At Graduation Ceremonies, VP&S Celebrates Next Generation of Scientists
Ceremonies across Columbia University campus in May celebrated the accomplishments of graduating students, including 61 new PhD graduates of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
"To reach this day, all these graduating doctoral students have made significant discoveries and have skillfully defended their dissertation before committees of leading scientists in their fields," said Hashim Al-Hashimi, associate dean for biomedical graduate education and Roy and Diana Vagelos Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, who conferred the degrees at the VP&S graduation ceremony.
"Our young scientists work in laboratories on the medical center, Morningside, and Manhattanville campuses and contribute importantly to the scientific and therapeutic advances of Columbia's research enterprise."
At a separate Hooding Ceremony, where graduates receive the dark blue hood representing their doctoral degree from their advisors, four graduates were honored with thesis awards—the Dean's Award for Excellence in Research and the Titus M. Coan Prize for Excellence in Research:
- Jennifer Gamarra (Coan Prize)–"Manganese is a physiologically relevant modulator of hepatic insulin signaling and lipid metabolism" (Advisor: Rebecca Haeusler)
- Kevin Gonzalez (Dean's Award)–"Mechanisms of memory encoding and consolidation in the hippocampus" (Advisors: Franck Polleux and Attila Losonczy)
- Stephen Tang (Dean's Award)–"RNA-templated DNA synthesis in antiviral immunity and genome evolution" (Advisor: Samuel Sternberg)
- Zachary Walsh (Coan Prize)–"Dissecting the human immune variome" (Advisor: Benjamin Izar)
Read more about other VP&S graduates in CUIMC News' graduation coverage.