CNAS Commencement 2023

CNAS Commencement

The College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences
celebrates the UCR Class of 2023!

 

UC Riverside 69th Commencement

The University of California, Riverside celebrates the 69th Commencement — Congratulations to our graduating students! Each of you have worked incredibly hard and we couldn't be more proud to be part of your journey.  

To help make this a memorable day for graduating students, family, friends, and guests, the official UCR Commencement website has all the information you need for this special occasion.  Please visit commencement.ucr.edu.

 
 
 

 

CNAS Commencement Program

 
 
 

 

CNAS Commencement Ceremonies

 

Graduate Division Hooding Ceremony
Saturday, June 3, 2023 – 9 A.M.
Location:
Student Recreation Center (SRC) North (Directions & Map)
The Graduate Division Hooding Ceremony is for all Ph.D. degree and M.F.A. degree candidates.
More information on the Hooding Ceremony

 


 

Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees for Biology and Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology
Tuesday, June 20, 2023 – 8 A.M.
Location:
Toyota Arena in Ontario (Directions & Map)
More information on the Group 1 Ceremony

 


 

Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees for All Other Majors
Tuesday, June 20, 2023 – 1 P.M.
Location:
Toyota Arena in Ontario (Directions & Map)
More information on the Group 2 Ceremony

 

 
 
 

 

CNAS Department Reception and Celebration Events

In addition to the CNAS Commencement Ceremonies, CNAS departments will host their own graduation and awards ceremonies for students in their departments.

Biochemistry Graduate Sendoff/Shannon Awards Reception
Friday, June 9, 2023 | 5PM-6PM
Location: Courtyard between Boyce and Webber Halls
Note: Invitation only - not open to the public
Chemistry Reception for Graduates
Friday, June 2, 2023 | 4PM
Location: Chemical Sciences Courtyard
Note: Invitation only - not open to the public
Earth and Planetary Sciences Graduation Ceremony
Saturday, June 16, 2023 | 4PM-10PM
Location: Geology Courtyard
Note: Invitation only - not open to the public
Entomology Reception for Graduates
Saturday, June 17, 2023 | 3PM
Location: Entomology Courtyard and Entomology Large Conference Room
Environmental Sciences End-of-the-Year Reception
Saturday, June 9, 2023 | 5:30PM-8:30PM
Location: The Barn
Note: Invitation only - not open to the public
Physics and Astronomy Reception and Awards Ceremony for Graduate Students
Saturday, June 3, 2023 | 12 p.m. following the Hooding Ceremony
Location: Lunch at the Physics Department Barkas Lounge, followed by awards and recognition ceremony in Chung Hall 138

Physics and Astronomy Graduation Recognition Ceremony for Undergraduates
Friday, June 9, 2023 | 2 p.m.
Location: HMNSS 1501
 
 
 

 

CNAS Student Participants

On June 20, the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences will celebrate Commencement, with graduating CNAS students leading their classmates in procession, singing the National Anthem, giving the commencement speech, leading graduates during the tassel turning ceremony, and performing the UCR Alma Mater.

Learn more about the CNAS graduates who will take the stage on June 20:

 

Student Commencement Speakers

Leonardo Padilla

Leonardo Padilla
Major: Biology
Commencement Ceremony Group 1: Student Commencement Speaker

As Valedictorian of the 2023 University Honors Graduating Class, Leonardo has earned a Bachelor's of Science in Biology with a Minor in History. While maintaining a consistent presence on the Chancellor's Honor List, he held a work-study position at Information Technology Solutions on campus for three years. Outside of classes, Leonardo has volunteered as an EMT within the riverside community, at events like the School of Medicine Vaccination Clinic. After returning from a life-changing summer spent Studying biomedicine in Scandinavia, he served as an ambassador for the Study Abroad Office, helping other UCR students pursue their dreams abroad. He also volunteered as an ambassador for University Honors, while completing his Capstone, conducting research on The Role of TMEM132 proteins. In recognition of his leadership and volunteer efforts, he received the Highlander Impact Award. With aspirations of becoming a trauma surgeon, Leonardo will spend his gap year before medical school working full-time as an EMT in Los Angeles.

Anviksha Srivastava

Anviksha Srivastava
Major: Biochemistry with a Medical Emphasis
Commencement Ceremony Group 2: Student Commencement Speaker

Anviksha Srivastava majored in Biochemistry with a medical emphasis, and plans on pursuing a medical career as a physician. She is grateful for the experiences that UCR has provided her through extracurricular activities, research, and classes. During her time at UCR, Anviksha was a peer academic leader, the Shadow MD president, and a Brain Exercise Initiative volunteer. When Anviksha was not on campus, she was either studying or reading a good book. In her four years at UCR, she has found lifelong friendships and learned new skills — she will miss being a UCR student.

 

National Anthem and UCR Alma Mater Performers

Chermaine Amaya

Chermaine Amaya
Major: Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology
Commencement Ceremony Group 1: National Anthem Singer

Chermaine Amaya is a Filipina American and first-generation transfer student graduating with a degree in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology. Her educational journey was a non-traditional one, as she has worked ten years to receive her Bachelor’s degree. Throughout those challenging years, she was tested in her academic, work, and personal lives — but she persevered. She knew she could accomplish this, she believed in herself, and she succeeded. When years of her untreated mental illness were diagnosed, she began a journey towards her personal healing and wanted to extend that to others. During her time at UCR, she co-founded the Loving our Emotions as Asian-Pacific Islanders (LEAP!) organization to create a space to discuss mental health. She also participated in the Riverside X Dance (RXD) KPOP dance cover group and Filipinos in Health Sciences (FIHS) organization. Since her early childhood she has loved sharing her passion for singing with the community, and is grateful for the opportunity today to sing at such a celebratory occasion for so many, including herself. She deeply values all those who were there for her on this journey: the mentors, the many friends with whom she’s made cherished memories, and the family who always supported her. Chermaine will go on to begin a career in Phlebotomy while completing a post-baccalaureate program to become a clinical lab scientist.

Tammy Le Van

Tammy Le Van
Major: Neuroscience
Commencement Ceremony Group 1: Alma Mater
Commencement Ceremony Group 2: National Anthem and Alma Mater

Tammy Le Van is a UCR December 2022 graduate with a degree in Neuroscience. During her time at UCR, she was a part of the intercollegiate Women’s Tennis team, participated in the research of Dr. Judith Kroll and Dr. Eve Higby’s Bilingualism, Mind, & Brain Lab, was a training/outreach and marketing lead at The Well, and starred as Tianyun Lin in the play, Snow in Midsummer. In her free time, she loves to volunteer at the Children’s Hospital in Orange County (CHOC), bake cookies, do nail art with her enormous collection of 100+ nail polishes, and watch action movies & rom-coms with friends and family. Tammy is currently applying to USC to get her Master’s Degree in Global Medicine.

 

Student Marshals

Somtochukwu Adaobi Uzoka

Somtochukwu Adaobi Uzoka
Major: Biology
Commencement Ceremony Group 1: Undergraduate Student Marshal

Somtochukwu Adaobi Uzoka will be graduating from UCR with a B.S. in Biology. Reflecting on her time at UCR, Somtochukwu fondly recalls her favorite moments: the winter solstice concert with Thundercat, giveaways, free food, and all the events hosted by African Student Programs. While at UCR, Somtochukwu was able to immerse herself in numerous activities, including her involvement with the Nigerian Student Association as a board and dance team member. The Nigerian Student Association holds cultural events and performances year-round for UCR students, families, and friends, and has been and will be Somtochukwu’s forever home. She also worked as a campus tour guide and was able to represent UCR to visiting students and their families. In addition to her campus activities, Somtochukwu was active in the community. She advocated for equity in education as a brand ambassador for Teach for America, served as a mentor with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Empire, and volunteered at Riverside Community Hospital. These experiences helped shape Somtochukwu into a well-rounded student who is ready to venture into the future with the goal of becoming a physician with specific interests in surgery and psychiatry. As a transfer student, Somtochukwu thanks the UCR community for opening up their home and making her feel welcomed.

William Troxel

William Troxel
Major: Biochemistry with a biology emphasis and History minor
Commencement Ceremony Group 2: Undergraduate Student Marshal

William Troxel is graduating with a B.S. in Biochemistry, Biology emphasis, and History minor. He has been actively involved in CNAS research and campus involvement while maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.96. While at UCR, William earned multiple supporting opportunities for undergraduate research, including University Honors, the summer Research in Science and Engineering (RISE) program in 2020, and the MARC U STAR 2-year trainee program in 2021. He has worked in Dr. Chia-en Chang's molecular recognition lab and Dr. Nicole Rafferty's arthropod social organization lab at UCR since 2020. He has presented his research at local, state, and national symposia, including an award-winning poster at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in 2021. In 2022, he published a manuscript in the 16th edition of the Undergraduate Research Journal and worked in Dr. Amit Dhingra's microbial meta-transcriptomics lab at Texas A&M for an NSF-funded summer REU, presenting his findings at symposia in California and Texas. He was nominated by UCR for the prestigious Barry Goldwater scholarship, invited to the selective Phi Beta Kappa honor society, and applied for the respected NSF GRFP fellowship. Between 2021-2023, he volunteered as a Lead Recruitment Coordinator and the President of the MARC student organization. He also served as the face of MARC for outreach and recruitment events, and helped reignite a collaborative culture between minority and STEM student programs including Dynamic Genome, the Raincross Boxing Academy, the UCR SACNAS chapter, and the STEM Connections Program following the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, he completed his University Honors senior thesis and received one of three Pillars of Excellence Awards out of 125 graduating Honors seniors. After graduating, William will continue working in Dr. Chang's lab during the summer, conducting biomolecular recognition research and presenting his findings at the American Chemical Society symposium. He will also draft a manuscript for publication, re-apply for the NSF GRFP, and start the Environmental Toxicology (ETOX) PhD program in Fall 2023. He aspires to become a faculty researcher and Professor at an AAU research institution after completing his Ph.D. Outside of school, he is an online ESL tutor for Japanese students, a UCR community garden volunteer, and a non-profit veterinary assistant for underrepresented communities in Highland, Colton, and Riverside.

Christian Duenas

Christian Dueñas
Graduate Program: Statistics
Commencement Ceremony Group 2: Graduate Student Marshal

Christian Dueñas was born and raised in Riverside, California. In 2017, he received the Regent's scholarship to attend UCR as a statistics major. It was there that he discovered a passion for all things math, data and programming. Chrisitan would graduate with a B.S. in statistics with a perfect 4.0 GPA, two research publications and multiple academic distinction awards. In the Fall of 2021, he chose to continue his education by enrolling in UCR's statistics M.S. program. Along the way, he had the opportunity to learn from the faculty, do an internship at Red Bull, as well as share his love of statistics to other students through his position as a teaching assistant. As of March 2023, Christian has completed his M.S. with a 4.0 GPA and has begun working full time as a data scientist for Red Bull. Looking towards the future, he hopes to continue his career in analytics and data science.

 

Tassel Turners

Thaniya Shankar

Thaniya Shankar
Major: Biology and a minor in Law and Society
Commencement Ceremony Group 1: Tassel Turner

Thaniya is graduating with a B.S. degree in Biology and a minor in Law and Society. Dedicated to mentorship, she has demonstrated her passion through her role as a Supplemental Instruction Leader and as Co-President of the CNAS Science Ambassadors program. Driven by personal connections, she established the student organization ‘Fight For Autism’ and served as President for the past 3 years. She was recognized by the Donald A. Strauss Foundation for her mentorship program Project LEAD, which bridges the gap between educational barriers for autistic children in the public school system. As she continued to serve as an advocate for the neurodivergent community, she wanted to implement an educational aspect on campus, leading her to create and teach the R’Course ‘Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder’ for the past 4 quarters. Additionally, Thaniya has performed autism research for the past 3 years and was selected as 1 of 14 Chancellor’s Research Fellows (CRF) last year, and subsequently promoted to the role of Senior CRF this past year. She was recently awarded the Marguelas/Weiman Humanitarian of the Year Award and Highlander Impact Award for her public service work and volunteerism these past 4 years. After graduation, Thaniya hopes to pursue a career in the public policy domain with a focus on advocating for marginalized groups across diverse sectors, particularly within health and education.

Syreze-Sky San Andres

Syreze-Sky San Andres
Major: Neuroscience with a minor in Environmental Science
Commencement Ceremony Group 2: Tassel Turner

Syreze-Sky San Andres is graduating with a B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in Environmental Science. During her time at UCR, she had the honor of serving as the director of the UCR Health: Clinical and Administrative Program in partnership with UCR Health and UCR School of Medicine. Syreze also served as an Supplemental Instruction Leader and eventually an SI Mentor for the Academic Resource Center (ARC). She enjoyed interacting with first-year students and other campus residents through her position as a Program Advisor for Community Experiences for Residential Life. UCR has provided her with the invaluable experience for being involved in research in many disciplines. She started as a research assistant for the Huffman Lab in the Department of Psychology, and also had the honor of being part of the Chancellor's Research Fellowship and University Honors Program, which have supported her through conducting independent research on dietary manganese intake under Dr. Sam Ying in Environmental Sciences. Her additional extracurricular activities include serving as a CNAS Science Ambassador and a Health Professions Advising Center Ambassador as well as volunteering at the Riverside Free Clinic. Syreze’s future aspirations are to pursue a career in medicine while advocating for enhanced political support for medically-underserved communities.

 
 
 

 

CNAS Awards

Each year, the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences honors students who have demonstrated outstanding achievements and accomplishments throughout their time at UCR. Below are the descriptions of each award and the award winners from the CNAS graduating Class of 2023. Congratulations to our students! 

Rosemary S.J. Schraer Award
In honor of Rosemary S.J. Schraer, who served as UCR Chancellor from 1987-1992, the Schraer Award recognizes the academic excellence of two outstanding graduating seniors in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. 

Academic Excellence Award
The Academic Excellence Award for the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences recognizes students who are selected by their faculty for achieving excellence in their academics and research or creative activity. 

Outstanding Achievement Award
Selected by the CNAS divisional deans, the Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes one student from all the Excellence Award nominees for their exemplary achievement in academics and research or creative activity, their breadth of involvement in the college, and for their commitment to service and citizenship. 

Cheyenne Darrow '23
Rosemary S.J. Schraer Award
Academic Excellence Award

Cheyenne Darrow is a first-generation and non-traditional transfer student that transferred to UCR in 2021. She started research in Dr. Quinn McFrederick’s entomology lab in Summer 2021 through a paid internship (RISE) investigating the microbiome of bumble bees which propelled her interest in academia and research. At UCR she has continued to conduct research in the McFrederick Lab, present at conferences, maintain a 4.0 cumulative GPA, receive scholarships, become a Six Legs Program student mentor, participate in outreach events, and conduct NSF-funded research at Montana State University (MSU). Her experiences inspired her to continue with her academic career. She recently was awarded the NSF-GRFP and a Microbiology NSF-Traineeship which will fund her graduate studies at MSU that she will start in August.

Joshua Wong '23
Rosemary S.J. Schraer Award
Academic Excellence Award

Joshua Wong has made significant contributions to a wide range of areas across UCR – including as a CNAS Ambassador, Associate Editor-In-Chief of the Undergraduate Research Journal, and during a four-year term as President of the Fencing Club. He has also fenced for UCR at regional competitions. He received the Biochemistry Department’s Leland M. Shannon Award for excellent performance in undergraduate laboratory coursework. He has been a long-standing member of Dr. Timothy Su’s research group in the Department of Chemistry, with a focus on exploring the conductance properties of linear polysilane and poly (germoxane) wires. He has also conducted structural biology research in the group of Dr. Li Fan in the Department of Biochemistry. After graduation, Joshua will begin his Ph.D. studies in Chemical Biology at Cornell University. His ultimate career goal is to become a professor, where he hopes to explore the intersection between chemical synthesis and biological systems and guide students aspiring to become scientists.

Advyth Ramachandran ’23
Academic Excellence Award
Outstanding Achievement Award

Advyth Ramachandran has served as the vice president and research coordinator of UCR’s Strategies for Ecology, Education, Diversity, and Sustainability club. He has conducted independent research in the Spasojevic labs and has presented this research at several local and national conferences. He has helped lead two undergraduate research projects for which he helped secure five grants to fund these projects. He recently received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and has been accepted to a Ph.D. program at the University of Colorado – Boulder.

Jonathan Benedum ’23
Academic Excellence Award

Jonathan Benedum studied neurophysiology at UCR and was awarded the 2019 UCR Undergraduate Research Mini-Grant. He also worked as a member of Prof. Joshua Morgan’s Tissue Injury & Mortality Engineering (TIME) lab, operating at the interface of aging biology and tissue engineering to develop strategies for healthier living. With Jonathan's help, TIME is working to pioneer a class of in vitro models that match the scale and complexity of chronic aging-associated disease (AAD), but are tractable through routine use throughout aging research and other fields.

Peter Carney ’24
Academic Excellence Award

Peter Carney is a third-year physics major deeply engaged in undergraduate research. He began research in gravitational-wave detection in October 2021, working in LIGO with Prof. Jon Richardson. He went on to conduct LIGO research with Prof. Rana Adhikari at Caltech during Summer 2022. While continuing to pursue research in the Richardson lab, he also joined Prof. Miguel Arratia’s lab to gain exposure to particle accelerator physics. These experiences have given Peter the opportunity to travel to Geneva, Switzerland, where he will be participating in a research program at CERN for Summer 2023. Peter has won several awards, including the Carl A. Rouse Fellowship, Outstanding First- and Second-Year Undergraduate Student in the Physics & Astronomy Department, and the Barry Goldwater Scholarship. Peter has a 3.97 GPA, and will be graduating in 2024. He plans on attending graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in physics.

Marco De La Torre ’23
Academic Excellence Award

Marco De La Torre has been working in the Dehesh lab at UCR since June 2022 where he participated in the NSF-CEPCEB REU Program and has been continuing to work on different research projects and is actively being trained on metabolomics. Born from Mexican-immigrant parents, Marco strives to further recruit individuals from underrepresented backgrounds within plant biology. During his time at UCR, his academic achievements have been recognized of which he was on the Dean’s Honors List during the Spring 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, and Winter 2023 quarters. Beginning in September 2023, he will be starting a Ph.D. program in Plant Biology at UCR of which he has been awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Fellowship Award.

Ellen Green ’23
Academic Excellence Award

Ellen Green has been targeting the chemical synthesis of the anti-inflammatory natural product, spiroalanfurantone A, in the Kou Lab and is the key personnel for the preparation of an advanced intermediate needed in our research that requires 6 steps to synthesize. Her efforts were instrumental in solving the two key reactions in the synthesis plan. As her mentor is wrapping up the project, Maude is currently tackling a side project aimed at synthesizing skeletally diverse derivatives to probe structure activity relationships. Maude balanced her studies as an actor when beginning her studies at UCR and retired from the industry as she transitioned to focus on her academic and research interests. She currently maintains a GPA >3.98 in science (>3.95 cumulative) not including the 10 A/A+'s achieved over the last year.

Andrew Her ’23
Academic Excellence Award

Andrew Her is diligent and enthusiastic about his continual pursuit of entomological understanding. With a cumulative GPA of 3.81 and as a consistent member of the Dean’s Honor List, he strives to honor the memory of his late father and inspire pride as a first-generation college student from his family. After graduating, Andrew seeks to continue in higher education with the ultimate goal of optimizing the progression of agricultural practices alongside the conservation of the natural environment.

Hannah Rose Hoover ’23
Academic Excellence Award

Hannah Rose Hoover is a top-performing undergraduate student (3.82 GPA), making the Chancellor’s List in 2022. She works in Dr. Maryjo Brounce’s analytical geochemistry laboratory since 2021 on several projects, resulting in authorship to a special paper presented by a UCR Ph.D. student at the Stanford Geothermal Rising Conference in 2023, and participation in a particle accelerator experiment at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory with Dr. Brounce. HannahRose has also constructed a new museum display case in the UCR Geology Museum to communicate the importance of igneous rocks to our understanding of the Earth to the UCR public. Through her enthusiastic contributions to the classroom, research laboratories, and museum, HannahRose has made an immensely positive impact during her time at UCR.

Yeprem Hovhannisyan ’23
Academic Excellence Award

Yeprem Hovhannisyan transferred to UCR as a chemistry major from Glendale Community College. After a year at UCR, he joined Dr. Beran’s research group to further his fascination with computational chemistry. Due to his incredible work ethic in his studies was awarded the 2023 ACS undergraduate award in Physical Chemistry. Yeprem has faced numerous hardships while attending UCR, which motivated him to strive to be the best version of himself. Throughout his studies at UCR, he maintained a 3.94 GPA and will be the first-generation STEM graduate in his family. After graduation, he strives to pursue a career in medicine, where he plans to become a surgeon.

Camille Korbut ’23
Academic Excellence Award

Camille Korbut has a passion for education concerning underrepresented students in the STEM field with an emphasis on bolstering community college students. Her professional goals are to become a lead researcher in industry or government while collaborating on initiatives that promote mathematics\ education outreach in K-12 and undergraduate education. She has been actively participating in the Association for Women in Mathematics Chapter at UCR and has run the chapter as the president for two years. She organized various activities including diversity workshops and visiting K12 schools to promote STEM. During her presidency, UCR chapter has been selected as the winner of 2022 AWM student chapter award for community outreach. Camille also actively participated in STEM Connections (STEM Pathways Program at UCR), and Research in Science and Engineering (RISE) program at UCR. She has been selected to participate in California Alliance for Minority Participation at UCR (2021/2022), Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC) at the University of Arizona (2021), and the Research Training Group in Data Discovery REU at the University of Arizona (2022) which allows underrepresented minority students to engage in active research with faculty mentors. Her CAMP faculty mentor is Dr. Weitao Chen. At the University of Arizona, she worked under the supervision of Dr. David Glickenstein, Dr. Kevin Lin, Dr. Avinash Karamchandani, and Alexa Aucoin. She also conducted research under the guidance of Dr. Mykhailo (Misha) Potomkin in a research undergraduate course. She will start her Ph.D. study in Fall 2023.

Artha Lam ’23
Academic Excellence Award

Artha Lam was a research trainee and assistant in the Curras-Collazo Lab, studying gut-brain interactions in a mouse model of Gulf War Illness. She received a UC Mini Grant to conduct her experiments and she presented her work at the UCR Undergraduate conference. Artha also worked as a research assistant at the Brain Game Center where she was tasked with administering various cognitive studies on human subjects. Moreover, Artha contributed to a postdoc's research project using molecular biology to study the stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana plants. These activities have allowed her to generate new knowledge in human cognitive science, neuroscience and plant biology. In addition to research, Artha has excelled in her academic program, earning a 3.95 cumulative GPA and receiving Chancellor's and Dean’s list honors since Fall 2019.

Thai Le ’23
Academic Excellence Award

Thai Le has worked with the Gray Lab on the fate and transport of microplastic pollution in the Southern California Bight for close to two years. In addition to his involvement in research, he also had the opportunity to gain insight into the legislative aspect of environmental sciences as a water quality intern with the California Ocean Protection Council. Due to his focus on academics, Thai remained on the Chancellor’s and Dean’s Honors List throughout his undergraduate studies and was able to complete his degree in just under three years. He intends to continue working to improve the quality of California’s environment as an Air Pollution Specialist with the California Air Resources Board.

Samantha Lee ’23
Academic Excellence Award

Samantha Lee has interned in Dr. Zlebnik’s Neuroscience Lab for over a year, studying the role of endocannabinoids and dopamine in cognitive flexibility. She presented her work at the Western Psychological Association Annual Convention and will be an author on an upcoming manuscript. In addition to this, Samantha serves in leadership positions within Future Pharmacists and Health Queers, an organization that provides safe space for LGBTQ+ students to discuss healthcare issues. She is also involved in a number of other extracurricular and volunteer organizations, all while maintaining an outstanding academic record and regularly earning a place on the Dean’s Honors List as well as Chancellor’s Honors List. Samantha plans to pursue a Pharm.D. and will attend UCSF School of Pharmacy after graduation.

Alliyah Munir ’23
Academic Excellence Award

Alliyah Munir is a dedicated and serious student with a desire to expand her knowledge. A member of Mu Sigma Rho, the National Honor Society for Statistics, Alliyah strives to increase her experience and develop her statistical skills beyond the classroom. She performed statistical research with Dr. Weixin Yao, Vice Chair of the Statistics Department, and also worked with Dr. Daniel Jeske as a data assistant for a research project in UCR’s Statistical Consulting Collaboratory. An active member of the Highlander Statistical Society, she also participated in the 2023 ASA DataFest challenge at UCLA, a 48-hour data analytics hackathon where students collaborate to provide the best insights from a large, complex dataset. Alliyah is also a representative member of the Statistics Department’s DEI Committee, which promotes inclusion and diversity in the department. Through her role, she led and organized DEI events, including an innovative “speed dating” event where undergraduates met and asked questions of graduate students in the Statistics program.

 
 
 

 

Academic Senate Award

Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement
The UCR Academic Senate awards two graduating seniors who have conducted outstanding research or creative work.

Jacob Argandona '23
Mathematics

Advyth Ramachandran '23
Biology

 
 
 

 

CNAS Commencement Photo Gallery

 

 
 
 

 

Let us help you with your search