This year, 14 Stony Brook University students were honored by the State University of New York (SUNY) as part of the 2023 Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence (CASE) — the highest honor awarded to SUNY students who have best demonstrated academic excellence and leadership. The awards ceremony was held April 24 at the Capital Center in Albany, NY.
“There is a place at SUNY for every New Yorker, and each of the students recognized today is an example of our extraordinary student body and their rich and diverse ‘SUNY stories,’” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. “Student success is at the core of everything we do, and I am honored to celebrate students from 63 SUNY campuses who are receiving this year’s Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence. Every student can find their community at SUNY, and I congratulate each of the CASE winners for making the most out of their college experience.”
The Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence was created in 1997, and acknowledges students for outstanding achievements that have demonstrated the integration of SUNY excellence within many aspects of their lives in areas such as academics, leadership, campus involvement, community service or the arts. This year, 193 students across the state were honored.
Congratulations, Stony Brook CASE winners:
Nadine Areikat, Biology and Psychology, Harrison, NY
Nadine is an aspiring physician double majoring in biology and psychology. She is researching fracture healing in Dr. David Komatsu’s orthopaedics lab and has presented her findings at professional conferences, co-authored a manuscript and received the URECA summer research award. She was a research intern at the National Lung, Blood, and Heart Institute. Areikat is a patient experience intern in Stony Brook’s Emergency Department, an INSPIRE mentor, a medical assistant, has served as a teaching assistant for several STEM courses, and was president of the Doctors Without Borders Student Chapter. She plans to earn her MD and pursue a career in humanitarian aid.
Dayashree Baskaran, Biology, Edison, NJ
Dayashree Baskaran is a biology major with a neuroscience specialization and is a very active member of the campus community. An aspiring physician in the Honors College, she is also a resident assistant, head teaching assistant for organic chemistry, psychology research assistant, executive board member of multiple organizations, and outspoken champion of student success and accessibility. Baskaran is extremely passionate about serving those around her both on and off campus, with her future career goals intimately tied to ensuring equity, inclusion and social justice for all, especially as it relates to advocacy for minority populations in the healthcare setting.
Joseph Bisulca, Biology, Dix Hills, NY
Joseph Bisulca is an aspiring physician in the Honors College majoring in biology with a specialization in neuroscience. He is also pursuing minors in chemistry and in health and wellness. In addition, he performs neuroscience research in Dr. Tim Duong’s radiology lab and Dr. Holly Colognato’s pharmacology lab. He has published twice in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders and participated twice in the URECA summer program. Bisulca is vice president for the Pre-Med Society, a former participant in the Undergraduate Clinical Experience Program at Stony Brook HOME, and a patient experience intern in Stony Brook’s Emergency Department.
Mary Brantley, Political Science, Oneonta, NY
Mary Brantley is a political science major with minors in international studies and Russian studies, and plans to pursue a master’s in public policy as she continues to strive toward her career goal of working as a public representative. She served the Stony Brook campus community through various leadership positions including as a resident assistant, president of Leading Women of Tomorrow, vice president and captain of the Women’s Soccer Club, and as a teaching assistant. Brantley has been inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society and the National Political Science Honor Society, and is a JFEW SUNY Global Affairs Scholar.
Jordyn Christophides, Political Science and Linguistics, Saint James, NY
Jordyn Christophides studies political science and linguistics and plans to pursue her JD in international law, focusing on human rights and refugee protection. Some of her experiences include search and rescue work in the Aegean and working for the International Rescue Committee to help refugees and asylees complete applications for their green cards, naturalization and family reunification. She is on the executive boards of Friends of MSF and the Political Science Society and is the president of Pi Sigma Alpha. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in 2022.
Quinten De Man, Computer Science and Applied Mathematics & Statistics, Clifton Park, NY
Quinten De Man is a senior in the Computer Science Honors Program with a second major in applied mathematics. He was a three-time teaching assistant (TA) and a recipient of the Outstanding TA Award for Computer Science. Outside of the classroom, he is performing research to develop a parallel algorithm for dynamic graph connectivity in Professor Michael Bender’s algorithms lab. He is also a national-qualifying swimmer and served as treasurer of SBU Club Swimming. Last summer, De Man worked as a software development engineer intern at Amazon. After graduating, he hopes to pursue a PhD in computer algorithms and theory.
Joshua Gershenson, Biology and Psychology, Brooklyn, NY
Josh Gershenson is a senior majoring in biology and psychology with a minor in writing and rhetoric. He is president of both SBU Chabad and Speaking STEM and is a tutor for the Stony Brook University Writing Center. He is also a veteran biology/biochemistry teaching assistant, having served as head assistant on multiple occasions. Gershenson co-led an ethnographic study in underprivileged communities in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a Guiliano Fellow and is conducting analgesic research at Stony Brook Medicine. He plans to continue his research career and earn an MD in psychiatry. In his free time, he reads, writes, cooks and surfs.
Benjamin Joffe, Political Science, New York, NY
Benjamin Joffe is majoring in political science with pre-law ambitions. He has served as vice president of the SBU Pre-Law Society for two years and has worked to engage and connect the pre-law community at Stony Brook. Joffe has also been an Undergraduate Student Government senator, a member of the SBU Advocacy Corps, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and University Scholars.
Marcela Muricy, Biology and Women’s Studies, New York, NY
Marcela Muricy is an aspiring physician-scientist majoring in biology and women’s studies who is committed to improving public health. She conducted sociological research abroad in Brazil through the Giuliano Global Fellowship program, volunteering in underprivileged hospitals and non-profit organizations, and wrote a women’s studies senior thesis on how stress during pregnancy impacts the health of the child. Muricy also has two years of biochemistry research experience in the Glynn Lab and was an inaugural Francis Velay Fellow. She is grateful for all the support she has received from faculty to pursue opportunities at Stony Brook.
Ryan O’Keeffe, Business Management, Center Moriches, NY
Ryan O’Keeffe is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps who graduated from Stony Brook in December 2022 with a BS in business management. He mentored and led student veterans through his work with SBU’s Office of Military and Veteran Student Services and Vets-4-Vets, a peer-mentorship program for incoming military-affiliated students, and served as treasurer for the Veterans Student Organization. In his senior year, he was selected to attend a leadership institute in Washington, D.C., as a Student Veterans of America Leadership Fellow and emceed the Veterans Day ceremony at Stony Brook University.
Purva Shenoy, Biomedical Engineering, Clifton Park, NY
Purva Shenoy is a motivated University Scholar majoring in biomedical engineering. As lead mentor and mathematics tutor for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, she has mentored 11 students and tutored hundreds. She has served on the executive board of Alpha Eta Mu Beta (biomedical engineering honor society) since her induction and is a member of Tau Beta Pi (engineering honor society). Shenoy conducted National Science Foundation research in the mathematical biosciences and works on a bioinformatics project regarding cancer genomics at Stony Brook Medicine. She plans to pursue graduate studies and work in the biotechnology industry to develop novel therapeutics.
Nicholas Smith, Human Evolutionary Biology, Holbrook, NY
Nicholas Smith is a first-generation college student in the Honors College majoring in human evolutionary biology. His senior honors thesis explores various possible explanations surrounding the origin of the 1918 influenza pandemic. He was a first-year mentor for three years and is a student representative on the University Senate’s Environment Committee. Smith also helped students in the classroom as a teaching assistant for organic chemistry and human anatomy. When not on campus, he volunteers at the Long Island State Veterans Home and works as a phlebotomist in the ER of Long Island Community Hospital.
Jessica Uviovo, Computer Engineering, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Jessica Uviovo is a Nigerian international student studying computer engineering. As a participant in the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) honors program, she is a pioneer for diversity within STEM serving as president of the National Society of Black Engineers, SBU chapter. Her consistent display of excellence can be seen in and out of the classroom, and she seeks to be a part of diverse engineering teams that create impactful projects. A born leader who worked as a lead student technician and embedded software engineer, she endeavors to be a valuable asset to any team.
Tina Wong, Computer Science, Brooklyn, NY
Tina Wong is a computer science major and history minor in the Honors College with a dedication to serving the needs of local and global communities and promoting diversity in STEM. She has been the president of Women in Computer Science, a computer science and Institute for Advanced Computational Science researcher, a VIP-PoliTech team member, an SBUHacks coordinator, and a peer mentor. To form a more multifaceted perspective, she studied abroad in Ireland and Singapore, interned at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and volunteered for the World Bank. After graduation, she will join Morgan Stanley’s cybersecurity division.
A complete listing of all the SUNY CASE winners is available online.
From the day we met Tina we knew she was going to be a successful individual Linda and I never doubted it for a minute,CONGRATULATIONS TINA keep up the great work We want you to know we miss you all and that we are proud of you Please stay in touch