Darshy Mehta
Carmen E. Mendoza
Angelica Rae Mercado
Louisa Trask Miars
Jonathan Alexander Miles
Christina C. Miller
Carly Jane Miller
Michelle Christine Moore
Mariah Moore
David S. Morgan
John P. Morton
Richard Grant Muller
Amyn Aly Murji
Karley Ann Murphy
Sarbajeet Nagdas
Parin Pratik Nanavati
Lydia Carraway Neal
Dayna T. Neo
Gabrielle L. Neri-Mynatt
Matthew James Newsome
Jacqueline Wynne Nichols
Portia Nleya
Robert Christian Norberg
Rachel Alexandra O'Brien
Sean Patrick O'Connor
Allison Rose O'Toole
Michael Oehler
Precious Eberechukwu Ogbuefi
Marisa Paola Orbea
Ashley Nicole Page
Makena I. Parker
Jessica Leigh Parks
Chad Deforest Pastoor
Ankita D. Patel
Esita Patel
Kishan Patel
Shreya R. Patel
Yash N. Patel
Andrew Patterson
Joey McIvor Patterson
Hans Peng
Rachel Lynn Pennington
Elizabeth Marie Perry
Erica Chau Pham
Marshall C. Phillips
Elizabeth B. Pierce
Cole Podraza
Jessie Mae Poole
Ranjit Abraham Poonnen
Justin Edward Pope
Jordan Leigh Maly Preuss