Athens, Ga. – The Odum School of Ecology held an online convocation to celebrate the awarding of degrees to the class of 2021. The ceremony took place via Zoom and was livestreamed over YouTube.
Dean John L. Gittleman, UGA Foundation Professor in Ecology, opened the proceedings by welcoming participants and offering his congratulations to the graduates.
“We’re so proud of you and very happy that you’ve accomplished so much at UGA and the Odum School,” he said.
Laurie Fowler, Senior Public Service Associate Emerita, delivered the convocation address, highlighting the achievements of the graduating students. “One thing I know is that y’all, in the last year particularly, have prevailed under pretty extraordinary circumstances,” she said.
She encouraged the graduates to follow in the footsteps of the school of ecology’s founder Eugene Odum, who was both a renowned scientist and a creative and generous advocate for the environment.
Citing issues of racial injustice, unfettered carbon emissions and environmental degradation, she said she believed the world is at a tipping point and urged the graduates to take a stand.
“We need the science itself to be impartial, but I want you to go beyond research,” she said. “What I hope is you, who are literally the brightest and the most gifted, will play a leadership role in confronting these issues head on, unapologetically, to develop transformative solutions.”
Following Fowler’s address, John Drake, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Distinguished Research Professor of Ecology, presented the graduates and concluded the proceedings with a word of thanks to the graduates’ families and friends watching the ceremony on YouTube.
“I’m sorry that we couldn’t all be together this year, but grateful to our graduates for their perseverance,” he said. “I admire their persistence in completing their studies. Congratulations to everyone.”
Graduate Students
Zachary James Arnold
Master of Science in Conservation Ecology & Sustainable Development
Thesis: Exploring the impacts of landfills on bird communities: an opportunity for grassland bird conservation
Theresa Elaine Hudson
Master of Science in Conservation Ecology & Sustainable Development
Thesis: Changes in algal community composition in response to drought and Hurricanes Irma/Maria in a montane tropical stream in Puerto Rico; A long-term perspective (2013-2018)
Gregory Russell Jacobs
Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology
Dissertation: Population-level consequences of environmental variation for migratory fishes
Cody Scott Prouty
Master of Science in Ecology
Thesis: Effects of Neonicotinoids on larval and adult monarch butterflies
Claire Stewart Teitelbaum
Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology
Dissertation: Nomadic animal movement and infectious disease in changing landscapes
Undergraduates
Cydney Jean Abel
Bachelor of Arts in EcologyMinor in Spanish
Caroline Grace Aikins
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
magna cum laude
Kaylyn Irene Barnes
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
summa cum laude
Jared Robert Bennett
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
cum laude
Amaad Ameer Blades
Bachelor of Science in EcologyMinor in Plant Biology
Calvin Seth Carey
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
cum laude
Katherine Fredrica Christie
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Bachelor of Science in Genetics
summa cum laude with Highest Honors
William Garrett Churchwell
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
magna cum laude
Emma Bay Dickinson
Bachelor of Science in EcologyMinor in Music; Minor in Studio Art
cum laude with Honors
Miriam Raisa Edelkind-Vealey
Bachelor of Science in EcologyMinor in Biology
cum laude
Juliet Guinevere Eden
Bachelor of Arts in EcologyMinor in Geography
Certificate in Sustainability
Brendan Avery Everling
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Maya Laurette Ferguson
Bachelor of Science in EcologyMinor in Anthropology
Thomas Christian Fitzpatrick
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
cum laude
Nathaniel Thomas Haulk
Bachelor of Science in EcologyMinor in Public Health; Minor in Entomology
summa cum laude
Amanda Sarah Howard
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences, Environmental Economics and Management
Minor in Environmental Law
Certificate in Sustainability
magna cum laude with Honors
Presley Erin James
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
First Honor Graduate and summa cum laude
Elizabeth Ann Jurado
Bachelor of Science in EcologyMinor in Political Science
cum laude
Lauren Faith Keeler
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Certificate in Geographic Information Science
magna cum laude
Culzean Bailey Kennedy
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Bachelor of Science in Biology
summa cum laude with Highest Honors
Kathryn Elizabeth King
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Certificate in Sustainability
cum laude
Lucas Garrett Lambert
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Samuel Gerardo Lopez
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Hannah Zoe Maddux
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Covington, Georgia
Summer 2021
Karis Ellen Mahaffey
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
magna cum laude
Jenna Marie McLoughlin
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Certificate in Environmental Education
Taylor Michelle Mizelle
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Bachelor of Science in Biology
Ansley Elizabeth Nash
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs
Somerlin Chase Nixon
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Bachelor of Science in Biology with Marine Biology Area of Emphasis
summa cum laude
Sarah Grace Petrea
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Chancey Danielle Phillips
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Mackenzie Taylor Ressel
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Sarah Grace Sellars
Bachelor of Arts in EcologyMinor in Studio Art
Ella Jennifer Settle
Bachelor of Science in EcologyMinor in Biology; Minor in Studio Art
Lyndon Emile Sullivan-Brugger
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Bachelor of Science in Biology
Minor in Classical Culture
magna cum laude
Benjamin Jackson Thomas
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Kerstin Glenn Thulé
Bachelor of Science in EcologyMinor in Entomology
Certificate in International Agriculture
summa cum laude
Lauren Elizabeth Towe
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Certificate in Sustainability
cum laude
Isabel Kathryn Wargowsky
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
magna cum laude
Jacob Tyler Warren
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Matthew Alan Whiting
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Certificate in Sustainability
Destiny Eden Willard
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology
Brett Avery Williamson
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
cum laude
Victoria Zhanice Wooten
Bachelor of Science in Ecology
Irene Elizabeth Wright
Bachelor of Arts in EcologyMinor in Anthropology