PFL Graduates Honored

At a ceremony last week, the Graduate School recognized the graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who have successfully completed the Preparing Future Leaders programs.

The Celebration of Graduate Student Success honored participants who completed the Certificate of Accomplishment in Teaching program, the STEM and Annual Writing Partnership, the Mentoring and Teaching Practicum, the Preparing the Professoriate program and the PFL Ambassadors program. More than 100 colleagues, friends, family, faculty and staff members attended the ice cream social to celebrate NC State’s commitment to excellence in professional development.

PFL offers evidence-based programs, support and coaching to guide graduate students through the best practices of leadership. Since 2007, PFL has delivered 727 events to more than 16,000 participants.

Senior Vice Provost Duane Larick congratulated the students and postdocs who participated in the programs for their dedication to professional development. They went above and beyond their coursework and research activities to enhance their leadership, communication and teaching skills, he said.

Marc Kai, a doctoral candidate in chemical engineering and a PFL alumnus, gave the keynote address at the event.

“Though we don’t know all the twists down life’s road, through PFL I’m confident that no matter where we may end up, we’re all headed for success,” he said.

Larick and Rebeca Rufty, interim dean of the Graduate School, joined the PFL leadership team in presenting 90 certificates to graduate students and postdocs.  The recipients for each program are:

PFL Ambassadors 2013–2014

• Antonio Bush, Leadership, Policy and Adult and Higher Education
• Sophie Carrell, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Natalie Kathleen Cooke, Nutrition
• Jennifer Dixon, Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
• Chirag R. Gajjar, Fiber and Polymer Science
• Molly Hartzog-Storment, Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media
• Menglong Hu, Chemistry
• Elizabeth Johnson-Young, Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media
• Haritha Malladi, Civil Engineering
• Barry Peddycord III, Computer Science

Certificate of Accomplishment in Teaching Graduates, Fall 2013–Spring 2014

• Terri Billeisen, Entomology
• Ezinne Achinivu, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Dinesh Ayyala, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
• Julio Cesar Bahamon, Computer Science
• Jameta Barlow, Psychology
• Callie Barnwell, Animal Science
• Laura Bostic, Plant Pathology
• Nancy Brinson, Communication
• Tiffany Burch, Mathematics
• Muge Capan, Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Yavuz Caydamli, Textiles Engineering, Chemistry and Science
• Alexander Combs, Mathematics
• James S. Daubert, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Lauren M. Dembeck, Genetics
• Collin B. Eaker, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Emily P. Estrada, Sociology and Anthropology
• Nasim Farahbakhs, Textile and Apparel Technology and Management
• Julia Feldman, Design
• Emma Hanson, Economics
• I Cassie Kozyrkov, Statistics
• Alyssa Koehler, Plant Pathology
• Sriyanka Lahiri, Entomology
• Kristin Linn, Statistics
• Emese Kennedy, Mathematics
• Mohsin Madad, Textiles Engineering, Chemistry and Science
• Emily McGuire, Communication
• Amanda McWhirt, Biology
• Tiffany Messer, Biological and Agricultural Engineering
• Kenneth P. Mineart, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Johanna Montlouis-Gabriel, Foreign Languages and Literature
• Zak Nelson, English
• Rodrigo A. Olarte, Plant Pathology
• Pamela Pease, Design
• Barry Peddycord III, Computer Science
• Katherine Polston, Textile and Apparel Technology and Management
• Kelsey Anne Poorman, Clinical Sciences
• Eric Raymer, Physics
• Janine E. Reda, Communication
• Olivia Reeser, Social Work
• Carrie Lineberry Ritter, Mathematics
• David Rosero, Animal Science
• Irem Sengul, Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Melissa Slane, Biology
• Daniela Magdalena Sorger, Biology
• Daniel Stasiw, Chemistry
• Amanda Sutherland, Mathematics
• J.J. Sylvia IV, Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media
• Meridel Thompson, English
• Alana Unfied, Statistics
• Valerie Voight, English
• Kyle Lauren Webb, Population Health and Pathobiology

STEM and Writing Annual Partnership, 2013–2014

• Paul Barrett, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, FYWP Partner: Megan Hall
• Christine Bergeron, Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, FYWP Partners: Bridget Kozlow and Meredith Dangel
• Gerald Burgner, Horticulture, FYWP Partner: Pete Link
• Sophia Carrell, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, FYWP Partner: Laura Waldrep
• Carlos Goller, Biotechnology, FYWP Partner: Laura Giovanelli
• Menglong Hu, Chemistry, FYWP Partner: Pete Link
• Lindsay Hussey, Materials Science and Engineering, FYWP Partner: Anne Auten
• Marc Kai, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, FYWP Partner: Matt Porter
• Haritha Malladi, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, FYWP Partner: Kristen Emerson
• Efrain Rivera Serrano, Molecular Biomedical Sciences, FYWP Partner: Wanda Lloyd
• Alana Unfried, Statistics, FYWP Partner: Rebecca De Haas

Preparing the Professoriate Fellows and Mentors, 2013–2014

• Dinesh Ayyala, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Mentor: Paul Khosla
• Terri Billeisen, Entomology, Mentor: Clyde Sorenson
• Taheera Blount, Counselor Education, Mentor: Craig Brookins
• Shanita Brown, Curriculum, Instruction and Counselor Education, Mentors: Jessica Decuir-Gunby and Sylvia nassar-McMillan
• Muge Capan, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Mentor: Julie Ivy
• Megan Jaunich, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Mentor: Ranji Ranjithan
• Haritha Malladi, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Mentor: Akhtarhusein Tayebali
• Allison McAlister, Mathematics, Mentor: Ernest Stitzinger
• Amanda McWhirt, Crop Science, Mentor: Miriam Ferzli
• Seyedeh Mahsan Mohsenin, Design, Mentor: Robin Abrams
• Shauna Morin, Leadership, Policy and Adult and Higher Education, Mentor: Audrey Jaeger
• Jacob Norton, Mathematics, Mentor: Kailash C. Misra
• Jason Patskoski, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Mentor: Sankar Arumugam
• Barry Peddycord III, Computer Science, Mentor: Sarah Heckman
• Chelsie Ray, Mathematics, Mentor: Brenda Burns Williams
• Elizabeth Riley, Horticultural Science, Mentor: Helen Kraus
• Irem Sengul, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Mentor: James Wilson
• Daniela Magdalena Sorger, Biology, Mentor: Martha Burford Reiskind
• Alana Unfried, Statistics, Mentor: Herle McGowan
• Mami Wentworth *, Mathematics, Mentor: Mansoor Haider

*2013 cohort

Mentoring and Teaching Practicum – Graduates and Mentors, Spring 2014

• Carlos Goller, Biotechnology, Mentor, Scott Johnson, Wake Technical Community College
• Laura Fitzwater Gonzales, Sociology, Mentor: Amie Hess, Meredith College
• Tiffany Grovenstein, Psychology, Mentor: Gwynn Morris, Meredith College
• Jeremy Leonard, Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Mentor: Jay Andrus, Meredith College
• Carrie Lineberry Ritter, STEM Math Education, Mentors: Stephen Robinson, Wake Forest University and Jennifer Hontz, Meredith College
• Mindy Miller Kittrell, Biology, Mentor: Linda Niedziela, Elon University
• Alison Moyer, Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Mentor: Jay Andrus, Meredith College
• Jennifer Schafer, Plant and Microbial Biology, Mentors: Erin Linquist, Meredith College and Eric Butler, Shaw University