News Archive

Student Research: Strange Martian mineral deposit likely sourced from volcanic explosions

In a finding that is soon to be ground-truthed by NASA’s next Mars rover, Brown University researchers, including doctoral student Christopher Kremer, show that a Martian mineral deposit was likely formed by ashfall from ancient volcanic explosions. The research, published in the journal Geology, could help scientists assemble a timeline of volcanic activity and environmental conditions on early Mars. “This is one of the most tangible pieces of evidence yet for the idea that explosive volcanism was more common on early Mars,” said Kremer. Read more.

Brown celebrates 1,199 newly minted master’s, doctoral and medical graduates

Doctoral students, along with the largest-ever classes of Brown master’s and medical school graduates, celebrated their success on College Hill during Commencement and Reunion Weekend. Read more.

Commencement Speaker Videos

For family and friends who were unable to visit campus for Commencement watch Jennifer G. Thum ’19 Ph.D. and Eunice Celene Gonzalez-Sierra ’19 MAT give their graduation speeches and the Graduate School Doctoral and Master's Commencement Ceremonies.

Master’s Awards Go to Adia, King, and Doyle

L to R: Alexander Adia, Wesley King, Kelly DoyleThree students will receive the Graduate School’s annual master's prizes, with Alexander Adia to be recognized for academic accomplishment; Wesley King for engaged citizenship and community service; and Kelly Doyle for professional excellence. Adia, a master's student in Public Health, will be recognized for his research on the barriers to HIV prevention, treatment, and care in Manila, Philippines. King, also a master’s student in Public Health, will be honored for his research and advocacy on behalf of LGBT health scholarship and, in particular, transgender health. Doyle, an executive master student in Healthcare Leadership, will be recognized for her Critical Challenge Project surrounding the opioid epidemic in America. Read more.

Joukowsky Awards Recognize Four Outstanding Dissertations

The 2019 Joukowsky Family Foundation Outstanding Dissertation Awards will be awarded to Reyhan Durmaz, William Jordan, Evgenios Kornaropoulos and Florian Gunsilius as they receive their doctoral degrees from Brown University on May 26. The prizes recognize superior achievements in research by students completing the doctoral degree. This year the research topics range from writings on the lives of saints to gene activity in fruit flies and novel solutions for database security to the validity of an instrument for causal inference in observational studies in economics. Read more.

GSC Honors Two Program Staff Members

The 2019 Wilson-DeBlois Award will honor Vanessa Ryan, Co-Deputy Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Dean of Student Development. This year, Dr. Laura Sobik, Assistant Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, wins the Bates-Clapp Award. Each year the Graduate Student Council (GSC) honors two staff members recognized by remarkable contributions to graduate students and the Graduate School. Read more.

Cherry and Foster Win Advising and Mentoring Awards

Professors John Cherry and Andrew Foster received 2019 Graduate School Faculty Awards for Advising and Mentoring at the University Awards Ceremony in late April. As Director of Graduate Study and Professor of Archaeology, Classics and Anthropology, John Cherry’s nominators share that his greatest strength as an advisor comes from how much he cares about each of his students as individuals and scholars. Andrew Foster, Social Science Research Institute Director and Professor of Economics, is lauded as a tireless and empathetic advisor who puts his students’ needs first. Read more.

Horace Mann Medal Awarded to Professor of Physiology and Biophysics

As the recipient of the 2019 Horace Mann Medal, Sharona Gordon '90, '94 Ph.D. embodies the qualities symbolized by this award: academic achievement, leadership and a dedication to students, colleagues, community and profession. Gordon is an accomplished educator with over 20 years of teaching and research experience who is currently a Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Washington in Seattle. Gordon will share her knowledge in her Commencement forum titled, “If I’m Not Safe, No Body Is: Science, Power, and Activism in the Age of #MeToo”. It is open to the public and takes place on Saturday, May 25, at 11 a.m. in Salomon 001, on the College Green. Read more.

Doctoral Students Honored for Teaching Excellence

Four graduate students received the honor of being recognized for their teaching skills at the University Award Ceremony on April 29. David Abel (Computer Science), Kimberly Lewis (Anthropology), John Santiago (Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry) and Abner Santos (Portuguese and Brazilian Studies) all received incredible recommendations from faculty and former students. Read more about the recipients.

Graduate Speakers to Extol Their Peers’ Research and Resilience at Commencement

In keeping with Brown’s long-standing tradition of highlighting student voices at Commencement, the University’s Graduate Student Council (GSC) selected two students to deliver addresses at this year’s Graduate School ceremonies on Sunday, May 26. Jen Thum, who will earn her Ph.D. in archaeology, will address graduates and guests at the Doctoral Ceremony on Pembroke Field. Eunice Gonzalez-Sierra, who will earn her master’s degree in teaching, will speak at the Master’s Ceremony in Meehan Auditorium. Both speakers will recognize the hard work of their fellow graduates while also calling on their peers to understand, and reach out to, those with different backgrounds. Read more.