Congratulations to these graduate students for successfully defending their theses during the Spring 2026 semester! Student names are listed in alphabetical order by last name. Photos are included at the bottom. 

Adrianna Caro, Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Integrated Biology
Dissertation Title: “Immune system involvement in spiral ganglion neurodegeneration after inner ear hair cell loss”
Faculty Mentor: Steven Green, Ph.D., Professor of Biology

Nicholas (Cole) Kerns, M.S.
M.S. in Integrated Biology (non-thesis)
Faculty Mentor: Jan Fassler, Ph.D., Professor of Biology 

Maisie Laughlin, M.S.
M.S. in Integrated Biology
Thesis Title: “The Role of ATP in Pathological and Physiological Aggregation”
Faculty Mentor: Jan Fassler, Ph.D., Professor of Biology 

Lily McGettigan, M.S.
M.S. in Integrated Biology 
Faculty Mentor: Dan Summers, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology

Sehee Min, Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Integrated Biology
Dissertation Title: “Novel roles for Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1) in gene expression in C. elegans”
Faculty Mentor: Veena Prahlad, Ph.D., Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Emily O’Brien, M.S.
M.S. in Integrated Biology
Thesis Title: “Divergence in the Physiological and Transcriptional Response to Phosphate Starvation between Related Yeast Species”
Faculty Mentor: Bin Z. HE, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology

Israel Wipf, Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology
Dissertation Title: “The Role of ATGL-Mediated Lipolysis During Collective Cell Migration in Drosophila”
Faculty Mentor: Tina Tootle, Ph.D., Department of Biology Chair and Professor

Pictured from left to right on the top row are: Adrianna Caro, Cole Kerns, Maisie Laughlin, and Lily McGettigan. Pictured from left to right on the bottom row are: Sehee Min, Emily O’Brien, and Israel Wipf