Message from Dean Paul Shepson

Greetings! Welcome to the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science’s virtual convocation ceremony for 2020. We are delighted to be celebrating with you today, and yet of course we share in your deep disappointment that this cannot be an in-person celebration.

But, our celebration cannot be deterred! SoMAS graduates – congratulations!!! You did it!!

Let me start out by saying I think I know how you feel, something like “Hey! What just happened?” But in fact, you will certainly remember this for the rest of your life. And I hope that it is starting to register with you what you have accomplished. This is a time to celebrate your years of hard work and determination! The last few months have required much effort, adaptation and commitment – you stuck it out, you adopted very new ways of learning, you achieved what you needed to in this surreal semester, and met your goals in the face of considerable adversity. Way to go! You have expressed a great deal of what SoMAS is all about – resilience. So, while we are all disappointed that we are not having a traditional celebration experience, you have had an experience in dealing with adversity and developing a resilient and creative orientation that will contribute in big ways to your personal tool set that you will use to your benefit, and problem-solving, for the rest of your life. Things that may have otherwise seemed like big challenges in your future may now seem smaller to you, and you will be more likely to think – “hey, I can do that, I can deal with that!” There is always a silver lining in the tough experiences that make you who you are and contribute to your wisdom. You might be thinking – ‘Hey, I’m only 21! I’m too young for wisdom!’ Ah, but here you are.

I have taken strength from the spring, the return of life, and the hope that it brings, that the natural world is coming alive in a way that has largely ignored us, or at least tried to. But this also reminds us of your passion, to understand the natural world, the interaction between species, and, as Carl Safina has taught us, how other species think and feel about themselves, and their families, how they teach each other, and the importance of their world, and our responsibility to protect it. Indeed, I feel that you have chosen your career paths very wisely. We sure do need you right now, the planet needs you, right now. Paraphrasing Sylvia Earle, “Taking care of the oceans and the atmosphere is taking care of ourselves.” Thank you for doing your part.

Before I turn it over to our guest speaker, I want to ask our graduating students to take the time to thank those who gave of themselves so that you could succeed, and be celebrating today. Let’s acknowledge your parents, grandparents, family and friends who have helped you along your path. They have given you their unconditional love, so give it back! And let’s thank the professors who have led you, mentored you, and shown you that you can do difficult things, and do them well. And thanks to all in SoMAS who have helped you reach this wonderful goal! We all celebrate with you!

And to you, let me say that you are powerful. You can change the world, in the most positive ways. You can make a difference on our planet, so, I am urging you, be unique, be special, and give of yourself to others. And give back to the Earth that has so effectively and wonderfully supported humanity. And in this spirit, remember that you will always be part of the SoMAS family. Stay healthy and stay connected, we want to hear about your future adventures!

Keynote Speaker – Dr. Carl Safina

It is a great honor for me to introduce our keynote speaker, Dr. Carl Safina. Carl holds the Carl Safina Endowed Chair for Nature and Humanity in SoMAS, and is the founding president of the not-for-profit Safina Center, which supports all life on Earth. Dr. Carl Safina’s work explores how humans are changing the living world, and what the changes mean for non-human beings and for us. His work fuses scientific understanding, emotional connection, and a moral call to action.

Dr. Safina has won a MacArthur “genius” prize in support of his work, numerous book awards, and the John Burroughs, James Beard, and George Rabb medals. He earned a PhD in ecology from Rutgers studying seabirds, and then went on to devote his life to protecting the world’s oceans and associated life. Carl has written many books about our relationship with the living world, and how to make that better, for them. His book Song for the Blue Ocean has been dubbed the “Silent Spring” of our time. His latest works, Beyond Words and Becoming Wild explore what animals think and feel, how they teach each other survival skills, and the importance of culture to individual species, and to evolution. Through his books, he taught me a great deal about empathy. Carl and his wife Patricia live here on Long Island, with their dogs, and a variable number of owls.

View the video On YouTube

Keynote Speaker – Dr. Sylvia Earle

It is a great honor for me to introduce our second speaker, Dr. Sylvia Earle.  Dr. Earle is an American marine biologist, explorer, author, and lecturer. She has been a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998.  Earle was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and was named by Time Magazine as its first Hero for the Planet in 1998. She is also part of the group Ocean Elders, which is dedicated to protecting the ocean and its wildlife.

She is an Ocean conservation scientist and President and Chairman of Mission Blue. Dr. Earle is the first woman to become chief scientist for NOAA.  Author of more than 200 publications and leader of more than 100 ocean expeditions with well over 7,000 hours under water, she holds a doctorate degree from Duke University, plus 27 honorary doctorates.  Among her distinctions and honors is that she is the only person here today referred to as “Her Deepness”.

View the video on YouTube.

Awarding of Undergraduate Certificates

B.S. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Presented by Dr. Brian A. Colle

Benjamin Bacon, Justin Bettenhauser, Matthew Conticchio, Michael Cooke, Michael Dimaiuta, Skyler Graap, Bridget Hyland, William Rong, Robert Schmidt, Anna Smith, Magdalena Wrobel

B.S. in Coastal Environmental Studies Presented by Dr. Kate Aubrecht

• Christopher Biondi, Adam Dean, Yakut Karali, Jesenia Laureano, Kyle Walter

B.A. in Ecosystems and Human Impact Presented by Dr. Sharon Pochron

• Miranda Gonzales, Brianna Michel, Alyssa Mikesh, William Moore, Adam Peretzman

B.A. in Environmental Design, Policy and Planning Presented by Dr. Donovan Finn

• Elizabeth Aranguiz, Alaaddin Baskurt, Tess Kelly, Brandon Morgan, Esthela Ocampo, Francis Tomasso, Dong Xia, Nancy Yang, Joie Yee, Ziai Zhou

B.A. in Environmental Humanities Presented by Dr. David Taylor

• Hongyu Fan, Taylor Larson, Krislyn Rodriguez

B.A. in Environmental Studies Presented by Dr. Kamazima M.M. Lwiza

• Alexis Bashta, Andrew Boardman, Karyn Cassidy, Arthur Cody, Samantha Dequarto, Lijia Gao, Frank Griffo, Tea Grzanov, Katelyn Hill, Kyle Huhn, Jade Killean, Jessica Klassert, Michael Langer, Shelby Layton, Sarah Martin, Erline Martinez, Angela Minelli, Alex Montalvo, Joseph Murphy, Jacalyn Padilla, Mia Ramirez, Julianna Russo, Gina Marie Schultz, Emily Stevenson, Alisson Vera

B.S. in Marine Sciences Presented by Dr. Kamazima M.M. Lwiza

• Peter Austin, Kaitlyn Carr, Katelyn Castler, Nicole Cruz, Tiffany Cui, Flynn Delany, John Dimarzo, Kimberly Marko, Christopher Mikolaitis, Samantha Mislinksi, Jennifer Repp, Angelo Macapagal San Pablo, Marcella Wallace

B.S. in Marine Vertebrate Biology Presented by Dr. Kamazima M.M. Lwiza

• Hannah Abbott, Cassidy Bell, Laura Bonilla, Christina Cloutier, Corrin Da Silva, Alfredo Esposito, Julia Lopez, Delphine Mossman, Kallen Muste, Camilla Piechocki, Tessa Reynolds, Mateo Rivera, Ana Shore, John Thraen

B.A. in Sustainability Studies Presented by Dr. Arlene Cassidy

• Orlando Avellaneda, Benjamin Lahood, Anthony Otters, Kevin Peterson, Elyssa Torres, Shannon Wright

Awards 

Undergraduate Research Honors presented by Dr. Paul Shepson, Dean

• Flynn Delany, Infection presence of Phytophthora in current and historic Zostera marina beds of eastern Long Island Bays, Dr. Bradley Peterson, Advisor
• Mia Ramirez, The response of earthworms (Eisenia fetida) and soil microbes to Crumb Rubber Leachate,  Dr. Sharon Pochron, Advisor
• Catherine Sander, The Implications of BPS as a substitute for BPA,  Dr. Sharon Pochron, Advisor
• Robert Schmidt, Modeling Ridge-and-runnel formation on Long Island’s ocean shoreline, Dr. Henry Bokuniewicz, Advisor

• Benjamin Bacon, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
• Samantha Dequarto, Environmental Studies
• Jade Killian, Environmental Studies
• Delphine Mossman, Marine Vertebrate Biology
• Kevin Peterson, Sustainability Studies
• Taylor Larson, Environmental Humanities

Undergraduate Environmental Essay Awards

• First Prize, Mei-Lynn Stout
• Second Prize, Laura Osa
• Third Prize, Kallen Muste

• Grace Ahn (junior MVB major); Timothy Skula (senior ATM major)

• Austin Reed

Nuria Protopopescu Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching Presented by Dr. Robert C. Aller

• Samantha Nyer

• Evan Ingram

Jerry Schubel Graduate Fellowships 

• Noah Strycker, Adelle Molina, Christopher Brianik, Kimberly Lato & Xiaoning Wu

Award of Graduate Certificates

Master of Arts in Marine Conservation and Policy Certificates Presented by Dr. Glenn Lopez

• Kayla Clauson, Dylan Corbett, Hope Dickens, Allegra Ervin, Jane Feng, Jonathan Gaare, Amanda Gorman, Karine Kleinhaus, Robert Rodriguez, Elizabeth Salzman, Nolan Slattery

Master of Science and Doctoral Certificates in Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Presented by Dr. David Black
Master of Science in Marine & Atmospheric Sciences

• Michelle Barbosa
  Physiological and Molecular Traits Associated with Resilience to Ocean Acidification in Crassostrea virginica
  Dr. Bassem Allam, Advisor
• Ashley Braunthal
  Studying Paleo-Redox Conditions Recorded in Laminated Sediments of Bowers Ridge, Bering Sea (IODP Expedition 323, Site U1342)
  Dr. Laura Wehrmann, Advisor
• Timothy Curtin
  Effects of buffering muds with calcium carbonate on the growth, survival, and behavior of juvenile hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria)
  Dr. Christopher Gobler, Advisor
• Elizabeth Najman
  Stochastic Parameterization in the Zhang McFarlane Deep Convection Scheme
  Dr. Kevin Reed, Advisor
• Samantha Nebylitsa
  Snow Particle Properties Estimation Using Surface-Based and Remotely Sensed Measurements by the Stony Brook Radar Observatory
  Dr. Pavlos Kollias, Advisor
• Sarah Nickford
  Mechanisms Controlling the Summertime Inter annual Variability of summertime sea surface temperatures and Chlorophyll-a in the Northwest Atlantic
  Dr. Kamazima M.M. Lwiza, Advisor
• Kaitlyn O’Toole
  Development of a Bio-optical Model For Application Towards Seagrass Restoration Within the Peconic Bay estuary (Long Island, NY)
  Dr. Bradley J. Peterson, Advisor
• Jacob Segall
  Storm-scale Polarimetric Radar Signatures Associated with Tornado Dissipation in Supercells
  Dr. Michael French, Advisor

Doctor of Philosophy in Marine & Atmospheric Sciences

• Diego Cardeñosa
  Development and Application of DNA Forensics to Global Shark Conservation and Law Enforcement
  Dr. Demian D. Chapman, Advisor
• Megan Hahn
  The role of microbes in the interaction between the cestode parasite Schistocephalus solidus and its Threespine stickleback host
  Dr. Nolwenn Dheilly, Advisor
• Lisa Herbert
  Trace Metal Cycling and Fluxes in Glacially Influenced Fjord Sediments
  Dr. Laura Wehrmann, Advisor
• Evan Ingram
  Movement ecology of juvenile and sub-adult Atlantic Sturgeon in the Hudson River and New York Bight
  Dr. Michael Frisk, Advisor
• Seanna Mallon
  Multiphase Oxidation and Photochemistry of Biomass Burning Aerosol Proxies: Kinetics and Products
  Dr. Daniel Knopf , Advisor
• Maren Mitch
  Impact of Diet on Three Commercially Important Long Island Species
  Dr. Robert M. Cerrato, Advisor
• Samantha Nyer
  The Influence of Plants on Nitrogen Biogeochemical Cycling in Constructed Wetlands
  Dr. Roy Price, Advisor
• Matthew Siskey
  Implications of partial migration, redefined stock structure, and depleted age structure for stock assessment of winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)
  Dr. Michael Frisk, Advisor
• Abigail Tyrell
  Separating the effects of seawater viscosity and temperature on copepod biology and ecology
  Dr. Nicholas Fisher, Advisor
• Ryan Wallace
  Coastal ocean acidification: Dynamics and potential to affect marine mollusks
  Dr. Christopher J. Gobler, Advisor
• Hang Yin
  Cable bacteria and their influence on the sulfur cycle in bioturbated sediments
  Drs. Qingzhi Zhu and Robert Aller, Advisors

Best Thesis/Dissertation Awards Presented by Dr. David Black

• Best MS Thesis: Evan Horowitz, advised by Kirk Cochran.
• Best PhD Dissertation: Yang Zhou, advised by Hyemi Kim.

Minors

Minor in Coastal Environmental Studies

Nicholas Cormier, Robert Schmidt, Magdalena Wrobel

Minor in Ecosystems and Human Impact

Flynn Delany, Lijia Gao, Tea Grzanov, Samantha Murphy, Clara Tucker

Minor in Environmental Design, Policy and Planning

Dominique Tjondro

Minor in Environmental Humanities

Anna Smith

Minor in Environmental Studies

Tiffany Cui, Emelie Einhorn, Sila Gecir, Kellie Gunning, Phoebe Ma, Isaiah Momplaisir, Margaret Osborne, Sophia Wang

Minor in Geospatial Science

Cassidy Bell, Lauren Bunce, Michael Cooke, Flynn Delany, Emelie Einhorn, Skyler Graap, Alina Lance, Christopher Mikolaitis, Jennifer Repp, Angelo Macapagal San Pablo, Francis Tomasso, Joie Yee, Zachary Zysberg

Minor in Marine Sciences

Thomas Boskamp, Arthur Cody, Emelie Einhorn, Claire Garfield, Alicia Gonzalez, Alyson Hall, Phoebe Ma, Qingyang Ma, Amy Okano, Joshua Porta, Lynne Richardson

Minor in Sustainability Studies

Tomer David, Elizabeth Doscher, Maximillian Kitaychik, Emma Morse, Seema Ramjit, Joseph Woltering

Dean Shepson’s Closing Remarks

Well, we have come to the end of our program for the day, and we hope that it has been meaningful and enjoyable for you.  The end of today’s program, but, we hope for us, the beginning of a longer term professional relationship with you, and the beginning of your own professional journey.  We hope that the adversity you have overcome this year will give you the strength and self-confidence to tackle even bigger challenges in the future.  We have tremendous confidence in you!  Thank you for being part of the SoMAS family, we will always be here for you!  Congratulations, graduates!  Take care, stay in touch, be safe and healthy, and go do good for the world.

The SoMAS Class of 2020 is featured in the inaugural set of SoMAS Trading Cards! Check out your pack below and use the numbers at the top to fan out your cards, or the arrows, keyboard or mouse wheel to change the card at the front of the pack. Click on a card to enlarge it.

Introducing the SoMAS Class of 2020!