Sigma Xi Awardees

Maricatherine Garr graduated from Juniata College with a B.S. in Ecology and from East Stroudsburg University with an M.Ed. in Secondary Education. While at Juniata, she worked as a student environmental educator at the Raystown Field Station and decided to pursue education as a career. Certified in Biology, Earth and Space Science, and Chemistry, she has taught a wide variety of classes over her 19-year career, and she has been with the Pleasant Valley School District since 2008.  Maricatherine’s scientific passion is strongest in the environmental science realm and she has taught AP Environmental Science for 10 years. She also teaches AP Biology.

She has coached the very successful PVHS Envirothon for 13 years, and was named Monroe County Conservation District’s Conservation Educator of the Year in 2017. She coordinates her students to work with the Cherry Valley Fish and Wildlife Service to raise wood turtles, and to work with the Delaware Watershed Shad Fisherman’s Association to raise American Shad fry. She is also the Science National Honor Society Advisor, and the PVHS Science Department Head. She was a member of the PennSEL network who helped roll out STEELS standards to PA.  In her free time, she can be found outside, hiking, kayaking, biking and counting birds.

Nick Aiello is from Cresco, PA. He will be graduating magna cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S. in Biotechnology. During his time at East Stroudsburg University, Nick conducted independent research under Dr. Joshua Loomis, where he led a project investigating bacteriophage-antibiotic interactions in bacterial biofilms and presented his work at multiple symposia, including the National Science Foundation S-STEM Scholar Symposium in San Diego. Nick also interned at the PA Tick Research Lab and served as President of the Biotech and Medtech Club. After graduation, Nick will relocate to Syracuse, New York, to begin his career as a Quality Engineer at Baxter International.

Hunter Corrow is from Bath, PA. He will be graduating in December 2026 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences with a Secondary Education concentration. He is slated to complete his student teaching program during the Fall 2026 Semester. While attending ESU, Hunter Corrow maintained a 4.0 GPA to date and completed over 100 hours of classroom field experiences in secondary schools. After graduation, Hunter plans to pursue a position as a biology teacher in Northampton County while concurrently working towards a master’s degree in Biological Sciences.

Anique Hazebroek is from Vinkeveen, The Netherlands. She will be graduating summa cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. While attending ESU, Anique was a member of the ESU swimming team, where she broke a total of 8 school records and got multiple athletic awards and recognitions. She also works as a tutor for Genetics, Microbiology, Introductory Biology I&II and General Chemistry I.

Anique was awarded the outstanding student award at the 57th annual meeting of CPUB. After graduating from her undergraduate program she is planning on taking earning a master's and finishing her NCAA eligibility here at ESU. After that she is planning on attending vet school, either in the United States or the Netherlands. 

Kayla Lazorik is from Bethlehem, PA, and is graduating summa cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S. in Environmental Studies. Throughout her time at ESU, Kayla has held two internships, an environmental education internship at Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center and a stewardship internship at Lehigh County Conservation District. After graduation, Kayla will continue working for the Lehigh County Conservation District in their Vector Borne Disease Control program as a Mosquito Control Technician.

Emily Ramsour is from Cresco, PA. She graduated magna cum laude from ESU in December 2025 with a B.S. in Biology and a concentration in Integrative Organismal Biology. During her time at ESU, Emily conducted field research performing bird surveys at Pennsylvania state game lands under the mentorship of Dr. Master and Dr. LaDuke. She is looking forward to an upcoming internship with Langan Engineering and Environmental Services. In the future, Emily plans to continue her education and pursue a career within the field of ecology and conservation.

Audrey Sauter is from Cincinnati, OH. She graduated with her M.S. in Biology in January of 2026. At ESU, Audrey performed ecological field work under Dr. Thomas LaDuke and did her thesis research on wintertime thermal biology of timber rattlesnakes. After graduating, Audrey moved to Guam to work with invasive brown tree snakes, and hopes to enter a PhD program sometime in the future to continue to do research in the herpetology field. 

Niko Sawyer, of Stroudsburg, PA, will graduate magna cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S. in Environmental Science. During his time at East Stroudsburg University, Niko conducted independent research on polychaete regeneration under the mentorship of Dr. Tracy Whitford and worked as a lab assistant in the biology department. Following graduation he plans to pursue a career in conservation, with the goal of advancing awareness and protection of invertebrate species before continuing on to graduate school.

Madison Scott is from Pen Argyl, PA. She will be graduating in August 2027 with a B.S. in Medical Technology. After completing 2 years of coursework at ESU, she will be attending Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences Medical Laboratory Science program starting in July 2026 to fulfill her clinical internship year and complete her bachelor’s degree.

After graduation, Madison plans to pursue a career as a medical laboratory scientist in a hospital laboratory setting, contributing to quality patient care through accurate diagnostic testing.

Caroline Westphal is from East Stroudsburg, PA. She will graduate summa cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S. in Biology. While attending East Stroudsburg University, Caroline has been an active member of the University Honors Program, Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity, and the Pre-Med Club.

She has earned Dean’s List recognition every semester. After graduation, Caroline will serve as an Educational Leadership Consultant for Alpha Omicron Pi during the 2026–2027 academic year, after which she plans to attend medical school.

Dante Alessi is from Easton, Pennsylvania. He completed his A.S. degree at Northampton Community College with a major in Chemistry. In May 2026, he graduates with a B.S. degree in Chemistry (with an American Chemical Society concentration). While attending ESU, he served as Vice President of the Chemistry Club during his junior year. In his senior year, he was hired in the department’s stockroom as an assistant lab technician. There, he set up lab equipment and prepared solutions for all general chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and biochemistry labs.

His experience with instruments such as GC-MS, HPLC, UV-Vis, Flame AA, and ASV led to an opportunity to work as a lab assistant for CHEM 373, an Advanced Environmental Chemistry lab where these instruments are utilized to analyze samples following Environmental Protection Agency standards. He also began an internship at FedChem LLC in August of 2025, working as a quality control chemist, completing in-process and finished goods testing according to standard operating procedures. Dante is also proud of the research he conducted with Dr. Boyer this academic year on the photodegradation of phenazopyridine using PEDOT-doped TiO2 nanofibers as a photocatalyst.

These have applications in various biomedical devices, gas detection, electronic and robotic applications. After graduation, he plans on pursuing a career in the chemical industry as an analytical chemist. He intends to gain more industry experience prior to enrolling in a graduate program. Dante is currently fielding offers from a number of different companies in the Lehigh Valley and Pocono regions.

Shawn Bugeanu is from East Stroudsburg, PA, and is a Biochemistry major at East Stroudsburg University who is expected to graduate in May 2026. During his time at ESU, he has gained significant research experience as an organic chemistry research assistant with Dr. Boyce, where he analyzed palladium-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions using green chemistry principles to determine the greatest percent recovery from column chromatography.

He later joined Dr. Fuanta’s lab where he overexpressed and characterized shikimate kinase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa using E. coli BL21 DE3 PLysS cells. The expressed enzyme, shikimate kinase, is used for screening of potential inhibitors against P. aeruginosa and other nosocomial pathogens. He is also a member of the University Honors Program, where his thesis focuses on the impact of caffeine on the activity of the lactose-hydrolysing enzyme, lactase.

Through these opportunities, Shawn has developed a strong foundation in laboratory techniques and scientific research methodologies. With his analytical skills, he also performs data and market analytics in his spare time. After graduation, he plans to begin working at Sanofi and ultimately pursue a career as an anesthesiologist.

Darrien Burke is from East Stroudsburg, PA, and he is currently majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Spanish. He expects to graduate in Spring 2029. After graduating from ESU, Darrien intends on going to graduate school to study dentistry. 

Donald Francois Jr. is a senior from Stroudsburg, PA. He will be graduating in May with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Chemical Biotechnology. While attending ESU, Donald invested in the local community by serving as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), he has also invested into the ESU Women’s Basketball Team as a practice player.

Donald is also a league official at the Mattioli Rec Centers, and he participates in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) club. After graduation, Donald plans on continuing full-time work as an EMT, completing a paramedic program, and seeking a career in biochemical sciences.

Bailey Gizzo is a Stroudsburg High School graduate and Stroudsburg, PA native who will graduate summa cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry (American Chemical Society Certified). While attending ESU, she has been active in research and service. Over the past four years, Bailey has been an active member of the Chemistry Club, currently serving as the secretary. She was part of the leadership team that reactivated the student chapter with the American Chemical Society.

She has also been a vital member of the Warrior Tutoring Center staff as a Certified Reading and Learning Association level II certified tutor for courses in chemistry, biology, math, communications, geography, art history, and personal finance. Last summer, she interned with the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. There she worked on a team evaluating chemical agent detection system interoperability and efficacy under various environmental conditions.

As a member of the ESU Honors Program, she is currently working with Dr. Loffredo and Dr. Tauer to synthesize a series of coumarin derivatives and conduct cell studies to test their anticancer properties, a project that bridges both of her degrees. After graduation, Bailey will attend the University of Arizona to earn her PhD and is hoping to continue to work at the intersection of organic and biochemistry.

Jada Mahmde is from Albrightsville, PA. She will be graduating in May 2026 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Chemical Biotechnology. While attending ESU, Jada served as President of the ESU Chemistry Club. She organized fundraising and volunteer initiatives, along with visiting local schools to provide hands on science experience.

She also reestablished the ESU student chapter of the American Chemical Society. Her work experience includes working as a dental assistant for Dr. Jeffery Zyck. She also worked as an assistant laboratory technician in the ESU Chemistry Stock room prepping solutions for laboratory and keeping track of chemical inventory .Jada is also proud of the research she conducted with Dr. Fuanta where she studied the mechanisms of methionyl aminopeptidase, an essential enzyme in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

She performed the overexpression, purification, and characterization of methionylamino peptidase using various biochemical and molecular biology techniques. Jada also evaluated the efficiencies of different DNA purification kits, assessing their cost, yield, and turnover per sample. She was also actively involved in volunteering with the Warrior Food pantry, taking part in campus clean-up initiatives, and supporting breast cancer awareness walks.

After graduation, Jada plans to apply to dental school in the summer of 2026 with a goal of matriculation by the following year. In the meantime, during her gap year, she plans to continue working as a dental assistant and to take welding classes in the fall.

Luna Mumma is a sophomore chemistry major. She is a tutor for chemistry and the treasurer for the Chemistry Club. She does organic synthesis research with Dr. Gregory Boyce, and is currently using studying kinetics of the Suzuki cross coupling reaction. She is excited for the next steps in her classes, research, and extracurriculars at ESU.

Taj Odhiambo is a senior from Brooklyn, NY. He will be graduating in May with a B.S. in Biochemistry. While attending ESU, Taj has served as a full-time health insurance navigator. Taj is also the vice president of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), a manager at the Mattioli Recreation Center, a practice player for the East Stroudsburg University women’s basketball team, and he served as an assistant basketball coach for the Stroudsburg High School varsity and junior varsity girls’ teams. After graduation, Taj plans to continue to work in the health insurance industry while transitioning to a job in biochemical sciences.

Veronica Roca Ruano is a senior at East Stroudsburg University pursuing a dual degree in Biochemistry and Chemical Biotechnology. She will be graduating magna cum laude in the Spring of 2026. While attending ESU, Veronica maintained a consistent place on the Dean’s List and was awarded the Shelby Starner Memorial Endowed Scholarship for Excellence in Writing. She is an active member of Gen One club and the Pre-PA club.

She conducted a research project under the guidance of Dr. Fuanta focused on determining the enthalpy of unfolding for heme-containing proteins, such as hemoglobin, myoglobin, and catalase. After graduation, she will be attending the Radiologic Technology program at Johnson College in the fall.

Erik Ecklund is from East Stroudsburg, PA. He will be graduating in December 2026 with a B.S. in Computer Science and Computer Security and a minor Mathematics. Before attending ESU, he earned an A.A.S. in Computer Networking from NCC. After graduation, Erik plans to seek a career in the software development industry.

Rowan Medcraft is a graduating senior from Cresco, PA. He will be graduating summa cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S in Computer Science and Mathematics and a minor in Physics. Rowan worked as a peer tutor for Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics for 7 of his 8 semesters at ESU. He also served as the President of the Computer Science Organization, a student organization that connects ESU students with a shared interest in computer programming and cyber security.

Rowan is proud of the research he conducted with Dr. Dubbs on the algebraic permutation group of arbitrary size Rubik's Cubes. After he graduates, Rowan plans to pursue a career in the software development industry.

Sage Buddock is from Center Valley, PA. She graduated summa cum laude in December 2026 with a B.S. in Mathematics and a minor in Actuarial Science. While attending ESU, Sage actively pursued her Actuarial credentials and interned at Munich Re Specialty North America as an actuarial analyst. Since graduating, she has continued progressing toward her actuarial exams and has secured a position as an actuarial analyst with a consulting firm.

Jared Ennico is a Mathematics major with a focus in Applied Finance at East Stroudsburg University, aiming to become an actuary after graduating. Balancing a strong work ethic, he commutes to campus while also officiating ice hockey. Expected to graduate in Fall 2028, Jared is driven by a passion for problem-solving and financial risk management. He is ready to bring his strong analytical skills to his future actuarial career!

Kevin Fisher is from Stroudsburg, PA and will be graduating summa cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S. in Mathematics and minors in Computer Science and Political Science. While attending ESU Kevin has worked as a mentor and math tutor for the NSF Clear Path program, interned at Newman WIlliams P.C. as a legal assistant, and twice participated in an intercollegiate European Union simulation. After graduation, Kevin will be attending Temple University Beasley School of Law, with the ultimate goal of bringing a mathematical perspective to the legal field.

Rowan Medcraft is a graduating senior from Cresco, PA. He will be graduating summa cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S in Computer Science and Mathematics and a minor in Physics. Rowan worked as a peer tutor for Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics for 7 of his 8 semesters at ESU. He also served as the President of the Computer Science Organization, a student organization that connects ESU students with a shared interest in computer programming and cyber security.

Rowan is proud of the research he conducted with Dr. Dubbs on the algebraic permutation group of arbitrary size Rubik's Cubes. After he graduates, Rowan plans to pursue a career in the software development industry.

Catherine Reeves is from Berkhamsted, England. She will be graduating summa cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S. in Mathematics, a B.A. in Philosophy, and a minor in Psychology. While attending ESU, Catherine was part of the ESU Women’s Soccer team. After graduation, Catherine plans to remain in England and take a little time off education to explore career options before possibly pursuing a masters in either Mathematics or Philosophy.

Carson Frank is a Sophomore from Jefferson, NJ. He will be graduating in May of 2028 with a B.S. in Physics with a concentration in Earth and Space. Carson is currently an active member of a new physics club on campus, The Fix It Club. Following graduation, Carson plans to pursue his interest in space within graduate school.

Sean Friedman is from Hazlet, NJ. He is expected to graduate in Spring 2027 with a B.S. in Physics, concentrating in Industrial Physics. While attending ESU, Sean has received the Warrior Success Transfer Award and has earned Dean’s List honors in each of the past 4 semesters. 

Will Levey came from Pottstown, PA to ESU in Fall 2023 to pursue a B.S. in Physics under the Earth and Space Concentration. He has been a member of the Outings Club and is President of the Stony Acres Advisory Board, and interned with Constellation Energy through the summers between semesters. Will worked with Dr. Buckley and Chase Watson to begin a Transit Photometry research project to detect exoplanets. He is graduating this May, and is seeking a career in the energy or natural resources industry.

Jacqueline Neyhart is from Stroudsburg, PA. She will be graduating summa cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S. in Physics and a concentration in Secondary Education. While attending ESU, Jacqueline was an active member of the Warrior Tutoring Center, and she student taught at East Stroudsburg Area High School South. Jacqueline is also proud of the research she conducted with Dr. Elwood. After graduation, Jacqueline plans to work as a high school Physics teacher before seeking her master's in education.

Sadie Schatten is from Spotswood, NJ. She is working towards her B.S. in Physics, concentrating in Earth and Space Science, minoring in Environmental Science, and working towards a certificate in Geographic Information Systems. She is an active member of the Rotaract Club and has been recognized on the Dean’s List multiple times. She intends to graduate in Spring 2028 and pursue higher education in areas related to Planetary Science.

Luke Schirmacher is from Mechanicville, NY. He will be graduating in the Spring 2026 semester with a B.S. in Physics with a concentration in Industrial Engineering. While attending ESU he was a part of the Men’s Wrestling team, making Academic-All American three years in a row. He also made the Dean’s list for Fall 2023 through Fall 2025. After graduating, Luke plans to pursue a career in engineering and/or physics.

Chase Watson is from Fairless Hills, PA. He will be graduating summa cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S in Physics concentrated in research and a minor in Mathematics. While attending ESU, Chase was the President of the Ultimate Frisbee team, and a member of the University Honors Program. After graduation, Chase plans on attending graduate school to further his education in physics.

Courtney Donnerstag is from Hackettstown, NJ. She will be graduating with honors in May 2026 with a B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Counseling, a Studio Art minor, and a certificate in Crisis Intervention. During her time at ESU, Courtney is a member of the University Honors Program, Psi-Chi, Tri-Alpha, and Sigma Xi. She is immensely proud of the research she conducted with Dr. Green, which she had the opportunity to present at the 2025 Student Research and Creative Activity Symposium, the Sigma Xi Annual Research Competition, and to have been selected to present at the 53rd Biannual Psychology Research Forum. Courtney plans to pursue a Master of Social Work degree after the completion of her bachelor’s degree.

Rhyan Lillman is from Effort, PA. He graduated summa cum laude in December of 2025 with a B.S. in Psychology with a research concentration, and a minor in History. While at ESU, he was an active member of the Psychology Association and Psi Chi. He completed research under the supervision of Dr. Bonnie Green, which he proudly presented at the 53rd and 54th Biannual Psychology Forums. After graduation, Rhyan plans to work in clinical research before pursuing graduate education.

Natasha Merchant is from Bushkill, PA. She will be graduating summa cum laude in May 2026 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Social Work. While attending ESU, Natasha worked on multiple research projects under Dr. Chang, served as a team leader on his research team, and has been part of 16 different research presentations.

She also served as a Teaching Assistant and Learning Assistant, supporting students in their academic success. Natasha is honored to have been selected as the commencement speaker for the May 2026 graduation ceremony. After graduation, she plans to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with the goal of becoming a licensed psychologist.