Honors Program

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Program

Welcome and Introductions
Dr. Zora Thomova
Dean of Graduate School and Associate Provost for Academic Affairs

Recognition of Faculty
Dr. Zora Thomova

Presentation of Honors Medallions
Dr. Stewart Diemont
Director of the Honors Program

Today’s ceremony recognizes the accomplishments of our Honors Program Graduates with the awarding of the ESF Honors Medallion. These medallions are bestowed in recognition of the outstanding academic achievements of each Honors student and, in particular, the completion of the Honors Thesis.

The Honors Medallion is to be worn as a part of the academic regalia traditionally reserved for use during commencement and convocation ceremonies. ESF’s Honors Medallions are designed in the College’s signature colors of gold and green, and include the oak leaf and acorn logo, symbolic of ESF’s dedication to cultivate the growth of knowledge and understanding of our environment in our students.

Closing Remarks
Dr. Zora Thomova

 

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Spring 2026 Graduates

 

Department of Chemical Engineering

Li Zhenghao — 
Thesis: Optically Printable Sacrificial Template for Proteinaceous Tissue Engineering Scaffolds
Dr. Pranav Soman (Syracuse University) and Dr. Shijie Liu, Co-Advisors

 

Department of Chemistry

Landon Arcadi — Chemistry 
Thesis: PINK1 Phosphorylation of TRAP1 Regulates Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress and Complex I Activity 
Jaime Mirowsky (SUNY ESF) and Mark Woodford (SUNY Upstate), Co-Advisors

Anna E. Campbell Lopez — Environmental Chemistry 
Thesis: Aquatic Photochemistry of Zilpaterol 
Dr. Nicholas Pflug, Advisor

Bailey Cunha-Bustamante — Biochemistry 
Thesis: Relationship between forageable yield of Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry) and landscape characteristics in Syracuse, New York 
Dr. Stewart Diemont, Advisor

Ian Davis — Chemistry 
Thesis: Reduced One-Carbon Availability and Lipid Imbalance Disrupt Macrophage Lipid Clearance and Bone Marrow Immune Fate 
Dr. Norifumi Urao (Upstate Medical University) and Dr. Nicholas Pflug, Co-Advisors

Abigail Geschwindt — Chemistry 
Thesis: Marine Carbon Monoxide Photoproduction: Limits of Linear Extrapolation 
Dr. David Kieber, Advisor

Rita Nigro — Chemistry 
Thesis: Bioaccumulation of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid by Phanerochate chrysosporium for remediation applications 
Dr. Lee Newman, Advisor

Calder Raio — Chemistry 
Thesis: Evaluation of Chromoplast Targeting Efficacy in Transit Peptide–Mediated GFP Localization 
Dr. Lee Newman, Advisor

 

Department of Environmental Biology

Antonio Franco Aguado — Biology 
Thesis: Drug discovery and remodeling of tau aggregation using BBB peptides to mitigate neurotoxicity in tauopathies. 
Dr. Chih Hung Lo (Syracuse University), Advisor

Venuri Atulugama — Environmental Biology 
Thesis: Effects of Small-Scale Fish Passage on the Abundance and Size Distribution of American Eels (Anguilla rostrata) in Two Hudson River Tributaries 
Dr. Karin Limburg, Advisor

Raymond Bailey — Conservation Biology 
Thesis: A Survey of Crayfish Worm Communities’ Diversity and Abundance on the Big Water Crayfish and the Impacts of Host and Environmental Characteristics in Upstate New York. 
Dr. Chrisopher Whipps, Advisor 

Isabella Francisco — Environmental Biology 
Thesis: Contribution of HCN1 Channel in Rod Photoreceptors to the Pupillary Reflex in Mice 
Dr. Julia Maresca, Advisor 

Melia Kanaovicz — Environmental Biology 
Thesis: Following the Host: A Trap Height Experiment Targeting Aedes Trivittatus 
Dr. Brian Leydet, Advisor

Nathaniel Lord — Forest Health 
Thesis: Developing Methods for Inoculating Beech Tissue With Foliar Pathogens in a Sterile Environment 
Dr. Andrew Newhouse, Advisor

Jackson Solfrian — Environmental Biology 
Thesis: The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Myriopteris lanosa, a rare fern in New York State 
Dr. Danilo Fernando, Advisor 

 

Division of Environmental Science

Siena Reyes Quinn — Environmental Science 
Thesis: Environmental Sustainability in Healthcare Technology Ethics Frameworks 
Dr. Chie Togami, Advisor

Merryn Rositzke — Envornmental Science 
Thesis: Analysis and Visualization of Eastern Wild Turkey Translocations in New York State from 1959-1994 
Dr. Michael Schummer, Advisor

Prima Wilanan — Environmental Science 
Thesis: Optimization of Kanamycin Selection Condition for Callus Culture in Capsicum spp. 
Dr. Lee Newman, Advisor

 

Department of Environmental Studies

Molly McGarity — Environmental Studies 
Thesis: Evaluating the Five-Year Impacts of an International STEM Outreach Program for Girl Scouts 
Dr. Shari Dann, Advisor

 

Department of Landscape Architecture

Lea Reino — Landscape Architecture 
Thesis: Threaded Grounds: Fashion in the Fabric of the Landscape 
Jean Yang, Advisor

Grace Takas — Landscape Architecture 
Thesis: Feeding The Public: Food System's Impact on landscape and Community 
Matthew Potteiger, Advisor