93RD ANNUAL HONORS CONVOCATION Hill Auditorium March 20, 2016 | 2:00 p.m. This year marks the 93rd Honors Convocation held at the University of Michigan since the first was instituted on May 13, 1924, by President Marion LeRoy Burton. On these occasions the University publicly recognizes and commends the undergraduate students in its schools and colleges who have earned distinguished academic records or have excelled as leaders in the community. It is highly appropriate that those students be honored who have most clearly and effectively demonstrated academic excellence, dynamic leadership, and inspirational volunteerism. The Honors Convocation takes rank with the Commencement Exercises among the important ceremonies of the University year. The names of the students who are honored for outstanding achievement this year appear in this program. They include all students who have earned University Honors in both Winter 2015 and Fall 2015, plus all seniors who have earned University Honors in either Winter 2015 or Fall 2015. The William J. Branstrom Freshman Prize recipients are listed, as well—recognizing first year undergraduate students whose academic achievement during their first semester on campus place them in the upper five percent of their school or college class. James B. Angell Scholars— students who receive all “A” grades over consecutive terms —are given a special place in the program. In addition, the student speaker is recognized individually for exemplary contributions to the University community. To all honored students, and to their parents, the University extends its hearty congratulations. Honored Students Honored Faculty Faculty Colleagues and Friends of the University It is a pleasure to welcome you to the 93rd University of Michigan Honors Convocation. On behalf of the academic leaders on the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses, I thank you for joining us today. The Honors Convocation is an important University tradition, where we recognize and celebrate the outstanding academic achievements of undergraduate students from all three of our campuses. Today we honor students who exemplify academic excellence, committed and creative leadership, and thoughtful service—all core values of the University. These students have demonstrated a passion for learning—challenging themselves, and their teachers, with tough questions and innovative ideas that stretch the boundaries of knowledge and open new pathways for exploration. The University’s mission statement includes our commitment to “developing leaders who will challenge the present and enrich the future.” The students we honor today give life to that commitment through their purposeful engagement with the world. Today we also honor a group of distinguished faculty members who have joined us for this ceremony. Recently recognized by the University for their outstanding teaching and scholarship, they represent the many individuals in our community who inspire, challenge, and support our students. As we congratulate our students, we also recognize, with deep appreciation, the parents, family members, and friends who have nurtured and supported these remarkable students. The University of Michigan shares the pride you feel in their accomplishments. With you, we look forward to the contributions they will make to the future. Congratulations and welcome! Martha E. Pollack Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs ORDER OF EXERCISES Honors Convocation, March 20, 2016 “How Far Will the Legacy We Leave Behind Travel?” The theme for this year’s event is intended to prompt discussion about how University of Michigan students, faculty, and staff can leave an imprint on society…what will become of that legacy in the future, and what might it reveal about our actions of today? Carillon Selections Tiffany Ng University Carillonist and Assistant Professor of Music School of Music, Theatre & Dance Prelude Partita in B-flat, Opus 78 Composed by Franz Krommer University of Michigan Symphony Band Chamber Winds John D. Pasquale Conductor *Processional Trumpet Voluntary Composed by Jeremiah Clarke James Kibbie University Organist and Professor of Music School of Music, Theatre & Dance *The National Anthem Christabel Nunoo Senior, School of Music, Theatre & Dance University Honors Welcome Martha E. Pollack Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Honors Convocation Speaker Mario Shammas Senior, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Four Term Angell Scholar University Honors Presentation of Honors Students Martha E. Pollack Susan Gano-Phillips Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Michigan-Flint Daniel Little Chancellor, University of Michigan-Dearborn Robert M. Sellers Vice Provost for Equity, Inclusion, and Academic Affairs * Please stand 2 Recognition of National Martha E. Pollack Scholarship Recipients Presentation of Wallenberg Fellowship Martha E. Pollack Presentation of Thurnau Professors Honors Convocation Speaker Thad A. Polk Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Professor of Psychology Associate Chair, Department of Psychology College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Musical Selection “Songs My Mother Taught Me” from Gypsy Songs B. 104, Opus 55 Composed by Antonín Dvoˆákr Alexandria Strother,r soprano Senior, College of Engineering and School of Music, Theatre & Dance University Honors Landon Baumgard, piano The Convocation Address Mark S. Schlissel President Closing Martha E. Pollack *The Alma Mater The Yellow and Blue Composed by Michael W. Balfe James Kibbie and the audience (see words on back cover and melody on page 100) *Recessional Toccata from Symphony V Composed by Charles-Marie Widor James Kibbie *Those who are able are asked to stand for portions of the program asterisked (*). At the conclusion of the program, the audience will please remain standing until the platform party has left the auditorium. We are grateful to the Provost’s Council on Student Honors for their role in planning this event. Council members include: co-chairs Scott Hershovitz, Professor of Law and Philosophy and Frederick Amrine, Associate Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures and Thurnau Professor; Aline Cotel, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Program in the Environment; Henry Dyson, Senior Advisor, LSA Honors Program; Elizabeth Goodenough, Residential College Lecturer; Kevin Korsyn, Professor of Music Theory; Ellen Meader, Assistant Vice Provost; Trina Shanks, Associate Professor of Social Work; and Raymond Van Dam, Professor of History and Near Eastern Studies. The Council is sponsored by Vice Provost Robert M. Sellers. We would like to thank Melody Racine, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Voice in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance for her expert assistance in choosing the student soloists for our ceremony. 3 HONORS CONVOCATION SPEAKERS Mario Shammas Senior, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Four Term Angell Scholar University Honors Mario Shammas, a senior from Macomb Township, Michigan, is majoring in neuroscience in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. A four-term James B. Angell Scholar and Honors Program student, he was born in Baghdad, Iraq, and lived in Jordan and Oman before immigrating to Michigan with his family in 2010. As president of the Arabic Language Club, he organizes the group’s language and cultural events. Additionally, he helps students gain fluency speaking Arabic at weekly conversation sessions. Working previously as a linguistics research assistant, he created three-dimensional representations of the vocal mechanics required to produce Arabic sounds. He also designed and is teaching a one-credit seminar about neurological disorders to first-year honors students. The course is based on his honors thesis and his research on the neuroprotective effect of various compounds on the progression of Parkinson’s disease. After graduation, he plans to take a gap year before pursuing a combined medical degree and doctorate in neurology or neurosurgery. Thad A. Polk Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Professor of Psychology Associate Chair, Department of Psychology College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Professor Polk, a University of Michigan faculty member since 1996, was named a Thurnau Professor in 2006 in recognition of his outstanding teaching and commitment to students. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with distinction from the University of Virginia and an interdisciplinary doctorate in psychology and computer science from Carnegie Mellon University. His research interests span the effects of nature, nurture, and aging on the neural architecture of cognition, including the neural structures and processes that give rise to cognition and how they interact to form the mind. Professor Polk publishes extensively on neuroscience topics. He co-authored the book Human Learning: Biology, Brain, and Neuroscience (2008) and co-edited two others. Professor Polk has mentored more than 100 undergraduate researchers and garners near-perfect student ratings in his Introduction to Cognitive Psychology, The Human Mind and Brain freshman seminar, and other courses. He and his family regularly host meals for students in their home. He received a U-M Excellence in Education Award in 1999 and was recognized as one of the Best 300 Professors in the United States by The Princeton Review in 2012. Professor Polk chairs U-M’s Health Sciences and Behavioral Sciences Institutional Review Board and is a member of the University’s Transforming