Good afternoon.
I am Thomas A. Lewis, Co-Deputy Dean
and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the Graduate School.
Thank you for watching today as we recognize
some of our most outstanding scholars.
Our first award is named for the Joukowsky family,
who have shown great generosity to the University over many years;
we certainly hope they are with us virtually today.
With these prizes, we recognize outstanding achievements in research
by doctoral students across the disciplines.
Recipients were nominated by their departments
and final selections were made by the Graduate Council.
Our first Joukowsky dissertation prize, for a student in the Humanities,
goes to Erika Valdivieso, who is receiving her Ph.D. in Classics.
The title of her dissertation is "Virgilian Imitation in Colonial Latin America."
Congratulations, Erika.
Thank you to the Graduate School for the award,
and, to the rest of the graduates of 2020, congratulations!
The Joukowsky dissertation award in the Life Sciences
is awarded to Hyeyoung Shin,
who is receiving her Ph.D. in Neuroscience.
Her dissertation is entitled "Putative Timekeeper Neurons
and Noncanonical Brain Rhythms in Perception."
Congratulations, Hyeyoung!
Thank you for this great honor. I would like to share this honor with my advisors
Dr. Chris Moore and Dr. Stephanie Jones, as well as my family, my mom, my dad, my sister
and my partner Dwan, and all my friends who shared my journey at Brown. Thank you!
The Joukowsky dissertation award in the Physical Sciences goes to Lu Lu,
who is receiving his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics.
The title of his dissertation is "Theory, Algorithms, and Software for Physics-Informed Deep Learning."
Congratulations, Lu!
Thank you!
The final Joukowsky dissertation award, for a student in the Social Sciences,
goes to Madeline Kearin, who is receiving her Ph.D. in Anthropology.
The title of her dissertation is "'A Refuge of Cure or of Care': The Sensory Dimensions
of Confinement at Worcester State Hospital for the Insane."
Congratulations, Madeline!
Thank you very much. This is a huge honor.
To our recipients, congratulations for your outstanding contributions to scholarship.
And now Dean Kessel will share the recipients of our master’s awards.
Welcome! I am Shayna Kessel, the Associate Dean of Master’s Education
for the Graduate School and Interim Associate Dean for International Graduate Students.
Thank you for joining us virtually today to recognize our graduates!
I will present three awards recognizing the academic, professional and citizenship achievements
of our master’s students.
Recipients were nominated by their departments, and final selections were made by the Graduate Council.
The first award is for Outstanding Academic Accomplishment, and the winner is Aakash Jhaveri.
Today he will receive his Master of Science degree in Biotechnology.
Congratulations, Aakash!
I just want to thank my mentor Dr. El-Deiry,
the labmates that work beside me in the lab every day —
you make it a great experience —
and my family, mom, dad, and my younger brother Ansh,
for supporting me and helping me get here to this point.
Thank you.
The next award is for Professional Excellence, which recognizes outstanding contributions
that influence or contribute to the field or profession.
The recipient is Lucas Baisch, who is receiving his Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting today.
Congratulations, Lucas!
I would like to thank Brown University for this award and the Graduate School as well.
It’s truly an affirmation of the importance of art and culture here at the University.
Alongside this thanks I would like to thank my advisors Lisa D’Amour and Julia Jarcho
and my cohort who has been through this journey with me the whole time,
specifically Emma Horwitz and Julia Izumi.
Again, thank you, it’s truly an honor,
and I really appreciate it.
The final master’s award is for Engaged Citizenship and Community Service.
The recipient is Manuel Jiménez, who is receiving an Executive Master of Business Administration today.
Congratulations, Manuel!
Thank you very much, I feel honored
to receive this award. I would like to thank both
Brown University and IE Business School for the amazing experience
and the learnings that they have provided throughout the last fifteen months.
It’s been truly inspiring on how to keep on finding new ways
to make a positive impact in our society and the planet,
so thank you.
Congratulations to all our master’s award winners.
The president of Brown’s Graduate Student Council, Kathryn Thompson,
will now share our two final awards.
Hello! I am Kathryn Thompson, the president of Graduate Student Council.
I am pleased to announce the recipients of two staff awards that are given on behalf
of all graduate students to express our appreciation for the recipient’s dedication and commitment
to graduate students at the University.
The Wilson-DeBlois Award is named in honor of George Grafton Wilson and Austen K. DeBlois,
recipients of Brown’s first Doctor of Philosophy degrees in 1889.
The recipient of this year’s award is Marlina Duncan, Associate Dean of Diversity Initiatives
and Assistant Vice President for Academic Diversity.
Congratulations, Marlina!
I would like to thank the doctoral students for selecting me for the 2020 Wilson-DeBlois Award.
It is truly an honor to be recognized for something I love to do.
Thank you again!
The Bates-Clapp Award is named for the first two women to receive master’s degrees
at Brown University. This year’s winner is Carrie Nordlund,
the Associate Director for the Master of Public Affairs Program
at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.
Congratulations, Carrie!
Thank you so much to the Graduate School and the Graduate Student Council for this wonderful award.
It’s really meaningful to me, and thank you again for this.
On behalf of the Graduate Student Council, congratulations to all our awardees
and to all our graduating students!