The University of Notre Dame鈥檚 recognized 389 master鈥檚 and 209 doctoral degree recipients and presented several awards during Commencement ceremonies Saturday (May 19) in the Compton Family Ice Arena.
, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health, delivered the . He also was recognized as the recipient of the Graduate 91视频鈥檚 Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Quinn, who earned bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees from Notre Dame, chose 鈥淐arpe Diem鈥� or 鈥淪eize the Day鈥� as his message. He discussed four topics under that theme: family, mentorship, collaboration and career.
Regarding family, Quinn urged those who were graduating to thank their families. And he urged their parents to support the graduates鈥� passion for their work.
鈥淔ollow your passion even if the choices you make seem odd or unconventional to others,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o the parents in the audience, your absolute support and love is what your son or daughter needs most as they pursue their own interests and career, even if it seems different from your pathway.鈥�
In discussing mentorship, Quinn described being mentored by the late George B. Craig Jr., a Notre Dame faculty member who was an internationally recognized expert on the biology and control of mosquitoes.
鈥淚 am absolutely sure that there are at least one or more professors who have made an indelible mark on your life,鈥� he said. 鈥淕eorge Craig was such a person to me, and I honor him today.
鈥淢entoring is also about giving. Your future experiences will offer you opportunities to mentor others, so remember to dedicate yourself to mentoring others in your professional field. I have tried to instill in myself that same nurturing quality that a mentor can be to other individuals. So 鈥榮eize this day鈥� to thank the faculty for what they have done to help you reach this wonderful moment of your career, and later offer that same type of guidance to others.鈥�
Quinn also suggested that the graduates consider collaboration.
鈥淚n this day of technological innovations, success in one鈥檚 career is often dependent upon partnerships and collaboration in which individuals work together to reach a common goal,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his may vary by profession, but in many fields the teamwork approach usually results in the best success.鈥�
In discussing career, Quinn urged the graduates to stay true to their passions and learn from their failures.
In concluding, Quinn said, 鈥淎s graduates of this great university, you are in a privileged setting embarking upon the careers of your life. Take advantage of this opportunity to make a difference, 鈥榮eize the day鈥� and pursue your dreams and desires. Abraham Lincoln said, 鈥榠n the end, it鈥檚 not the years your life that count. It鈥檚 the life in your years.鈥欌��
The recipients of several Graduate 91视频 awards also were recognized during the Commencement ceremony.
The top graduating doctoral students in the humanities, social sciences, science and engineering were honored with the Eli J. and Helen Shaheen Graduate 91视频 Awards.
Prashant Deshlahra, a chemical and biomolecular engineering Ph.D., was the recipient for engineering. His research focused on novel ways to manipulate the activity of heterogeneous catalytic materials. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California at Berkeley with Enrique Iglesia, a leading researcher in the area of heterogeneous catalysis.
In the humanities, the recipient was Hilary E. Fox, an English Ph.D., who has provided groundbreaking insights into medieval concepts of mental activity and understanding. She has accepted a position as a collegiate assistant professor at the University of Chicago.
Timothy Wencewicz, a chemistry and biochemistry Ph.D., whose work is in the area of developing antibiotic chemotherapies based on new scaffolds and microbe-targeted drug delivery techniques, was the recipient in the sciences. He has earned a postdoctoral position at the Harvard Medical 91视频 with Christopher Walsh, a prominent scholar in the fields of enzymology and pharmacology.
In the social sciences, Carlos Gervasoni, a political science Ph.D. who completed a synthesis of research on democratization at a sub-national level, focused on his home country of Argentina, was the recipient. He is now an assistant professor at the Universidad Torcuato di Tella, Argentina鈥檚 finest social science institute and one of the best universities in all of Latin America.
, John A. O鈥橞rien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures, and , Andrew Tackes Professor of Medieval History, were honored as co-recipients of the University鈥檚 2012 Rev. James A. Burns, C.S.C. Graduate 91视频 Award. The award is given annually to a faculty member for distinction in teaching or other exemplary contributions to graduate education and honors the first Notre Dame president with an advanced degree.
Brian Baker in the was recognized as this year鈥檚 Director of Graduate 91视频 Award winner and Tracy Cabello was named recipient of this year鈥檚 Graduate Administrative Assistant Award.