2021 Founder’s Day Honorees
BY ALLISON HURTADO ’12
The Founders’ Day Awards celebrate the outstanding academic achievements of our faculty members and students. As we recognize these achievements, we remember the efforts of those women and men who made this university a reality, and we prepare for the accomplishments of the future.
In an extraordinary time, our faculty and students have continued to show they are innovative and resilient.
Here are the 2021 honorees:
Students Awards
Founders’ Day Award
- David Wright, College of Sciences and Burnett Honors College
- Chloe Geller, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Cathy Le, College of Medicine
- Chloe Frye, College of Nursing
- Elizabeth Hewitt, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
- Victoria Alexander, College of Undergraduate Studies and Burnett Honors College
- Melissa Siver, College of Optics and Photonics
- Ryan Polk, College of Arts and Humanities
- Isabella Bustamante, College of Community Innovation and Education
- Riley Shurack, College of Health Professions and Sciences and Burnett Honors College
- Jaylen Brown, College of Business
Honors in the Major Undergraduate Thesis Award
- Jenna Dovydaitis ’20, B.A. in political science and B.S. in biology
- Zachary Stein ’20, B.S. in aerospace engineering
- Jacob Howard ’20, B.S. in biomedical sciences, minors in philosophy and religion and cultural studies
- Sarah Swiersz ’20, B.S. in interdisciplinary studies, minors in environmental studies and geosciences
Award for Outstanding Master’s Thesis
- America Edwards ’20MA, communication
- Daniela Diaz ’20MS, environmental engineering
Award for Outstanding Dissertation
- Lin Hu ’20PhD, materials science and engineering
- Jasara Hines ’08MA ‘20PhD, texts and technology
Reach for the Stars
- Adrienne Dove, College of Sciences
- Helen Huang, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Amber Southwell, College of Medicine
- Mel Stanfill, College of Arts and Humanities
- Thomas Wahl, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
College Awardees:
- Edward Gonzalez-Tennant, College of Sciences
- Amanda Groff ’03 ’07MA, College of Sciences
- Tamra Legron-Rodriguez ’08 ’13PhD, College of Sciences
- Tammy Muhs ’11PhD, College of Sciences
- Grace White, College of Sciences
- Marc Consalo, College of Community Innovation and Education
- Nicole Damico, College of Community Innovation and Education
- Peter Delfyett, College of Optics and Photonics
- Ray Eddy, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
- Francisco Fernandez-Rubiera, College of Arts and Humanities
- Martha Garcia ’97 ’00MA, College of Arts and Humanities
- Duncan Hardy, College of Arts and Humanities
- Alicia Hawthorne, College of Medicine
- Erica Hoyt ’93 ’19EdD, College of Nursing
- Alla Kourova, College of Arts and Humanities
- Eunkyung “Muriel” Lee, College of Health Professions and Sciences
- Tian Tian, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Dana Wallace, College of Business Administration
- Danielle Webster, College of Health Professions and Sciences
- Taylar Wenzel ’11EdD, College of Community Innovation and Education
University Awardee:
- Amanda Groff ’03 ’07MA, College of Sciences
University Excellence in Graduate Teaching
College Awardees:
- Güneş Tezcür, College of Sciences
- Danielle Atkins, College of Community Innovation and Education
- Christopher Blackwell ’00 ’01MS ’05PhD, College of Nursing
- Cheryl Briggs, College of Arts and Humanities
- Xiaoxiao Fu, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
- Joseph Kider Jr., College of Graduate Studies
- Axel Schülzgen, College of Optics and Photonics
- Matt Stock, College of Health Professions and Sciences
- Kenneth Teter, College of Medicine
- Dingbao Wang, College of Engineering and Computer Science
University Awardee:
- Matt Stock, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Excellence in Research
College Awardees:
- Peter Hancock, College of Sciences
- Sarah Bush, College of Community Innovation and Education
- Debopam Chakrabarti , College of Medicine
- Hassan Foroosh, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Duncan Hardy, College of Arts and Humanities
- Joseph Kider Jr., College of Graduate Studies
- Kathleen Richardson, College of Optics and Photonics
- Marshall Schminke, College of Business Administration
- Matt Stock, College of Health Professions and Sciences
- Ladda Thiamwong, College of Nursing
- Wei Wei, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
University Awardee:
- Kathleen Richardson, College of Optics and Photonics
Excellence in Mentoring Doctoral Students
University Awardees:
- Xin He, College of Business Administration
- Luis Rabelo, College of Business Administration
Excellence in Instructional Design
University Awardee:
- Kathleen Bastedo, Division of Digital Learning
Excellence in Librarianship
University Awardee:
- Peter Spyers-Duran ’05MS ’07MS, UCF Libraries
Excellence in Faculty Academic Advising
University Awardee:
- Amanda Groff ’03 ’07MA, College of Sciences
Excellence in Professional Service
University Awardee:
- Kerri Watson, College of Arts and Humanities
20-Year Service Award
- Steven Berman, College of Sciences
- Walter Sotero, College of Sciences
- Suren Tatulian, College of Sciences
- Nizam Uddin, College of Sciences
- Graham Worthy, College of Sciences
- Laura “Junie” Albers-Biddle ’86 ’93MEd ’14EdD, College of Community Innovation and Education
- Linan An, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Issa Batarseh, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Tarek Buhagiar ’97MS, College of Business: Department of Economics
- Shawn Burke ’92, College of Graduate Studies
- Suryanarayana Challapalli, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Sabatino Dibernardo, College of Arts and Humanities
- Mark Dickie, College of Business: Department of Economics
- Matthew Gerber ’98 ’00MS ’05PhD, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Fon Gordon, College of Arts and Humanities
- Anthony Grajeda, College of Arts and Humanities
- Richard Harrison, UCF Libraries
- Florencio Hernandez ’18MBA, College of Community Innovation and Education
- Randall Hewitt, College of Community Innovation and Education
- Bari Hoffman ’96 ’98MA, College of Health Professions and Sciences
- Steven Hornik, College of Business
- Anna Maria Jones, College of Arts and Humanities
- Mikhail Klimov ’99MS, Office of Research
- Richard Lapchick, College of Business
- Dan Marinescu, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Stefanie Mayfield Garcia, College of Business: Department of Marketing
- Thomas “Rudy” McDaniel ’99 ’01MA ’03 ’04PhD, College of Arts and Humanities
- Christopher Niess, College of Arts and Humanities
- Eugene Paoline, College of Community Innovation and Education
- Sumanta Pattanaik, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Tison Pugh, College of Arts and Humanities
- Benjamin Rockmore, College of Business
- Kirk Scammon ’91 ’96MS, Office of Research
- Claudia Schippert, College of Arts and Humanities
- Yongho Sohn, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Steven Spencer, College of Arts and Humanities
- Terrie Sypolt, UCF Libraries
- Rajan Vaidyanathan, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Mark Winton ’84 ’88MA, College of Community Innovation and Education
- Shin-Tson Wu, College of Optics and Photonics
30-Year Service Award
- Robert Peale, College of Sciences
- Morgan Wang, College of Sciences
- David Brunner, College of Arts and Humanities
- Alain Kassab, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Mansooreh Mollaghasemi, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Robert Rivers, College of Arts and Humanities
- Mary Lou Sole, College of Nursing
- Jeffrey Sonne, Office of Research
40-Year Service Award
- Michael Hampton, College of Sciences
- Samuel Richie ’80 ’83MS ’89PhD, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Professor Emeritus and Emerita
- Bernard Jensen, College of Sciences
- David Nickerson ’80, College of Sciences
- Alvin Wang, College of Sciences
- Stephen Berman, College of Medicine
- David Brunner, College of Arts and Humanities
- Susan Chase, College of Nursing
- Steven Chicurel-Stein, College of Arts and Humanities
- Sophia Dziegielewski ’81, College of Health Professions and Sciences
- Robert Folger, College of Business
- Walter Gaudnek, College of Arts and Humanities
- Robert Hoekstra, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Marcia Katz, College of Medicine
- Genaro Lopez, College of Medicine
- Ronald Michaels, College of Business
- M.G. “Jim” Moharam, College of Optics and Photonics
- Moshe Pelli, College of Arts and Humanities
- Richard Peppler, College of Medicine
- Debra Reinhart ’76, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- John “Jack” Ryalls, College of Health Professions and Sciences
- Dawn Trouard, College of Arts and Humanities
- Lyn Unruh, College of Community Innovation and Education
- Parveen Wahid, College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Bonnie Yegidis, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Vice President Emerita
- Maribeth Ehasz
Vice Provost Emeritus
- Jeffrey Jones