Sarah Bingham

Sarah Bingham is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, a minor in French, and a Bantivoglio Honors concentration. Sarah has an outstanding academic record and has been doing undergraduate research in organic synthetic chemistry with Dr. Gustavo Moura-Letts since 2018. She has also taken a leadership role through research mentoring and has two manuscripts in preparation. In addition to chemistry, Sarah has a keen interest in fine art and archaeology and plans to use her knowledge of organic and analytical chemistry to pursue a graduate degree in art conservation. 

Shelly Castillo

Shelly, a Psychological Science major and Neuroscience minor, is an excellent team worker and leader in the Department of Psychology. In addition to serving as a learning assistant, Shelly has served as a research assistant on two different research projects with one resulting in a poster presentation at the New Jersey Society for Public Health Education Conference. She is a nationally certified EMT and volunteers for the Rowan Emergency Medical Services. Shelly is a Resident Assistant at Rowan and works at the Gloucester COVID-19 vaccine site. In addition, she volunteers for the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Camden, and serves as the Vice President at Habitat for Humanity. Shelly’s goal is to obtain her doctorate in Occupational Therapy, and as of this spring, she has been accepted into three programs.

Joseph George Demoneris

Joseph Demoneris represents the highest level of academic excellence in the Department of Computer Science. Not only is he a member of Bantivoglio Honors and the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Honor Society, but Joseph has also served as a computer science advanced learning assistant and has contributed to pedagogical materials with research involving Solidity and Vyper to develop smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. Joseph also participated in the Computer Science Cooperative Education Program while working at Lockheed Martin as a software engineer for the Navy’s Aegis project. Joseph will continue to work at Lockheed Martin after graduation.

Emily Rose Hammett

James M. Shafer Excellence in Mathematics Award: This medallion is donated by the Department of Mathematics in honor of Dr. James M. Shafer, a member of the Department from 1965 to 1980 and instrumental in the development of the Mathematics major at the University.

Emily Hammett is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, an Honors Concentration, and Minors in Applied Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research, and Spanish. She currently works as a tutor for Rowan College of South Jersey - Gloucester. At Rowan University, she is doing research in analytic number theory under the mentorship of Dr. Abdul Hassen. She is involved in the Math Team, and she has leadership roles in Women Inspiring a New Generation of Scientist and the Honors Fiber Arts group. A first-generation college student, she plans to continue her studies to earn a Ph.D. in pure mathematics at Penn State University.

Courtney Lynn Johnson

Excellence in Physics Award: This award, donated by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is presented to a Physics major who has demonstrated potential for continued academic or professional growth, and has significantly contributed to the department.

Courtney Johnson is graduating with her Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, minor in Mathematics, Certificate of Undergraduate Studies in Computer Programming, and Honors Concentration. She has been named to the Dean’s List and a President’s Scholar of Excellence every semester. She has been a member of the Symphonic and Concert Bands, a tutor in math and physics and at the writing center, and a Learning Assistant in introductory physics courses. She has served in Engineers Without Borders and on our departmental APS-IDEA team. She earned a NASA NJ Space Grant Consortium Fellowship for nanoparticle research in the Nucci Lab and was a summer intern at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. She has earned first authorship on a publication in the Journal of Physical Chemistry and has presented her work multiple conferences including the Women of Physical Sciences Conference, the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics, and the American Physical Society Department of Plasma Physics National Meeting. She is passionate in her pursuit of a research career in plasma physics with a focus on developing sustainable energy sources for the future. She will pursue her Ph.D. in plasma physics after graduation, having been accepted at multiple top programs.

Liliana Dolores Lemanowicz

Paul Dike Award for Excellence in Physical Science: This award, donated by the Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is presented to a Physics or Chemistry major who has demonstrated outstanding potential for continued academic or professional growth in the field of science education, and has significantly contributed to their department and community.

Liliana Lemanowicz transferred to Rowan University after a stellar career at Rowan College of South Jersey and entered the Physics Bachelor of Arts program and the Bantivoglio Honors concentration. Along the way she will also earn a minor in Mathematics. She jumped right in to life at Rowan by joining the Noyce Intern program, interning for the Rowan STEAM Academy and then joined the Physics Learning Assistant program in her second semester. These events solidified her passion for teaching and so she entered the Combined Advanced Degree Program with the M.A. in STEM-Ed. She was the Community Outreach Coordinator for WINGS and worked on a research project in the Rowan MarsCloud Lab. Liliana was recently inducted into the Tau Sigma National Honor Society and will be moving on to complete her STEM-Ed Master's degree.

Dominic A. Ruggiero

Excellence in Biological Sciences Award: This award is presented to a graduating student who excels in the field. The student must have an outstanding record of involvement in research opportunities within the department or within the community of biology. This award is donated by the Biology Club.

In addition to a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences, Dominic Ruggiero has worked to obtain a minor in Anthropology, with coursework in global health and medical anthropology. Within the Biological Sciences department, he has conducted research in the lab and field as an undergraduate member of the EDGe Lab under Drs. Michael Grove, Courtney Richmond, and Nathan Ruhl, with a particular focus on statistics. He has presented his work at local and international conferences (virtually) and is currently involved in the development of a manuscript for publication about zooplankton subsidies from reservoirs to streams. Dominic is also involved in the Bantivoglio Honors Concentration and was in a leadership role with the Honors Jazz Band. He intends to continue his education with an MPH in epidemiology, where his experience in data science, ecology, microbiology, and anthropology will be applied to understand and mitigate future epidemics.

Olivia K. Smithson

Robert N. Renlund Preprofessional Award in the Allied Health Field: Established in memory of Dr. Robert Renlund, a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences, this medallion awarded to two students for excellence in premedical or preprofessional studies. This award is donated by the Preprofessional Club.

Olivia Smithson has been an exemplary student and researcher in her tenure at Rowan University. She excelled and stood out in every class in which she was enrolled. Working in the Vojvodic Kruse Lab, she analyzed 1500 hours of honeybee behavior videos and designed and performed associated analysis. She presented research results at both regional and national conferences and was awarded “Best Student Research Poster” at the Evolution of Philadelphia Conference. Olivia received a Bachelors of Science in Biological Sciences, with minors in Neuroscience, Psychology, and German Studies. In addition, she volunteered countless hours as an online and mobile crisis counselor, served in weekly overnight emotional crisis rotations, and supervised Resident Assistant staff through conflict resolution and housing management.

Gurvir Singh

Dr. Mark M. Chamberlain Excellence Award in Chemistry/Biochemistry: This award honors the memory of Dr. Mark M. Chamberlain who became the fourth president of Rowan University in 1969. In 1984, Dr. Chamberlain left the presidency and joined the Department of Chemistry and Physics as a distinguished professor until retiring in 2000. This award is presented by his loving wife Barbara Chamberlain, Ph.D., APRN, MBA.

Gurvir Singh is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. Gurvir excels at balancing work, research, and academic coursework. He is a valued member of Dr. Timothy Vaden's research laboratory and has co-authored a published manuscript based on his research project. Gurvir is also in the Princeton Army ROTC program. He will be attending Lehigh University in Fall 2021 to pursue a Ph.D. in Biochemistry.

Frank DiGiorgio, Jr.

Biochemistry Award

Catherine Nguyen

Biological Sciences

Catherine Nguyen is a pre-medical Biological Sciences major with Chemistry and Sociology minors and an Honors Concentration. She is an outstanding student and has been an active part of Thomas Keck’s molecular pharmacology laboratory, contributing research to several drug discovery and development projects, and co-authorship on manuscripts. In addition, Catherine is the founder of the Vietnamese Student Association, involved in leadership of the Pre-health Society, and serves as a mentor in the Honors program. Outside of Rowan, her experience includes being a medical scribe, volunteering as a 7 Cups of Tea listener, at a medical center in Vietnam and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Catherine also participated in a MEDLIFE trip to Peru. She is first generation American and fluent in Vietnamese.

Joshua Davis

Chemistry

Joshua Davis is graduating with a B.S. in Chemistry. Joshua has been a critical member of the Grinias Lab research team. He has published multiple papers in the areas of chemical analysis, especially focused on the development of low-cost, miniaturized measurement tools. For this work, he was recognized as one of four outstanding undergraduate researchers in the country by the Eastern Analytical Symposium in 2020. Joshua also was part of  Rowan team of scientists and engineers that provided 3D-printed personal protective equipment (PPE) to front-line workers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. He will be pursuing a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry at Florida State University in fall 2021.

Jacelynn Duranceau

Computer Science

Jacelynn Duranceau demonstrates an exceptional level of academics, leadership, and service in the Department of Computer Science. In addition to being a Bantivoglio Honors student, she is an active member of our Rowan student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery’s Council on Women (ACM-W) where she has served as Treasurer and is currently the President. She frequently volunteers her time as a computer science learning assistant and tutor as well as supporting university and department outreach events. She was also accepted into our Rowan Computer Science accelerated Combined Advanced Degree Program (CADP) where she has already started her graduate studies with completion next year.

Brooke McGinley

Mathematics

Brooke McGinley is graduating with a B.S. in Mathematics and minor in Statistics. She is known for her leadership in the Rowan Department of Mathematics, where she works as a tutor and serves as president of the Mathematics Team. Brooke is also very active in undergraduate research. She has presented at the Joint Statistics Meetings with Dr. Umashanger Thayasivam and researched statistics in medicine with Dr. Charalampos Papachristou. In 2020, Brooke joined the collaboration at the Summer Institute for Biostatistics at Boston University's School of Public Health. Having recently been accepted to their Ph.D. program, Brooke looks forward to continuing her education and research.

Alyssa Sanders

Molecular & Cellular Biosciences

Alyssa Sanders is graduating with her B.S. in Translational Biomedical Sciences. Alyssa has been a three-season athlete throughout her undergraduate studies (cross-country, indoor and outdoor track and field) and has earned numerous academic student-athlete awards, including being named a Rowan Scholar-Athlete of Distinction each year. Since the spring of her sophomore year, she has also been a dedicated student researcher in the Nucci Lab. In addition to leading a research team and training incoming students while balancing two individual research projects, Alyssa has presented her work at multiple scientific conferences including the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. She also presented at the meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Pharmacological Society where she won first prize in the poster contest for her excellence in communicating her work. In addition to her distinction in the classroom, on the field, and in the lab, Alyssa is also lead author of two publications on her research. Alyssa has been accepted into a Ph.D. program at Drexel University and plans to pursue a career as a teacher-scholar.

Alyssa Salera

Office of Health Professions

Alyssa Salera is a Biochemistry major, with concentrations in the Bantivoglio Honors College, a Certificate of Undergraduate Studies in Italian, and minors in Biology and Pre-Medical Studies. Alyssa is the President of the Pre-Health Society, and since 2018 has been Co-Leader for Problem Based Learning within the Honors College. Since freshman year, Alyssa has volunteered weekly with Unified Sports with the Special Olympics and was named Volunteer of the Year for 2019-20. In 2018-19 she served as Undergraduate Coordinator for the Office of Volunteerism, and since August 2020, has worked as an Assistant Resident Director, after serving as a Resident Assistant from 2018-2020. Alyssa is a Rowan Scholars Scholarship recipient, has achieved Leadership Rowan Bronze and Silver certifications, has made the Deans List three times, and has been named a Presidential Scholar of Excellence for the Fall 2019 and Spring and Fall 2020 semesters. She plans to start medical school in Fall 2022 and will focus on clinical work, research, volunteering, and spending time on her family's farm after graduation.

Kyril Kavetsky

Physics & Astronomy

Kyril Kavetsky is graduating with a B.S. in Physics. He has been an important contributor to the Department of Physics & Astronomy and involved in a variety of activities including serving as both a tutor and a learning assistant. Kyril earned the distinction of being the first physics student to complete an internship at Lockheed Martin. In addition, he has a longstanding interest in materials science and has been involved in undergraduate research in multifunctional materials for several years. In his spare, Kyril is an exceptional amateur chess player. He will be attending University of Pennsylvania to earn a Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering.

Danielle Schweitzer

Psychology

Danielle Schweitzer is a psychology major, Spanish minor and is in the Honors Concentration. In the Department of Psychology, we serve 1,400 undergraduates, and Danielle is easily in the top 1%. She has been a psychology learning assistant for three semesters, completed two internships, and is an instructor at an equine-assisted therapy facility. Danielle has extensive research experience working with Dr. James Haugh on an independent research project investigating the use of mobile applications for depression and anxiety. In fact, she recently presented a poster at the 2020 APA convention. Danielle has served as an outstanding Honors mentor for first-year Honors students where she provided creative and sensitive presentations on Title IX, alcohol use, and consent. In 2020, she was awarded the Department's Outstanding Underclassmen Award. Danielle has been accepted into Rowan University's Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program.