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SPEAKER: Welcome, graduates, family, faculty, and friends, to the 2023 Biological Sciences Recognition Ceremony.
[APPLAUSE]
To begin this evening's program, please join me in welcoming class of 2023 Biological Sciences graduate Ian Ghasemian, who will be performing the "Revolutionary Étude" by Chopin.
[APPLAUSE]
IAN GHASEMAIN: What's up, guys? My name is Ian, and I'll be playing for you guys in a little bit. But I just wanted to say a few words before I get started. First, I want to thank my parents, my grandparents, and my brother, Ari. They made the trip here from DC. I'm eternally thankful for them. I wouldn't be anywhere near this stage if it weren't for any of them. So thank you, guys. I love you.
Second, I want to thank my piano teacher, who is watching from home, Glaise Brisky, who has to be one of the kindest, most thoughtful, most caring people I've ever met in my entire life, and, again, who's making this possible.
So the piece I'm going to play for you guys tonight, the "Étude," I think is emblematic of our Cornell experience, especially as biology students. We start abruptly. It's a seemingly nonstop whirlwind of assignments and stress and deadlines and tests. And then all at once, we're done. And that's kind of how this piece goes.
So I hope you've enjoyed your journey as much as I've enjoyed mine. And yeah, I hope you enjoy my playing as well.
[APPLAUSE]
["REVOLUTIONARY ÉTUDE" PLAYING"]
[APPLAUSE]
LINDA NICHOLSON: That was amazing. Thank you, Ian. Members of the Biological Sciences class of 2023, families, friends, faculty, and staff, I extend my warmest welcome. I'm Linda Nicholson, the faculty director of undergraduate biology and a professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Thank you so much for being here to celebrate this important milestone.
Graduates, let me begin by saying I am simply in awe of you. You have successfully navigated a complex landscape of coursework and campus life, a landscape that included adapting to a sudden shift to online classes during your first year, getting tested for COVID twice a week when you came back on campus, wearing masks and adhering to a drastically curtailed social life.
You showed tremendous care and compassion for one another, for our academic village, and for the Ithaca community as you honored the student behavioral contract, that set of rules that were imposed to keep us all safe in the midst of the pandemic. By cooperating as a community, the sacrifices that you made saved lives. Thank you. You are very special human beings.
But I won't sugarcoat what you've been through. I know that you've suffered losses. Perhaps there are loved ones who are not here today to see this moment. But it's my belief that love transcends all barriers of space and time, and those loved ones are here with you and will always be with you.
I hope you don't dwell on what you've lost, rather, that you move forward into your future knowing that love that you share goes on with you forever. By focusing on new possibilities rather than loss, you are empowered to find your true path and bring your vision to the world. Lean into the uncertainty of the future, knowing that you are brilliant, resilient, and strong.
Class of 2023, you are change agents. Some of you are dedicated to becoming healers by pursuing medicine. Others are drawn toward exploration of the unknown and are heading to graduate school or diving right into a research position or another exciting job. And others are in the process of discerning their unique path into the future.
Each of you has an important role to play in the world. You've acquired powerful knowledge, knowledge about how the world works at the molecular level to the level of cells, organisms, ecosystems, and even beyond. A common truth across all of these levels is that everything is interconnected. One consequence of this intrinsic interconnectedness is that one small change can make a difference across the whole system.
You can make a difference. You might feel like a tiny speck in a vast system and that whatever you do won't matter. Well, let's think about that for a moment. We've witnessed a tiny virus particle spread across the globe and impact essentially every corner of the planet. It brought the world to a near standstill.
What else can spread exponentially like that? What about something as simple as a smile? If you walk down a street and smile at 10 people, and each of them are compelled to smile at 10 more people and so on, your smile could, in principle, spread across the globe.
| sharing your truth, an idea that resonates with others, you can drive transformation, sometimes without even knowing it. Your knowledge, passion, and creativity are so needed in the world. Go out there and share it. Being your authentic selves, you each will make a difference.
There's a universal truth about the practice of science that you need to know. Everyone makes mistakes. We are human. The most important thing is to own your mistakes, clean them up, and do your best not to repeat them. Owning one's mistakes is the most powerful thing you can do for growth, for building trust, and for strengthening relationships.
So I'm going to share with you a true story about one of my own big mistakes. As a graduate student in biophysics, I used solid state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, NMR, to study proteins in lipid membranes. To do an NMR experiment, you put a very short, very high power radio frequency pulse into an NMR probe that is inserted into a superconducting magnet.
The probe is basically an electronic circuit with a solenoid coil, and your sample sits inside that coil. Now, when you set up an NMR experiment, the first step is to tune the probe circuit to the desired frequency so that your experiment will actually work. And tuning involves putting a very long, very low power radio frequency pulse into the probe after your sample is loaded. And then you change the variable capacitance to tune it.
You see where this is going, right? I forgot to turn the power level down, and I put a very high power, very long radio frequency pulse into the probe. It was catastrophic. I blew out an expensive variable capacitor and melted the solenoid coil right off of the circuit. My precious sample, which was inside the solenoid coil, was absolutely unrecognizable, fused to the coil, one with the coil.
I thought my journey in science was over. After the solenoid coil cooled off enough, I picked it up, and I went directly to my professor's office, head hanging down, certain that I'd be dismissed rapidly from the graduate program. I set the mangled sample coil blob on his desk, and I said, I'm so sorry. I fried it, and also the new variable capacitor.
Amazingly, a smile came across his face. And he reached up to a shelf behind him and brought down a small beaker filled with mangled remnants of samples and capacitors that were fried. And he said, here's my collection. I was stunned. He said, that's how we learn. We make mistakes, we learn from them, and we try not to do them again.
He gave me grace. He knew in that moment that he could trust me to be honest and take responsibility for my own actions and hopefully learn from them. Trust and grace from a mentor are necessary for growth and development and for strengthening the relationships with those who will serve as guides on your journey. If you find yourself with a mentor who is unable to give you grace when you honestly and humbly own your mistakes, please consider finding a true mentor.
While we're on the subject of honesty and truth, as you go out there into the world, shine your light on science wherever you can. There is so much mistrust and misinformation out there. People don't know what to believe. Science communication is a critical area where you can make such a big difference. Be ambassadors who meet others where they are, listen to them, and share with them your scientific knowledge and wisdom and your vision for a better future.
We have some big challenges that face the world, and it will take all of us working together to create sustainable ways of life. A first step is to restore public trust in science. Climate change is real. Biology has a big role to play in areas such as carbon sequestration, energy production and storage, adaptation, combating disease, and feeding the world, among many other things. Your work here at Cornell has equipped you with the tools you need to help address any of these challenges, and there are unlimited possibilities.
Finally, remember to put your own oxygen mask on before assisting others, just like they tell you on the airplane. Nourish and care for your body and your spirit. Think about what you're grateful for each day. Get enough sleep. Connect with others and with nature. Be well so that you can do your greatest good.
Stay close to each other, and please stay close to us at the Office of Undergraduate Biology. We can't wait to hear about the exciting journeys you're heading to. So will everyone please join me in congratulating the Cornell Biological Sciences class of 2023?
[APPLAUSE]
And now I would like to introduce Amy Drumluk, assistant director of advising and coordinator of first year advising in the Office of Undergraduate Biology. Amy.
[APPLAUSE]
AMY DRUMLUK: Thank you, Linda. Good evening, everyone. Tonight, I have the honor of recognizing our senior student advisors. These 30 student leaders have volunteered numerous hours to serve as peer advisors to nearly 351 first year students this past year. Some have served for the past two years.
Within their role, student advisors introduce and guide new students through the process of choosing classes, explaining the major, and connecting them to important resources on campus. But most importantly, they support and empower new students with the guidance, confidence, and skills necessary to be successful at Cornell.
Each student advisor has already been presented with a red and white graduation cord acknowledging their many contributions. I could speak at length to the wonderful ways that our student advisors assist the OUB staff, faculty, and students. But I will allow the students they mentor to speak for me. Here are a few words that were shared about our student advisors.
"My student advisor is literally the best student advisor ever. Every time I'm struggling, he's always there to help improve and give me advice. He checks in very frequently, and I truly appreciate him."
"I've gotten some really helpful feedback and advice on a range of different questions that I've had, from schedule building to internship applications to long-term post-graduate planning. My goals were always understood, and the advice I received was very realistic and constructive."
"The first person I was able to connect with on campus was my student advisor. By talking to him, I was able to figure out different studying methods, faster routes to class, and even how heavy of a jacket I should have for these Ithaca winters. I remember leaving the first of our many meetings reassured that Cornell would feel like a second home."
I will now invite our student advisors to please stand.
[APPLAUSE]
Don't sit just yet. On behalf of the Office of the Undergraduate Biology, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your commitment and enthusiasm to Cornell University and to the Biological Sciences community. It has been a great pleasure working with you and learning from you.
We wish you luck as you move on to the next adventure in your lives. And although we are sad to see you go, we are excited about all of the opportunities that you will find in the future and please hope that you check in with us from time to time. We are forever grateful for the lasting impact that each of you has made in our community. Would everyone please join me once again in recognizing our student advisors?
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you. You may be seated. And I would now like to introduce Dr. Laura Schoenle, associate director of undergraduate research, to recognize our Biological Sciences honors graduates.
[APPLAUSE]
LAURA SCHOENLE: I'm excited to be here with all of you to celebrate our 2023 Biological Sciences graduates and to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of our undergraduate researchers. Over 80% of our graduates have engaged in research, and each and every one of these early career scientists have contributed to the creation of new knowledge.
Their efforts are critical to building a better world. Their research is advancing medicine, providing insights into human and animal behavior, creating strategies to conserve and protect the planet, and much, much more. Here are a few examples of the research projects our graduates have worked on.
Evaluating the effects of mistrust of the medical system on women of marginalized identities with breast cancer. Creating novel drug delivery systems to enhance the effectiveness of medication. Assessing the adaptability of an at-risk bird species, the American kestrel, to complex stressors, such as climate change and intensive agriculture.
The impact of New York state's food donation and food scraps recycling law on the dairy industry in terms of cattle diet, greenhouse gas emissions, and milk production. Understanding the molecular basis of epilepsy. I have so many more examples, and I could spend a lot of time telling you about them, but we can't. We can't. They're doing such great things.
Success in research requires creativity, critical thinking and problem solving, the ability to communicate clearly and collaborate, and, perhaps most importantly, resilience. As all you researchers know, you need strength and determination to keep going when your experiments fail, when no matter how many times you try to fix your R code, it keeps throwing errors and you probably just forgot a comma, or when you hear critical feedback from your mentor.
The skills you developed as researchers will serve you no matter what you do next. So let's celebrate the hard work and discoveries of all the researchers among our 2023 graduates with a round applause.
[APPLAUSE]
A subset of these student researchers chose to complete an honors thesis. They proposed a research project, worked through study design and data collection, analysis, and ultimately create a written document, a thesis in the form of a scientific journal article.
That thesis was reviewed and approved by professional scientists and faculty at Cornell and the honors committee. All honors students were awarded a bronze medallion on a red and white ribbon in recognition of their accomplishments, and you'll see many of them wearing those today. Will all the honors graduates please stand?
[APPLAUSE]
All right, you may be seated. Now I would like to introduce one of our amazing students, Anabella Maria Galang, who will be sharing a spoken word poem entitled "A De Novo Approach."
[APPLAUSE]
ANNABELLA GALANG: Thank you. I was told there was this step here for me, so I used it. Thank you so much for being here today. So something that we don't think about enough is how delightfully self-indulgent the study of biology is. So please, everyone, join me in taking this breath. Let's breathe in and breathe out.
Plants and their predecessors have conspired for over hundreds of millions of years to bring us this breath. The least we could do in return is to get to know them, know ourselves, and know the world around us. We're sitting here today because for one reason or another, we all decided to make the choice in studying biological sciences.
And this choice was not an unexamined one. Hardly any steps in the Biological Sciences major do not require an OUB-mediated info session or meeting. That coupled with the demanding coursework leads me to the conclusion that we are all united in our ardent convictions towards the life sciences.
And like all relationships, it is not without its trials. Our Cornell experience has been a thoroughly trying, albeit rewarding one. And human anatomy taught us first that growth and pain often feel the same. Cells, they break and they build, ever responsive to the mercurial temperaments of the environment, as have we.
On March 13, 2020, the university suspended classes and announced that we had three weeks to pack up our lives and relocate to our isolated silos across the world. I'm sure we all have stories of where we were and what we were doing that day when that chaos ensued, when the news dropped, the phone calls to loved ones, the frenzy in the dorms.
For me, I was sitting in the cocktail lounge when I got the news. I immediately packed up my things and headed to my home base for the semester. And by home base, I mean the Study Center for BIOG 1445. For those unfamiliar with the alphabet soup that is the Cornell curriculum, 1445 is the auto tutorial class for comparative anatomy and physiology.
You complete the course at your own pace, and you perform the labs and take the unit tests at the Study Center. When I arrived at Stimson Hall, I was surprised to see so many other students there with the same frenzied look in their eyes. We were all worried about completing the course objectives that at the time hinged on our presence in this shared space.
Then the professor for that course, Dr. Darlene Campbell, she came out of her office, and she quelled our fears. And she told us, go home, take a hike, spend time together. And I'm incredibly grateful that she did. And from Stimson Hall, I walked north towards the campus where we all were living at the time before hiking down along the rim of Fall Creek Gorge, one of two gorge systems that straddle Cornell.
And something that's always struck me about the gorges was their scale. Yes, they're physically quite large. But rather, I mean on a temporal level-- time. These gorges, these trees, this life was here long before Ezra Cornell laid the foundation for this university. And so cradled in this rocky crevice, I was reminded of an overarching theme of biology-- structure dictates function.
This gorge is here because water persisted for thousands of years in cutting through the limestone and the shale. These plants are here because they persisted through the predators and environment and that challenge to their existence. And we are here because we persisted through a challenging, unprecedented, and rewarding experience in the Biological Sciences Department.
That structure consisted of your individual endurance, your office-hours allies, the lab partners that you simultaneously loved and hated, the TAs and the tutors that kept you afloat, the professors that tell us to go take a hike and to take care of ourselves, to the family whose calls and texts kept us going. That function is this, now, a celebration and a closing of our convergence here at Cornell.
Education is an iterative process underpinned by dynamism and many small and sometimes incorrect steps that build towards a goal. In studying biology, we have learned that life itself hinges on the flexibility of small molecules and the promiscuity of ions. There is something crucial in our transient interactions.
And while our time here has probably not felt transient, it is a minute cross-section in the trajectory of our lives. Tomorrow is commencement. To commence, to start. This is just the beginning. And yes, it's bittersweet and perhaps even a little scary.
But the truth is that it's not actually about knowing what the future holds. It's about actualizing and learning from the past, enough to equip you to handle whatever the future throws at us. Again, another lesson from biology-- throughout our lifetime, DNA remembers the patterns of histone methylation long after it's been unwound, read, and replicated.
We can once again learn from the cells and keep with us these lessons we've learned here as both people and scientists and remember them long after we physically leave Cornell. As for what our futures hold, you've got this. We have built ourselves to be prepared for what will come next.
And to the family, the friends, the loved ones, the faculty, the professors, the TAs, who are all here today, on behalf of the class of 2023 Biological Sciences majors, we thank you for your support. Whether through imagining entire touchstone courses to be online or, again, an encouraging call or text on difficult days, I think we all know that none of this would have been possible without your support and without you believing in us.
It has truly been a privilege to examine life in so many different capacities here. Today, we commence the rest of our lives. But we do so with the persistence and the dynamism that we have earned as Biological Sciences majors at Cornell University. Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
LINDA NICHOLSON: Thank you, Annabella. That was wonderful. And parents, in case you're wondering about what that cocktail lounge was all about, it's a study space in the library that looks like a lounge, but they don't serve cocktails. I got you covered, Annabella.
So I'm up here again to present an award called the Harry T. Stinson Award. Harry Theodore Stinson was a leading plant geneticist who served as a Cornell faculty member for 36 years. He came to Cornell as a full professor in 1962 and then retired here in 1998.
He had a lasting impact on Cornell's Biological Sciences through his roles as teacher, department chair, and associate director of the Division of Biological Sciences. He was instrumental in crafting the biology curriculum, and in fact, he founded what is now BIOMG 2800, our undergraduate genetics course. Who took 2800? I sure hope so because it's a required course.
[LAUGHTER]
Harry was committed to supporting undergraduates and advised a large number of Biological Sciences majors, including all transfer students. To honor Harry's dedication to teaching and mentoring of our undergraduate students, 16 years ago, the Office of Undergraduate Biology created the Harry T. Stinson Award for Outstanding Service to Biology Students.
This award was presented for the first time at the Biological Sciences Recognition Ceremony on May 27, 2007, eight months before Harry passed away, and he did participate in that recognition ceremony. Each year, the senior class nominates a biology faculty member who made a difference in their lives through her or his inspiration, leadership, and support as an advisor, teacher, and/or mentor.
So here are some of the excerpts from student nominations of this year's recipient. "She was a fantastic professor and mentor. She really cares about her students and encourages problem solving and critical thinking in the classroom. I grew so much from what I learned and she was lovely to be around, always."
"She taught one of my favorite classes that I've taken at Cornell. Her teaching style makes it clear that she deeply cares about her class and her students. She works hard to make the material engaging. She's incredibly knowledgeable and cares deeply about her class and students."
"She's been an outstanding teacher and mentor. She's constantly creating new ways to inspire students and teach them new concepts. She is a very talented teacher and supports people's different learning styles. She's furthered my passion for this class, and I learned so much in that class that I was able to apply to my research lab and hopefully in my future career as well."
And finally, another student-- those were multiple students. Another student said, "She reinspired my love of biology. Her class was interesting and up to date. She clearly cares and remembers things about her students as people. And she's always trying to be the best professor that she can be. The best part of biology at Cornell."
So it is my great pleasure to announce that this year's recipient of the Stinson Award for Outstanding Service to Biology students is Dr. Dorothy Debbie.
[APPLAUSE]
She is a lecturer in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the Vet School and teaches a popular course titled Pathogenic Bacteriology. Unfortunately, she could not be here with us tonight because she's on a family trip to Chicago.
Megan Gallagher and I were able to surprise her last Friday with this award, and then we took it back and said we have to have it here. Want this? Can't have it. So she sent a statement to be shared with you tonight, and I would like to invite Dr. Laura Schoenle to channel Dr. Debbie by reading her statement.
LAURA SCHOENLE: "I'm really sorry I can't be here in person to celebrate your graduation with you. Thank you so much for this award. I am truly honored by the support of my students. I usually end my Pathogenic Bacteriology class telling students I hope they enjoyed the class and that it's my favorite class to teach.
Mostly that's because of the students who take the class, who always seem excited to learn something new or, for some, something different. I'm able to feed off that energy, which makes me a better teacher. What I hope for all of you is that you continue to be excited to learn new things throughout your life. Sure, it'll make you successful. But I think more importantly, it will make you happy, and that's what really matters. Good luck with wherever you end up after graduation."
[APPLAUSE]
LINDA NICHOLSON: So congratulations, Dr. Dorothy Debbie.
We actually have another award to present that didn't make it into the program because it was late breaking and came in after the program was printed. I would like to invite Professor Rob Raguso of Neurobiology and Behavior to the podium to present this exciting and important award.
[APPLAUSE]
ROB RAGUSO: The SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence are among the most prestigious awards recognized at Cornell University. This award is especially exciting tonight because it's a surprise. The winner doesn't know who they are. It's my honor to present the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching to Dr. Mark Sarvary.
[APPLAUSE]
How many of you have been taught by Mark? Yes, nearly all of you. Mark is the driving organizational and innovative force behind BIOG 1500, Investigative Biology Laboratory, the largest and arguably one of the most important courses in our Biology major at Cornell.
Mark and his large team of teaching assistants enliven in their classrooms with activities that empower Cornell students to grow beyond their comfort zones, to confront complex issues encompassed by the life sciences, from health to ethics to agriculture, and to actively forge their own professional paths.
Mark has infused his teaching with a dedication to inclusivity and accessibility, and has implemented active learning approaches into every aspect of his course, serving as a model for introductory biology courses nationwide and training a new generation of educators to embrace best practices in pedagogy. This award honors Mark's lasting contributions as an educational pioneer at Cornell, reinforcing the foundations of our Biology major. Please join me in congratulating Mark.
[APPLAUSE]
LINDA NICHOLSON: And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for, the presentation of graduates. Each graduate will walk across the stage as their name is read, will shake my hand, and receive a certificate-- it's not the real diploma. That will come later-- and will then proceed to have their picture taken as they exit the stage.
Our name readers today are Professor Cole Gilbert, former director of Undergraduate Biology, current director of Undergraduate Studies for Entomology, and member of the Department of Entomology, and Professor Kelly Liu, member of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and current director of our summer NSF-funded research experience for undergraduates. A special thanks to Cole and Kelley for reading names today.
COLE GILBERT: [READING NAMES]
KELLY LIU: [READING NAMES]
COLE GILBERT AND KELLY LIU: [READING NAMES]
[APPLAUSE, CHEERING]
LINDA NICHOLSON: Thank you so much for being here with us tonight to mark this very significant moment in the journey of the Biological Sciences class of 2023. My hope is that this is not goodbye but rather see you later.
As a closing, to honor the bond we share across the Cornell family, I now invite eight of our students to come to the stage to sing Cornell's alma mater. Emmanualla Brewa Sarpong. Caitlyn Chang. Honora Chapman. Anabella Maria Galang. Claire Ho. Sarah Liang. Caitlyn McCabe. And Amber Zhang.
[APPLAUSE]
The words to the alma mater are printed in your bulletin if you'd like to sing along. Also, after singing, you are welcome to come up on the stage to take pictures with the banner and the plants. And whenever they are ready, the Biological Sciences ad hoc graduate a cappella group will lead us in Cornell's alma mater. Please stand if you are able.
A CAPPELLA GROUP: (SINGING) Far above Cayuga's waters, with its waves so blue, stands our noble alma mater, glorious to view. Lift the chorus, speed it onward. Loud her praises tell. Hail to thee, our alma mater. Hail, all hail, Cornell.
Far above the busy humming of the bustling town, reared against the arch of heaven, looks she proudly down. Lift the chorus, speed it onward. Loud her praises tell. Hail to thee, our alma mater. Hail, all hail, Cornell.
[APPLAUSE]
LINDA NICHOLSON: And this concludes our program. Thank you for being here. Safe travels. And if anyone wants to come up and take pictures, please feel free to. Take good care.
