Posted: April 9, 2024
Ten Grad Gators shed national limelight on the University of Florida on Saturday, April 6, 2024, when the prestigious Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society dubbed them as its newest inductees at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Named for Dr. Edward Alexander Bouchet (1852-1918, pictured left), the first Black American to earn a Ph.D. degree in the United States (Physics, Yale University, 1876), this honor society was founded jointly by Yale University and Howard University in 2005. It recognizes top doctoral students, postdoctoral scholars, alumni, and faculty who carry on his legacy of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy as trailblazers in academia.
UF’s Bouchet Honor Society inductees this year are:
Karen Awara-Adjoa Ronke Coker
Ph.D. candidate
Public Health · One Health
College of Public Health and Health Professions
Karen Awura-Adjoa Ronke Coker’s research focuses on well-being in the context of reproductive health in Alachua County, Florida (United States) and climate change in Senegal (West Africa). She aspires to capture how kinship, tradition, and culture may buffer adverse outcomes from social and climate change.
Zuania Colón-Piñeiro
Ph.D. candidate
Zoology
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Zuania Colón-Piñeiro is an ecologist interested in how interactions between abiotic and biotic factors affect amphibian fitness. Integrating field and lab work with empirical and theoretical frameworks, her research explores effects of the pathogenic chytrid fungus in frogs vulnerable to infection and mortality in early life.
Maite De Maria, Ph.D.
Alumna · Class of 2021
Veterinary Medical Sciences · Toxicology
College of Veterinary Medicine
A UF alumna, Dr. Maite De Maria is now a postdoctoral scholar with the United States Geological Survey. With a research background in the effects of contaminants and other stressors on manatee health and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability, she advocates for marine mammal conservation.
Aria Eshraghi, Ph.D.
Faculty member
Infectious Diseases and Immunology
Emerging Pathogens Institute
Dr. Aria Eshraghi is a tenure-track assistant professor at UF. He is recognized internationally as an influential microbiology researcher who was the first to identify toxins produced by a highly pathogenic bacterium called Francisella. His mentorship has launched highly successful academic and professional careers for mentees.
Murielle Gammons, Ph.D.
Alumna · Class of 2020
Higher Education Administration
College of Education
A UF alumna, Dr. Murielle Gammons has applied her background in leadership development to reintegrating at-risk youth challenged by poverty, abuse, and crime into society through education support. She now serves as Director of the UF Graduate School’s Office of Graduate Student Support and Engagement (OGSSE).
Claudia Garnica-Díaz
Ph.D. candidate
Botany · Tropical Conservation and Development
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Claudia Garnica-Díaz’s research aims to deepen scientific insight into plant and ecosystem functions amid natural resource conservation challenges. Her work contributes to enhancing restoration of woodlands across the United States and South America impacted by droughts, heatwaves, and land-use changes.
Ivana Parker, Ph.D.
Faculty member
Biomedical Engineering
Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
A UF assistant professor and Fulbright scholar, Dr. Ivana Parker is passionate about pursuing research, mentorship, and outreach that will have a worlwide impact. She is committed to relieving health disparities for vulnerable populations through her research and participation in global education and outreach initiatives.
Tiffany R. Pennamon
Ph.D. candidate
English
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Tiffany R. Pennamon is an individual who wears many hats: Ph.D. candidate, artist, freelance writer, educator, and library archivist-in-training, to name a few. The common thread tying all those endeavors together is her interest in and research of African American literature, cultural studies, and womanist thought.
Corey Perkins
Ph.D. candidate
Pharmaceutical Sciences · Pharmaceutics
College of Pharmacy
Corey Perkins researches acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) — the initiating event of pancreatic cancer development. The American Association for Cancer Research has recognized her work. After graduation, she will pursue postdoctoral training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (a Harvard Medical School affiliate).
Tatianna L. Zambrano
Ph.D. candidate
School Psychology
College of Education
Tatianna L. Zambrano’s degree concentration is neurodevelopmental disorders. Her research evaluates assessment methods to identify children with Autism Spectrum disorder and universal mental health practices in school districts. She is also involved in policy work at The Education Trust in Washington, D.C.
Hearty congratulations to all ten of UF’s 2024 Bouchet Honor Society inductees! The level of scholarship, instruction, and mentorship that won them this distinction speaks volumes about their academic aspirations and professional performance. It also reflects quite well on the caliber of graduate students and educators who are drawn to UF and make it the higher education powerhouse that it is.
For more information, click here: UF Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society.
Graduate School