Message from Dean Paul Shepson

Greetings! Welcome to the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science’s virtual convocation ceremony for 2021. We are delighted to be able to join with the President in celebrating your fantastic achievements, and your new beginnings, but in this case, virtually, with a little more SoMAS-specific personalized attention to details. And a commencement it surely is! We are now on the precipice of a new world, a new dawning, with a relatively new decade, a new POTUS, perhaps the end of a global pandemic, and the apparent dawning of a new era in social justice. It is exciting, and you didn’t just live through it, you helped make it happen! And as SoMAS graduates, you can lead the way, by example, in respecting and protecting all living things, including the human ones. And in return, you should get that back.

You are part of a new generation of world leaders, who know that not all life events, and not all life turning-points are planned. And yet you know that you can pivot, you can adjust, you can think creatively, and you can respond in positive ways. And perhaps more importantly, you have learned how good it is to reach your hand out to those who may be struggling, and pull them up, to move forward with you. A little more than a year ago most of you had never uttered the word “Zooming”. Well, some of the most important things you will ever learn and experience will be completely unplanned, like this past year. And among the things I hope and expect you have learned is that you can do difficult things and you can succeed, and go far, even in the face of considerable adversity. You have been through essentially experimental on-line courses, the difficulty of collaborating and communing with friends and relatives and fellow students remotely, the stresses of wanting to be with friends and family and the simultaneous need to protect them, the distractions of a national election, an assault on our nation’s Capitol, and a nationally televised trial, all at once!

With all of this stress now apparently ebbing, there is a sense of relief building in all of us. You did it. But much more than that, you did it and you came out the other end of this crazy year, stronger, better, smarter, tougher. I wouldn’t wish this past year on anyone, but here you are on the other side of it, and you can now take on just about anything. So, don’t waste that inner strength you now have. Do something BOLD. Take on big challenges. Channeling Carl Safina – don’t be afraid to fail. If you don’t fail at some things you are probably not aiming high enough for yourself. You deserve for your life to be an astonishing success, nothing less. And remember, as you go down your future uncharted path, remember that we are with you, SoMAS is a great family, and we will always be a willing partner with you and supporter of you. Go far but not so far that you can’t reach out to us. We can help you and help celebrate you.

So, in closing, congratulations to you, SoMAS graduates, and thank you, for your commitment to contributing to the quality of life, not just for humans, but for all living things on Earth. And let me remind you 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. Let me finish these thoughts about great relief by quoting one of the world’s most impactful people, Rachel Carson, “There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” Happy spring, folks, the future is yours.

Stay healthy and stay connected, we want to hear about your future adventures!

Keynote Speaker – Jim Gilmore

We have two guest speakers at today’s SoMAS Convocation. It is my great pleasure to introduce to you the first of those, Jim Gilmore. Jim has a long history with SUNY, having received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from SUNY Plattsburgh and a Master’s degree in Marine Science, in the area of Fisheries Management from Stony Brook University, from what was then the MSRC, in 1985, working with our former Dean and VPR, Dave Conover. He currently enjoys, as do we, his position as Adjunct Professor in SoMAS. He has had a long and illustrious career in the NYS DEC which he started as a marine resources specialist in DEC’s Stony Brook office in 1986.

He became the Bureau Chief of Marine Resources in 2007, and became the Director of the Division in April 2016. A few of his notable achievements include the creation of comprehensive DEC natural resources programs in New York City, enhancement of urban fisheries and marine habitat programs, the New York City Environmental Fund grant program, and land acquisition in excess of $100 million including the Mt. Loretto Unique Area and St. Francis Woodlands. From 2018-2019, he served as Chairman of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. When he was Emergency Response Coordinator in DEC’s Region 2 Office he played an essential role in organizing the DEC’s response to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.

Most importantly, Jim is a passionate advocate and protector of NY State and Long Island natural resources and especially its fisheries, and is a passionate advocate and promoter of SoMAS. For all of these things we are grateful, and welcome Jim, and invite him to say a few words in celebration of your achievements.

View the video On YouTube

Keynote Speaker – Dr. Judi Brown Clarke

Our next speaker is Dr. Judi Brown Clarke, who serves Stony Brook as Vice President for Equity & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer. She serves SBU by promoting a culture that values diversity and embraces equity and inclusion as essential to fulfilling the University’s educational and public service mission. The past couple years have seen issues of race and equity come to the fore, in a very public way in our country, and we thought it would be meaningful for Judi to speak to us about her perspectives on this issue, and, appropriate to commencement, where we have been and where we are headed. Dr. Clarke received a BS degree in Audiology and Speech Science from MSU, an MS in Kinesiology from MSU, and a PhD from Western Michigan University in Public Policy and Administration.

Dr. Clarke came to us from Michigan State University in February of 2020, just at the very start of the pandemic. At MSU, she was Diversity Director of BEACON, the Bio-Computational Evolution in Action Consortium (BEACON), and NSF-funded research consortium of five institutions — University of Idaho, Michigan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, University of Texas-Austin and University of Washington. She was responsible for the development, management and implementation of the seamless integration of diversity and inclusion strategies.

Prior to her appointment with BEACON, Clarke served as the Director for the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Inclusion for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at MSU, where she worked on the Dean’s executive management team as a champion to establish a well-designed college branding of diversity and inclusion through the development of a vision statement and charter of commitment. For more than ten years prior, she worked in the Department of Health and Human Services as a Program, Policy and Contract Administrator and as a Children’s Protective Services Investigator. Dr. Clarke has an impressive array of achievement, having dealt with adversity and an array of challenges. She knows a few things about how you might feel about the last year, and the hurdles you may have had to leap. Dr. Clarke has acted as an athletic and professional performance coach. She has a very impressive history as an exceptional athlete, having been a US National Champion 4 time Gold Medal winner in 400-Meter Hurdles, won a silver medal in the 400m hurdles in the Olympics, and was a 3-time gold medal winner in the 400m hurdles in the Pan Am Games. She was also Sport’s Illustrated’s Sports Woman of the Year. So, Dr. Clarke knows a great deal about challenges, and performance, and achievement. Thus she is among the best people to try to put your achievements in some context.

View the video on YouTube.

Awarding of Undergraduate Certificates

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

• Darlene Dittell, Jose Gerez, Jenna Hans, Austin Reed, Kevin Rodriguez, Audrey Sinclair, Timothy Skula

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

• Anastassia Amato-La Hoz, Joseph Borruso, Paul Buschman, Nicholas Carl, Callan Green, Robert Marino, Mashyat Tomory

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

• Savannah Cabrera, Jeremy Crane, Alyssa Diodato, Jacob Murphy, Catherine Sander

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

• David Blasen, Nolwenn Cardoso Joao, Alyssa Chao, Julia Chapman, Leyi Chen, Matthew Coletta, Diego Ferreras, Su-Yi Lai, Huiqi Pan, Sai Peng, Nayarit Tineo, Dante Vigliotti, Olivia Volz, Dong Xia, Huifei Yao,

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

• Megan Gallagher, Abigail Ruiz, Robert Tucholski

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

• Matthew Arasmo, Samantha Ayala, Ashley Beltran, Aubrey Blanthorn, Martha Braun, Alexander Calaci, Douglas Clare, Sean Daly, Emily Daniels, Austin Davidson, Natasha Ferreira, Alex Frabizio, Lauren Hoffman, Sabrina Holsborg, Thomas Jensen, Victoria Kopij, Ashley Maggy, Jenise McLaughlin, Alyssa Ng, Jessica Prosser, Laura Roesch, Alex Schweitzer, Melanie Smith, Brandon Spiciarich, Gillian Steger, Michael Streit, Carlos Vallejo, Christian Van Deusen, Christopher Werni

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

• Margaret Bradley, Emilee Delorenzo, Ava Demayo, Leeanne Dion, Kristi Flanigan, Quinn Foster, Alessandra Giza, Brendan Hallinan, Clara Haughey-Gramazio, George Kalantzopoulos, Jennifer Katz, Jeffrey Kraemer, Qianlin Mai, Jason Mirtsopoulos, Danielle Morris, Benjamin Nichols, Sascha Rosin, Meaghan Sullivan, Julia Sweeney, Alessandra Tempestoso, Sarah Wittenburg, Sadie Woloson, Lucas Wong

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

• Sydney Bell, Muriel Bingham, Ashley Caldararo, Kiyiana Downer, Ryan Durie, Anastasiya Gofman, Sarah Jacobson, Faith Kellum, Nancy Liang, Christina Lipari, Margaret Martella, Robert May, Alexandria McGory, George Monez, Emily Pica, Sandra Reyes, Alexandra Stevens, Max (Dianqing) Sun, Fay Vail, Claire Vervack, Maya Voytelmgum, Joshua Whitehead, Xin Zhu

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

• Nicholas Baball-Khan, Casey Barfield, Leyi Chen, Shuiab Folarin, Bryan Friebel, Morgan Jacobellis, Isaac Nikolic, Laura Osa, Anthony Otters, Emily Puleo, Kathryn Rebollo, Kaylee Surace, Trinity White

Awards 

Undergraduate Research Honors presented by Dr. Paul Shepson, Dean

• Alyssa Diodato, Spatial Patterns of Non-native Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius) In the Ashley Schiff Preserve Inform Restoration Strategies, Advised by Dr. Sharon Pochron
• Morgan Jacobellis, AMPA (α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) Affects the Regeneration Rate of the Planarian (Dugesia tigrina), Advised by Dr. Sharon Pochron
• Jeffrey Kraemer, Does diel cycling provide refuge from hypoxia and acidification in 1st stage blue crab larvae, Advised by Dr. Christopher Gobler and Stephen Tomasetti
• Nancy Liang, Changes in Heart Rate of American Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus) in Response to Environmental Conditions, Advised by Dr. Robert Cerrato

Stony Brook Alumni Association Dean’s Choice Awards Presented by Kristin Matthews, Interim Director of Alumni Operations

• Austin Reed, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
• Laura Osa, Sustainability Studies
• Paul Buschman, Coastal Environmental Studies
• Megan Gallagher, Environmental Humanities
• Alyssa Diodato, Ecosystems and Human Impact
• Matthew Coletta, Environmental Design, Policy, and Planning
• Laura Roesch, Environmental Studies
• Jeffrey Kraemer, Marine Sciences
• Brendan Hallinan, Marine Sciences
• Claire Vervack, Marine Vertebrate Biology

Timothy Magnussen Memorial Scholarship Award Presented by Dr. Brian A. Colle

• Miles Litzmann (junior ATM major); Grace Ahn (senior MVB major)

Petra M. Udelhofen Memorial Scholarship Award Presented by Dr. Brian A. Colle

• Julia Tetrault

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

• Madison Muehl

Pikitch Family Endowed Student Research Award Presented by Dr. Ellen Pikitch

• Adelle Molina

Jerry Schubel Graduate Fellowships 

• Maria Grima, advised by Ellen Pikitch
• Naomi Miller, advised by Kevin Reed & Donovan Finn
• Farinaz Motlagh, advised by Sara Hamideh
• Sydney Randall, advised by Ellen Pikitch
• Sarah Weisberg, advised by Janet Nye

Award of Graduate Certificates

Master of Arts in Marine Conservation and Policy Certificates Presented by Dr. Ellen Pikitch

• Amy Bavosa, Chris Biondi, Nicole Dergosits, Amanda Hanifin, Camilla Piechocki, Sydney Rose Randall, Steven Silverman, Christine Suter

Master of Science and Doctoral Certificates in Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Presented by Dr. Jackie Collier
Master of Science in Marine & Atmospheric Sciences

• Sherif Abdallah
  Transcriptomic characterization of hemocytes from different body fluids of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica
  Dr. Bassem Allam, Advisor
• Benjamin Bacon
  A Microphysical Analysis of the January 4, 2018 Blizzard
  Dr. Brian Colle and Dr. Pavlos Kollias, Advisors
• Colin Benitt
  The ability of native and invasive rhodophytes (Gracilaria tikvahiae and Dasysiphona japonica) to inhibit harmful algal blooms caused by Aureococcus anophagefferens (Pelagophyceae)
  Dr. Christopher Gobler, Advisor
• Di Chen
  Global Extratropical Cyclone Variation Characteristics and Evaluation of Subseasonal Prediction Skills
  Dr. Edmund Chang, Advisor
• Dylan Cottrell
  Eelgrass responses to mesograzer-epiphyte interactions at the shallow and deep edge: paired observational and experimental structural equation models
  Dr. Bradley J. Peterson, Advisor
• Nathaniel Chester
  Effects of environmental variability on ribbed mussel ecophysiology informed by high-frequency non-invasive (HFNI) sensors
  Dr. Nils Volkenborn, Advisor
• Jacob Flanzenbaum
  Assessing the composition and limiting nutrients of harmful Cyanobacteria blooms in Cabrera’s and Prospect Park lakes
  Dr. Christopher Gobler, Advisor
• Keenan Fryer
  Impact of Mesoscale Data Assimilation on the Primary Snowband Within the Cyclone Comma Head
  Dr. Brian Colle, Advisor
• Dallas Jordan
  Divergent postbreeding spatial characteristics of sympatric albatross species in the North Pacific
  Dr. Lesley Thorne, Advisor
• Benjamin Kiel
  Comparison of Clustering Approaches in a Multimodel Ensemble for U.S. East Coast Winter Storms
  Dr. Brian Colle, Advisor
• Mateo Mezic
  Benefit/Cost Estimation Instruments for Storm Surge Sea Gates, Long Island NY
  Dr. Malcolm Bowman, Advisor
• Holly Rucker
  Habitability of Eridania Lake: An Ancient Mars Lacustrine Hydrothermal Vent, Compared to an Icelandic Analogue Fjord Site
  Dr. Roy Price, Advisor
• Christopher Seslar
  Evaluating the economic impact of water quality changes on recreational fisheries in the Long Island Sound
  Dr. Anthony Dvarskas and Dr. Donovan Finn, Advisors
• Nora Straquadine
  The ability of Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea) and Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) to filter and accumulate toxins associated with bloom-forming cyanobacteria
  Dr. Christopher Gobler, Advisor
• Noah Strycker
  A Global Population Assessment of the Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)
  Dr. Heather Lynch, Advisor
• Christopher Wozny
  Mitigation of eutrophication through restoration: Denitrification potential of hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) spawner sanctuaries in Long Island estuaries
  Dr. Christopher Gobler, Advisor
• Magdalena Wrobel
  The Sensitivity of Coastal Morphology to Climatic Variables
  Dr. Henry Bokuniewicz, Advisor

Doctor of Philosophy in Marine & Atmospheric Sciences

• John Bohorquez
  Research, design, and application of a financial sustainability assessment tool for Marine Protected Areas
  Dr. Ellen Pikitch, Advisor
• Justin Bopp
  Population dynamics, movement patterns, and resource use of American horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) across spatial and temporal scales
  Dr. Robert Cerrato, Advisor
• Patricia Clyde
  Occurrence and Fate of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Nitrogen Removing Biofilters
  Dr. Bruce Brownawell and Dr. Roy Price, Advisors
• Ashley Cohen
  Particle-associated microbial processes in permanently anoxic Fayetteville Green Lake, Fayetteville, NY: a window to the mid-Proterozoic ocean
  Dr. Gordon Taylor, Advisor
• Tara Dolan
  Population diversity, connectivity and resilience in winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)
  Dr. Michael Frisk and Dr. Anne McElroy, Advisors
• Sabrina Geraci-Yee
  Taking the “X” out of QPX disease: Distribution and dynamics of the hard clam pathogen, Mucochytrium quahogii (formerly QPX = Quahog Parasite Unknown)
  Dr. Jackie Collier and Dr. Bassem Allam, Advisors
• Molly Graffam
  Hydro-biogeochemical dynamics in woodchip-based subsurface barriers: Implications for nitrogen removal and pollution swapping
  Dr. Nils Volkenborn, Advisor
• Evan Ingram
  Movement ecology of juvenile and sub-adult Atlantic Sturgeon in the Hudson River and New York Bight
  Dr. Michael Frisk, Advisor
• Kylie Langlois
  Ecology of nitrogen-removing microbial communities and applications to wastewater treatment.
  Dr. Jackie Collier, Advisor
• Jienan Li
  Multiphase chemical kinetics of OH radical uptake by amorphous organic aerosols at typical tropospheric temperatures
  Dr. Daniel Knopf , Advisor
• Xi Lu
  Photochemical mineralization of marine refractory dissolved organic carbon (RDOC): method evaluation and optimization
  Dr. Steven Beaupré, Advisor
• Jiabao Wang
  PNA-like MJO teleconnections: metrics, dynamical processes, and future change
  Dr. Hyemi Kim, Advisor
• Xiaoning Wu
  The Role of Tropical Cyclones in the Climate System: An Exploration of Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean Aquaplanets
  Dr. Kevin Reed and Dr. Christopher Wolfe, Advisors

Best Thesis/Dissertation Awards Presented by Dr. Jackie Collier

• Best MS Thesis: Noah Strycker, advised by Heather Lynch.
• Best PhD Dissertation: Jienan Li, advised by Daniel Knopf.

Minors

Minor in Coastal Environmental Studies

• Jessica Berino, Brendan Hallinan, Jeffrey Kraemer

Minor in Ecosystems and Human Impact

• Sydney Bell, Muriel Bingham, Anqi Chen, Emily Daniels, Megan Gallagher, Nina Gu, Zachary Lee, Isabelle Loop, Emily Puleo, Leora Simon

Minor in Environmental Design, Policy and Planning

• Erik Cambria, Kathryn Casal, Chrisanthi Kourouklis, Nancy Liang

Minor in Environmental Humanities

• Hamdan Noor

Minor in Environmental Studies

• Eileen Chen, Elizabeth Gouvis, Caitlyn Hayes, Brayden Joyce, Brianne Ledda, Annie Lin, Meaghan Sullivan, Jack O’Brien, Elif Onay, Sadie Woloson, Callias Zeng, Yin Zheng

Minor in Geospatial Science

• Anastassia Amato-La Hoz, Enid Berisha, David Blasen, Martha Braun, Matthew Coletta, Henry Gobrick, Jennifer Katz, Alyssa Ng, Sandra Reyes, Julia Sweeney, Lucas Wong

Minor in Marine Sciences

• Miranda Jacobsen, Thomas Jensen, Emily Masters, Isaac Nikolic, Zachary Pablo, Jessica Semel, Brandon Spiciarich, Thomas Whitbread

Minor in Sustainability Studies

• Matthew Coletta, Analiese Diaz, Lena Fuller, Emily Schalkham, Nayarit Tineo, Maya Voytelmgum

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 challenges and adventures you have had here at Stony Brook 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, have some fun, be kind, and go do good for the world.

Photos of the Class of 2021 are available on Google Photos.

This event would not have been possible without the assistance from Christina Fink, Jackie Collier, Ginny Clancy, Kurt Bretsch, Nancy Black, Paul Shepson, Kamazima Lwiza, David Taylor, Chris Paparo, Tara Rider, Katherine Aubrecht, Ellen Pikitch, Brian Colle, Arlene Cassidy, Donovan Finn, Sharon Pochron, Glenn Lopez, Edmund Chang, Robert Cerrato, Robert Aller, Brad Peterson, Karine Kleinhaus, and Chris Gobler.

Digital Convocation compiled by Mark Lang.

Introducing the SoMAS Class of 2021!