• FRANCES COLVILLE AND TERRY DEARBORN MEMORIAL AWARD

• SCIENCE STUDENT COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

• ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE STUDENT COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

• DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS BY DISCIPLINE:

Chemistry and Biochemistry
Earth Science
Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology
Environmental Studies
Geography
Mathematics
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Physics
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Statistics and Applied Probability

2012 FRANCES COLVILLE AND TERRY DEARBORN MEMORIAL AWARD
Awarded for outstanding academic achievement to a College of Letters and Science honors student majoring in the sciences, in memory of Frances M. Colville, Associate Professor of Physical Education (1955-64), and Terry H. Dearborn, Associate Professor of Physical Education (1940-64).

James Proffitt

James Proffitt (photo left, with Prof. Stanley Awramik), who graduated with a double major in zoology and in Earth Science with a paleo-biology emphasis, received the Francis Colville and Terry Dearborn Memorial Award for outstanding academic achievement as an honors student majoring in the sciences. For three years, James worked with Earth Science Professor Stanley Awramik on a project examining the paleontology of stromatolites from the 50 million-year-green Green River Formation in Wyoming. He continued this research for his senior thesis, presented his initial results at the 2011 meeting of the Cordilleran Geological Society of America, and is preparing a manuscript for publication. James also earned a prestigious summer internship at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where he conducted research on fossil and living vampire bats, part of an NSF-funded project on the evolutionary relationships of extinct and living bats headed by Dr. Nancy Simmons. Next fall, James will begin graduate work in the PhD program in paleobiology and geosciences at the University of Texas, Austin.

In recognition of her outstanding work in the Department of Feminist Studies, Jessica Moore received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. Professor Eileen Boris, Hull Professor and Chair of Feminist Studies, said “Jessica has displayed the curiosity, skills, independence, vision, and perseverance necessary for success in the research process, and that her honors project, on  attitudes and practices of college women concerning body hair is “imaginatively conceived, expertly executed, and theoretically sophisticated.” Professor Leila Rupp, Jessica’s adviser, says that this project builds on work by historians and feminist scholars who have analyzed the development of expectations about women’s bodies, relating these practices to consumerism, fashion, changes in women’s status, and large-scale social and economic change. The project explores questions of the relationship among societal pressure, generational change, and women’s agency.  Professor Rupp says that she has never advised a student as motivated and passionate about her research. Jessica plans to pursue her Ph.D. and ultimately become a professor herself.

2012 STUDENT COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER (Science Ceremony)

Sheila Ganjian

Sheila earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences. She has an impressive record of academic and extracurricular achievement. Sheila maintained a 3.96 GPA in a demanding major and received three competitive scholarships in recognition of her achievements. For the last year, she has worked in the lab of Professor Zach Ma in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, conducting experiments in the investigation of a gene that when damaged, may be a cause of cancer. Sheila has also worked at CLAS as an organic chemistry tutor, helping other students to master this notoriously difficult subject!

For four years, she has been a Staff Writer for the Daily Nexus, covering everything from university budget cuts to Middle Eastern politics. She has also been the Patient Advocate of Student Health Services, acting as the single liaison between the Health Services and the student body. In her freshman year, Sheila founded a campus organization called "Children's Health Awareness," which now has 20 active members engaged in various community service projects at local health centers.

Next year, Sheila will attend medical school at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, as part of the Charles Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program. This program not only provides a top notch education, but fosters the development of leaders who will advance medical practice and knowledge in underserved areas and disadvantaged communities.

2012 STUDENT COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER (Engineering and Science Ceremony)

Emily Xiao

Emily earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a minor in English.  She has an impressive record of academic and extracurricular achievement. In addition to a demanding science curriculum, Emily has been involved in research since her sophomore year, when she began working with a graduate student in Parasitology. She then transitioned to working in Professor Bill Rice's Evolutionary Genetics lab, where she was a research assistant. Her senior project on genetics was about SA-Zygotic Drive.

Emily is a member of UCSB's Society of Undergraduate Biologists. She is also a member of the Associated Students Community Affairs Board, which focuses on service activities, and has volunteered at the American Heart Association. With an interest in healthcare for the underprivileged, for the past four years she has volunteered six hours per week at Isla Vista Neighborhood Clinic. When visiting her parents overseas, she volunteered at a tuberculosis clinic and organized activities around nutrition and fitness. Emily has also taken advantage of Santa Barbara’s climate and scenery as a member of the Excursion Club and participant in intramural sports.

After graduation, Emily plans to take a gap year before graduate school, when she will continue her research project with the aim of producing publishable results by the end of next year. Please join me in welcoming your student speaker, Emily Xiao.