The Odum School of Ecology celebrated 19 graduates this fall, welcoming them as new alumni at the 2025 Fall Convocation ceremony held Dec. 11 at the Ecology Building.
A total of 19 graduates were awarded degrees, including five bachelor of arts degrees, six bachelor of science degrees, five master of science degrees and three doctor of philosophy degrees.
Dean Mark Hunter welcomed a crowd of more than 100 and praised graduates for their accomplishments.
“As a graduate of the Odum School, you’re equipped with the skills to make change in the world,” he said. “You’re grounded in the scientific method. You’re field tested. You’re data literate. You have expertise in communicating science to non-experts. You’ll leave here with the opportunity, and I hope the responsibility, to work tirelessly towards our common vision for a future in which nature and humans thrive together.”
Convocation speakers were Craig Osenberg, UGA Athletic Association Professor in Ecology, and graduate student Supraja Rajagopal, who was awarded a Ph.D. in Ecology.
Osenberg reminded students that while the world has changed significantly since they began earning their degrees, “That is not new. We’ve been there before.”
The turmoil of the mid-20th century—the assassinations of political leaders, civil rights protests and environmental disasters like the Cuyahoga River fire—resulted in legislation to protect civil rights and the birth of the environmental movement, which led to interest in a new scientific discipline called ecology.
“Disasters lead to an awareness that we can do better. We did better before, and we’ll do better again,” Osenberg said. “And you will lead those efforts. It will be through your efforts that we will improve the situations that we face today, and the future challenges that we face. You will make a difference, and for that I thank you all.”
Rajagopal, the first-ever graduate student speaker, studied the behavioral ecology of animals that live and work collectively. Under the guidance of advisors Richard Hall and Takao Sasaki, they explored how ants work together to accomplish tasks collectively that they could never accomplish as individuals.
“My amazing years at Odum taught me that we don’t have to forsake parts of ourselves,” they said. “We can be our true, full, authentic selves and keep moving forward with intention.”
Their advice to fellow graduates was to keep your values at the center of what you do.
“Let them guide your choices, shape your work, and ground you in moments of uncertainty,” they said. “If we can continue showing up as our whole selves—curious, compassionate, imperfect, but committed—then we’ll not only build meaningful careers, but meaningful lives.”
Following the speakers, the graduates were announced by Pejman Rohani, associate dean for academic affairs, Regents’ Professor and UGA Athletic Association Professor of Ecology and Infectious Diseases.
Graduate students received their hoods from John Wares, professor of ecology and genetics and director of graduate studies, and their advisors, while undergraduates received a gift presented by Amanda Rugenski, senior lecturer and undergraduate coordinator.
Access a recording of convocation.
View/download photos: Ecology Fall 2025 Convocation photos (Jason Thrasher)
(link expires 6/12/26)
Credit: Jason Thrasher
Graduates
Doctoral
CAITLIN CAMILLE CONN
Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology
Dissertation: Building a mechanistic understanding of stream primary productivity to inform water management
Advisors: Seth Wenger & Amy Rosemond
JULIANA HOYOS
Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology
Dissertation: Landscape drivers of vector-borne pathogen dynamics across scales: Chagas disease and leishmaniasis as case studies
Advisors: Sonia Altizer & Nicole Gottdenker
SUPRAJA RAJAGOPAL
Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology
Dissertation: Exploring the functions and consequences of recruitment behaviours for collective performance in the rock ant Temnothorax rugatulus
Advisors: Richard Hall & Takao Sasaki
Master’s
EMILY DAWN CHALFIN
Master of Science in Ecology with an area of emphasis in Integrative Conservation and Sustainability
Thesis: Habitat use and distribution of the Etowah Bridled Darter
Advisors: Seth Wenger & Rhett Jackson
CHARLOTTE PASTOR HOVLAND
Master of Science in Ecology
Thesis: Patterns and consequences of monarch wintering behavior in the southeastern U.S.
Advisor: Sonia Altizer
JUSTIN IKPEMOSHIMHE JIMAWO
Master of Science in Ecology
Advisor: Krista Capps
KELLY MURPHY MAYES
Master of Science in Ecology
Thesis: Chironomid community composition and its effects on seasonal infections of microsporidians in midges and zooplankton
Advisor: Alexander Strauss
CARLOS ELIU VARGAS
Master of Science in Ecology
Thesis: Integrating multiple macroinvertebrate metrics to guide conservation of a southeastern stream
Advisor: Amy Rosemond
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
KASEY HANNAH LAWSON
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Certificate in Sustainability
BRIGITTE ANNE LUEDER
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Bachelor of Science in Ocean Science
EMMA NICOLE MAINER
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Certificate in Water Resources
magna cum laude
DAN S. MCANINCH
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Minor in Communication Studies
Certificate in Sustainability
RUE TSHAMALA
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
cum laude
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
LOWE CLAWGES
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Minor in Studio Art
cum laude
MACKENZIE CHRISTINE FULFORD
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
MAURICIO JOSE GUADAMUZ
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
MICHELLE JULIET LACHOT
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
cum laude
CINDY LOR
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
cum laude
JULIA TERESA MARTINEZ
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Minor in Geography