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Caps Off to the Class of 2025: ESF Prepares to Celebrate Student Achievements
SYRACUSE, N.Y. 鈥� May 7, 2024 鈥� The (ESF) will award 377 degrees, including 37 master鈥檚 degrees and 16 Doctor of Philosophy degrees, during the 2025 May Commencement at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 10 at the Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview.
An Honorary Degree will be presented to Jean Frechet, a 1971 Ph.D. graduate of the College of Forestry at Syracuse University. Renowned for his pioneering work in nanoscience and nanotechnology, Fr茅chet made transformative contributions that span academia and industry. His research has led to innovations in microelectronics, separation science, and pharmaceuticals, significantly impacting both technology and human health.
In collaboration with IBM, Fr茅chet鈥檚 work on chemically amplified photoresists played a pivotal role in revolutionizing the microchip industry. He also developed porous polymer monoliths鈥攁n advancement that redefined separation science and continues to influence research in chemistry, biology, medicine, and environmental science. Additionally, his studies on dendrimers and other macromolecules have paved the way for the clinical development of polymer-drug conjugates used in chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
With nearly 900 publications and 200 patents to his name, Dr. Fr茅chet is not only a prolific innovator but also a dedicated mentor. He considers his greatest achievement to be guiding and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.
ESF will also honor its Graduates of Distinction during the ceremony.
Graduates of Distinction
Incipiens Quercu (Beginning Oak): Kristine Ellsworth
Ellsworth 鈥�15 is an environmental engineer and advocate for sustainable materials management and student career development. A graduate of the Environmental Resources Engineering program, she brings leadership, technical expertise, and a strong commitment to community service.
As an assistant engineer with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Ellsworth provides regulatory oversight and technical assistance to organics recycling facilities.
She is active in professional organizations including the U.S. Composting Council Young Professionals Committee and serves on Governor Hochul鈥檚 Council for Hunger and Food Policy. Dedicated to mentoring the next generation, she organizes recruitment events and supports interns鈥攎any of whom have gone on to roles within the DEC.
Notable Achievement: Peter A. Williams
Williams 鈥�77, a Registered Professional Forester and Certified Arborist based in Rockwood, Ontario, has spent over 40 years advancing sustainable forest management in Southern Ontario.
With degrees in Environmental Resources Management (ESF) and Forestry and Soils (University of Tennessee), along with doctoral work in environmental biology at the University of Guelph, his career blends academic rigor with practical forestry solutions.
As principal of Williams & Associates, he provides consulting, research, and education to public and private landowners. His efforts to manage the Emerald Ash Borer have significantly improved regional forest health.
Williams works with municipalities on urban canopy management and woodland strategies and supports Indigenous communities with timber sales, forest management, and loss-of-use assessments.
Lifetime Achievement Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer
Wall Kimmerer 鈥�75 is a world-renowned author, botanist, and scholar whose work bridges Indigenous knowledge and ecological science. A member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she offers a powerful perspective on the human鈥搉ature relationship.
She is best known for her bestselling book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, which weaves memoir, philosophy, and science to explore the connection between people and the natural world.
A SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology and Founding Director of ESF鈥檚 Center for Native Peoples and the Environment, Kimmerer fosters collaboration between Indigenous knowledge and environmental science. She has also contributed to ecological restoration efforts at the Cranberry Lake Biological Station.
Her influence is global鈥攕he addressed the United Nations in 2020 and was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2022. In 2024, she received the National Humanities Medal from President Biden and was named to Time Magazine鈥檚 list of 100 Most Influential People.
Student Speaker: Jenelle Grigelevich
Grigelevich (Chautauqua, N.Y.) is a Conservation Biology major with a minor in Recreation Resources and Protected Areas Management. At ESF, she served as a three-year orientation leader and president of the Herpetology Club, earning the 2024 President of the Year SOLAR award and recognition as an ESF career champion.
She also played four years as a catcher on Syracuse University鈥檚 Club softball team. Her hands-on experience includes work with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, State Parks, and the FORCES program.
After graduation, she will move to Portland, Maine, to work in forest pathology and plant healthcare with a local forestry company.
Class Marshals: Natalie Bianchi and Victoria 鈥榁ic鈥� Poverin
Bianchi (Liverpool, N.Y.) is a Natural Resources Management major with a Food Studies minor and a member of the ESF Honors Program, where she completed thesis work on agroforestry vineyard systems. She is a Presidential Scholar, a member of Alpha Xi Sigma, and has earned multiple placements on the President鈥檚 List.
Active in the community, she served as volunteer coordinator for the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry and as a vegan coach with the Syracuse Vegan Living Program.
Following graduation, Bianchi will relocate to Saratoga Springs to work as an Environmental Planner with P.W. Grosser Consulting.
Poverin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is an Environmental Studies major with a minor in Environmental Writing and Rhetoric. They served as treasurer of the ESF Yoga Club and earned placement on both the Dean鈥檚 and President鈥檚 lists.
A founding member of the Youth Steering Committee for the Climate Resilience Education Task Force, Poverin is dedicated to empowering New York high school students to advocate for climate education.
SUNY Chancellor鈥檚 Award for Student Excellence: Eden Gardner and Abhinaya Polaka
Gardner (Forest Hills, N.Y.) is an Environmental Studies major with an Economics minor. He served as president of the Mighty Oak Student Assembly, SUNY Student Assembly Director of Sustainability, and founded ESF鈥檚 Pre-Law Society. He also chaired Community Engagement for the SU Student Association.
As a student project coordinator in the Office of Sustainability and member of the SUNY Sustainability Advisory Council, Gardner contributed to ESF鈥檚 and SUNY鈥檚 Sustainability and Climate Action Plans and has been a strong statewide advocate for sustainability.
After graduation, he plans to work in the sustainability field before pursuing a career in environmental law.
Polaka (Proddatur, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, India) is an Environmental Science major with a concentration in Renewable Energy and a minor in Environmental Policy and Communications. She graduated ESF in December 2024.
Maintaining a 3.789 GPA, Polaka was a member of the ESF Honors Program, earning Dean鈥檚 List honors from her freshman through junior years and President鈥檚 List recognition in her senior year. She completed her undergraduate honors thesis during this time.
Polaka interned as a research scholar at West Virginia University鈥檚 Mid-Atlantic Sustainable Biomass Consortium (MASBIO), where she won first place for her poster presentation at a MASBIO conference. She also served as a teaching assistant for the Environmental Science Seminar class.
Norman R. McConney Jr. Award Recipient: Ladanijirah Lightner
Lightner (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is an Environmental Studies major with a focus on Policy, Planning, and Law.
Through internships and research with organizations such as the Empire State Development Agency, CICOES, and the University of Vermont, Lightner has developed expertise in data analysis, technical communication, and interdisciplinary research. They have presented at multiple symposiums and are currently working on a research paper exploring low-emission energy through a climate-justice lens.
On campus, Lightner demonstrated leadership as a teaching assistant, summer mentor, orientation leader, and president of the Black Student Union, fostering an inclusive environment at ESF. They aim to apply their academic and experiential background to tackle environmental and social challenges through equity-centered work after graduation.
Coordinator of Graduation Activities: Tim Phelps
Phelps (Clifton Park, N.Y.) is a Paper Engineering major with a minor in Sustainable Construction. He has been actively involved in several on-campus organizations, including the Bob Marshall Club, Mighty Oaks Student Assembly, and Solar Decathlon.
Phelps participated in weekly runs with the Food Recovery Network to reduce food waste and worked with Sleep in Heavenly Peace to provide beds to underprivileged youth. He has also been in the Honors Program, coordinating undergraduate research opportunities and supporting Honors students.
A consistent member of the President's and Dean's lists for academic excellence, Phelps looks forward to joining Carrier Corporation's Research and Development team this summer.
Departmental Scholars
Chemical Engineering: Jackson Ford
Ford (Morrisville, N.Y.) is a Paper Engineering major with a Management minor, actively involved in the Sustainable Chemical Engineering and American Institute of Chemical Engineers student chapters.
He has received several scholarships, including the JP Clark Memorial, Decandia Memorial, and Sandy Nyman Memorial Scholarships. Ford completed an internship at Sylvamo鈥檚 paper mill in Ticonderoga, N.Y., and plans to join the company full-time after graduation.
Chemistry: Esteban Joel Adorno Aguila
Aguila (Orchard Park, N.Y.) is a Biochemistry major who has earned numerous academic awards and been on the President鈥檚 4.00 list since his sophomore year.
Certified as a first aid responder, he has accumulated hundreds of hours in community service, research, and shadowing physicians and surgeons in New York and Puerto Rico. Aguila has been accepted to the Jacobs School of Medicine and Upstate Medical University, where he plans to pursue a career as a cardiothoracic surgeon.
Environmental Biology: Lee Auringer
Auringer (Parish, N.Y.) is a Conservation Biology major, involved in the Herpetology Club as vice president and Alpha Xi Sigma as volunteer coordinator.
Passionate about ecological restoration, botany, herpetology, and invertebrate zoology,
they have gained professional experience in invasive species management and the conservation
of the Chittenango Ovate Amber Snail. After graduation, Auringer will attend Cornell
University to pursue a Master of Landscape Architecture degree.
Environmental Resources Engineering: Karrigan Ellison
Ellison (Campbell, N.Y.) minored in mathematics and was active in the ERE Club and New York Water Environment Association (NYWEA), serving as treasurer for both her senior year.
She attended conferences in New York City and New Orleans with NYWEA and traveled to Panama and Cuba for study abroad programs. Ellison completed internships at the Center for Sustainable Materials Management, GHD, and USDA-NRCS.
After graduation, she will pursue a master鈥檚 degree in Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University.
Environmental Science: Harshdeep Singh Banga
Banga (Syracuse, N.Y.) is an Environmental Health major, active in the South Asian Student Association, Desi Performance, and ESF Desi.
He earned a spot on the President鈥檚 List every semester and received the Rising Tutor of the Year Award in 2023. Banga interned with the Onondaga County Department of Health in 2022 and completed a SURF research internship at Upstate Medical University (UMU) in 2024, where he is conducting stem cell research focused on improving diabetes therapies.
A dedicated community volunteer at his local Gurdwara, he will begin medical school at UMU in July, with plans to pursue a career in surgery.
Environmental Studies: Ivy Ven Roy
Ven Roy (Muskego, Wis.) has a concentration in Natural Systems Applications and a minor in Environmental Writing and Rhetoric.
She served as outreach and engagement coordinator for Oakie鈥檚 Green Team, a Writing Center tutor, and an ecology and statistics tutor. Ven Roy held two Undergraduate Research Assistant positions in the Department of Environmental Studies and interned as a data analyst with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
In her freshman year, she participated in the New York State Sustainable Materials Management Stewardship program through Syracuse University鈥檚 Institute for Sustainability Engagement, where she works as a project assistant and co-manages the program. She also maintains an Undergraduate Research Assistant position at ESF.
Landscape Architecture: Cecilia Zajac
Zajac (Buffalo, N.Y.) is a non-traditional student with a background in small-scale and urban agriculture.
She interned at a local landscape architecture firm and volunteered with Deaf New Americans Advocacy, Inc., contributing to the design development of Asha Laaya Farm. Zajac鈥檚 academic work includes a design thesis in Kathmandu, Nepal, exploring public space agency. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in urban and regional planning and continue research on informal urbanism.
Open Academy: Jennifer M. Harvey
Harvey (Houston, Texas) is a Sustainability Management major and the mother of three daughters. While attending ESF full-time, she also worked full-time in regulatory compliance in the oil and gas industry.
Her short-term goal is to attend graduate school, and long-term, she aims to promote the circular economy in households and increase public support for renewable energy. Harvey, a member of Alpha Xi Sigma, focused her honors thesis on understanding the motivations and constraints of millennials and post-millennials visiting Texas state parks.
Sustainable Resources Management: Kaisa Mackey
Mackey (Ithaca, N.Y.) is a Forest Ecosystem Science major and 2023 program scholar with an A.A.S. in Forest Technology from the Ranger School.
A member of the Timber Sports team since her freshman year, she served as president this past year. Mackey gained forestry experience last summer with ESF Adirondack Forest Properties. After graduation, she will head to northern Vermont for a forestry internship.
糖心视频 糖心视频
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.