23 Jacobs School Students Recognized for National, SUNY and UB Honors

By Dirk Hoffman

The annual celebration, held on April 30, highlights UB students whose work stands out across research, scholarship, creative activity and public service. Honorees represent disciplines from across the university and include recipients and nominees of highly competitive international and national programs.

The day began with the Student Showcase, where hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students presented mentored research, scholarship, creative and community projects at Broadview Arena on UB’s North Campus. An awards ceremony followed in Slee Hall.

Two Jacobs School students were recognized by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the nation’s flagship international exchange initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

The Fulbright Program is the largest of its kind in the United States, supporting study, research and teaching opportunities abroad.

Saleha Mir, a 2023 neuroscience graduate, was named a recipient. She works as a research assistant at the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center and serves as an enlisted medic in the Air National Guard.

Keefe Suen, a nominee, conducts research in the lab of Dheeraj Roy, PhD, assistant professer of physiology and biophysics, examining how brain circuits interact. He is pursuing a double major in neuroscience and psychology.

Two students received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. They were: Azaria Fulton (neuroscience) and Li Yi Hu (biochemistry).

The program offers grants for students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies or credit-bearing, career-oriented internships abroad.

Such international exchange is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.

The Jacobs School had one honorable mention — Gabby Inserra (computational cell biology, anatomy and pathology) and two nominees: Keefe Suen (neuroscience and psychology) and Hal Svetanics (bioinformatics and computational biology) in the NSF GRF program.

The fellowship provides three years of support ($40,000 per year plus tuition waiver and fees) for graduate study leading to research-based masters or doctoral degrees in mathematical, physical, biological, engineering, and behavioral and social sciences.

Aisha Makama (biochemistry and political science) was a nominee for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship.

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, the federal memorial to our country’s 33rd president, awards merit-based scholarships to college students who plan to pursue careers in government or elsewhere in public service.

Truman Scholars receive up to $30,000 for graduate or professional school, participate in leadership development activities, and have special opportunities for internships and employment with the federal government.

Aisha Makama (biochemistry and political science) was the recipient of an Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service, which supports students who have a passion for helping others, experience serving their communities, and can demonstrate an expansive view of what’s possible through public service.

Medical student David Cazares Dorantes was a nominee for this fellowship program that honors the contributions of immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States.

Each year, it invests in the graduate education of 30 new Americans — immigrants and children of immigrants — who are poised to make significant contributions to U.S. society, culture or their academic field.

Eight Jacobs School students have received SUNY Graduate Research Empowering and Accelerating Talent (GREAT) awards.

All recipients of the award have also earned national recognition from the National Science Foundation, Graduate Research Fellowship Program or the National Institutes of Health’s National Research Service Awards.

The GREAT award provides $7,500 in funding from the SUNY Office of Research and Economic Development that students can use for research expenses, related travel, professional development and stipend augmentation.

The awards build on SUNY’s commitment to advance research projects and excellence throughout New York State, and to expand research opportunities for students.  

“I congratulate our students on this well-deserved recognition and thank SUNY for its continued support of graduate education and student success,” said Graham Hammill, senior vice provost for faculty affairs and dean of UB’s Graduate School. “These awards provide students with meaningful support to advance their research, scholarship and professional development. Their accomplishments reflect the strength and promise of UB’s graduate community.”

The Jacobs School honorees are:

• Caleb Buerger (microbiology and immunology)
• Peter Fiorica (medicine; genetics, geonomics and bioinformationcs)
• Caitlin James (cancer sciences)
• Ashley S. McDougall (biochemistry)
• Samantha Schwarz (pharmacology/neuroscience)
• Laura Sherwood (biomedical engineering)
• Jennifer Sosa (biochemistry)
• Jason H. Tong (cancer sciences)

Student abstracts can be found on the SUNY GREAT Award website. 

Three Jacobs School students were named as recipients of the 2026 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, the highest honor SUNY bestows upon its students.

The award recognizes outstanding students who also excel in a variety of areas, including leadership, diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, campus involvement, civics and service, research and development, or creative and performing arts.

Each year, selection committees from SUNY campuses consider nominees and recommend finalists to the chancellor’s office. This year’s recipients were invited to attend an awards ceremony in Albany.

The Jacobs School honorees are Kymani Getfield, Ishfar Shaan and Emaan Sohail.

Getfield, of Kingston, Jamaica, graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear medicine technology and a minor in biological sciences. He is a University Honors College Scholar and has served in the United States Army National Guard.

He has also served as a campus living community assistant, campus health educator and an undergraduate research assistant. In the Clark Laboratory, he contributed to the development of a preclinical animal model of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy-Richardson's Syndrome (PSP-RS), advancing research in neurodegenerative disease.

Getfield has also been actively involved in several student organizations, including the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), the Minority Association of Premedical Students (MAPS) and the men’s soccer club

Shaan, of Clarence, New York, graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical sciences and a minor in public health. A Presidential Scholar in the Honors College, he conducted research on novel cancer therapies and authored an abstract presented at the American Association for Cancer Research.

He helped establish, and is former president of the Undergraduate Student Club at the Jacobs School, and as president of the Bengali SA, led the group to its first International Fiesta win.

Shaan has served as a teaching assistant for cell biology, medical assistant and nursing aide, and has volunteered with refugee and asylum-seeking communities while also growing his business.

Sohail, of Rochester, graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical sciences. She is a Presidential Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa inductee and serves as president of the Pre-Dental Association and co-founder of the University Honors College Book Club.

Sohail has worked in the Office of the President and Alumni Engagement, and as a pediatric dental assistant. She served as an oral biology research assistant, mentor and volunteer at nonprofits, and co-published a paper on public policy through the Honors College on physician-assisted suicide in New York.

One graduate student and one undergraduate student from the Jacobs School were honored with this award, which recognizes outstanding Student Showcase projects from each decanal area that achieve superiority in presentation, content and scope, and which therefore merit acknowledgement as efforts worthy of university-wide distinction. 

Jack Reeves, a student in the MD-PhD Program, was recognized for his work in neuroscience.

His Student Showcase project was titled “Imaging the Role of Chronic Active Imflammation in Multiple Sclerosis Disease Progression.”

Undergraduate biomedical sciences student Miles Stefko was honored for his research in microbiolgy and immunology.

His Student Showcase project was titled “Liposomal Encapsulation of Polysaccharides (LEPS) Vaccine Confers Higher Protection Than the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Against Invasive Serotype 3 S. Pneumoniae Infection.”

Kathryn Maraszek (experimental therapeutics) won first place.

Sigma Xi is an international honor society of science and engineering. Its mission is to enhance the health of the research enterprise, foster integrity in science and engineering, and promote the public’s understanding of science for the purpose of improving the human condition.

At UB, the local chapter has sponsored the Sigma Xi Student Research Competition annually for over 20 years, providing a venue for UB’s research community to share their work across the entirety of science and engineering. Three winning projects are selected.

At UB’s Pillars of Leadership Awards ceremony, a Jacobs School undergraduate student and a student organization were recognized.

Ayat Ahmad, the president of the Jacobs School Undergraduate Student Club, was honored with the Student Organization Officer of the Year (Undergraduate) Award.

The Jacobs School’s Public Health Interest Group (PHIG) was honored with the Student Organization Award for Excellence in Academics and Service.