Clarkson McNair Scholars wins highest academic award of the 2015 graduating class

McNair Scholars Program — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 13:54:39 +0000

Clarkson University President Tony Collins (right) presents the Levinus Clarkson Award to Victoria Kocsis.

Graduating senior Victoria Kocsis of Altamont, N.Y., received the Levinus Clarkson Award during Clarkson University’s 122nd commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9. She was selected for the $1,000 award by a vote of the full University faculty based on her scholarship and promise of outstanding achievement.

The Levinus Clarkson Award was established by University founders Elizabeth and Frederica Clarkson in memory of their brother, Levinus, and was first awarded in 1909. This award and the Frederica Clarkson Award are traditionally given to the two top students in the graduating class.

Kocsis received a bachelor of science degree with a triple major in biomolecular sciences, biology and interdisciplinary liberal arts studies with a concentration in pre-veterinary studies. She was a presidential scholar for eight semesters while attending Clarkson and graduated with a 4.0 GPA.

Kocsis worked in the laboratory of Professor / Bayard and Virginia Clarkson Endowed Chair of Biology Thomas Lufkin and Assistant Professor of Biology Petra Kraus as a McNair and Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) scholar starting in the spring 2013 semester. This laboratory is working on developing a regenerative medicine-based approach to treating intervertebral disc disease using stem cells.

Recently, Kocsis was a secondary author in her first publication from this laboratory. The article examined the generation of a gene expression assay with single cell resolution using plate in-situ hybridization. While working in this laboratory, Kocsis also attended four research conferences to present her research, and she placed first in two and second in one of these conferences.

While attending Clarkson, Kocsis held several leadership and mentoring positions. She was president of the Animal Science Club, treasurer and historian of Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society and secretary of the Clarkson Humane Society Club.

During her senior year, she mentored freshmen through the CORE and Tri-Beta mentoring programs. Victoria was also a Community of Underrepresented Professional Opportunities (CUPO) advisory board member with affiliations through the Ronald E. McNair Scholars and Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) programs. She also served as an advisory board member at several Clarkson open house events to promote the health sciences and biology programs.

Kocsis was active in the Potsdam community during her time as a student. She volunteered with the Cornell Cooperative Extension Farm where she was able to receive her FAMACHA certification, a method farmers use to control parasite infestation. She also received her equine first aide certification and worked with a local riding stable as a farm assistant where she both gave and received horseback riding lessons. In addition, Kocsis worked with the Clarkson Discovery Challenge Program to mentor local high-school students to advocate the STEM field.

During her time at Clarkson, Kocsis consistently held at least two jobs at any given time. She worked four years at the Clarkson Health Sciences Library as a cataloging assistant and student manager, and she served as a teaching assistant of the freshmen biology and human anatomy laboratories. In the summer of 2014, Kocsis worked as a team leader through the Horizons Program at Clarkson.

Outside Clarkson, she was employed as an office manager of Growing Azalea Music and as a cashier at Casa Mia’s Italian Specialties during the summers between semesters. She also has consistently worked at two separate equine facilities as farm hand.

Kocsis received several scholarships as a Clarkson student, including the Bridge and O’Beirne Endowed Presidential Scholarship starting in August 2013. In August of 2012, she began to receive the Brownell Endowed Scholarship. Following her high-school graduation from Berne-Knox-Westerlo CSD, Victoria received the Scaringe Memorial Scholarship as well. Victoria was also recipient of Berne-Know-Westerlo’s Anthony Hill and Key Club scholarships and the Albany County 4-H Scholarship.

During the summer of 2014, Kocsis volunteered at the Bronx Zoo Reptile House where she worked with both the reptiles and live-food animals. She has volunteered and shadowed at several veterinary clinics, including Cottonwood Creek Veterinary Services, Trout Brook Veterinary Clinic, Upstate Veterinary Specialties and the Equine Clinic at Oakencroft for a total of 750 hours. After serving as a 4-H member for more than ten years, Kocsis continues to volunteer with her local 4-H club.

Kocsis was accepted into five colleges of veterinary medicine, and she will be pursuing her doctorate in veterinary medicine at Texas A&M University in August. She hopes to specialize in mixed-animal medicine and possibly pursue a board certification in equine dentistry following graduation.

Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world’s pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and the health professions, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.

Taken from: http://www.clarkson.edu/news/2015/news-release_2015-05-09-1.html

Clarkson University Scholar Named Prestigious NSF Fellow

McNair Scholars Program — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 02:29:32 +0000

Clarkson University undergraduate Maria Lang has received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Maria C. Lang, a senior mechanical engineering major from El Paso, Texas, received the fellowship. She is a member of Clarkson’s Honors Program and a Ronald E. McNair Scholar.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowships are the most prestigious awards available to students beginning their graduate studies in engineering and the sciences. The ranks of NSF Fellows include individuals who have made transformative breakthroughs in research and have become leaders in their chosen careers, including several Nobel Laureates.

Lang entered Clarkson as one of the first cohort of the S-STEM program funded by NSF in 2007. She was admitted into the Honors Program after her freshman year due to her outstanding performance.

Lang was inspired by late astronaut McNair and a former McNair scholar to dream of becoming an astronaut. She participated in the NASA Academy in 2010, working in the propulsion branch at Goddard Space Flight Center with Rich Luquette and Paul Mason.

Her honors thesis is on the computational fluid dynamics of nano-aerosols, supervised by Prof. Suresh Dhaniyala. After graduation, Lang will pursue her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she will investigate electric propulsion/plasma dynamics with Prof. Iain Boyd. She is also a recipient of the Rackham Merit Fellowship there at the Rackham Graduate School.

“Maria has been an outstanding scholar and role model for her fellow McNair Scholars,” said Tammy McGregor-Twiss, assistant director of Clarkson’s McNair Program. “Her strong work ethic, drive and passion have led her to aspire, advance and achieve at every step of her undergraduate career. From obtaining two McNair research opportunities at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, to participation in numerous professional conferences, tutoring and honors research, Maria is very deserving of this fellowship.”

“Maria exemplifies the all-around excellence of an Honors student,” said Jon D. Goss, director of Clarkson’s Honors Program. “Not only is she a brilliant student doing cutting-edge research, but she also tutors math and physics at Clarkson, and is extensively involved in outreach to promote sciences and engineering in K-12 education in the region. On top of that, she is an accomplished pianist and she imagines the prospect of playing in the first piano quartet in space when she succeeds in becoming an astronaut.”

The National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program is intended to help ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States. It provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based master’s or doctoral degrees.

Clarkson’s Honors Program is an intensive four-year curriculum for exceptionally talented students. The University admits only 30 new students to the Honors Program each year.

As one of the eight federally funded TRIO programs of the U.S. Department of Education, the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program prepares first generation & low-income and/or underrepresented students for doctoral studies. The McNair program hosted at Clarkson University is one of 200 across the United States.

– Original unedited article posted by Clarkson University News and Digital Content Services on April 7, 2011.

Clarkson University – McNair Scholars

Clarkson McNair Scholars wins highest academic award of the 2015 graduating class

Clarkson University Scholar Named Prestigious NSF Fellow