Academic Convocation

Convocation Address

Coping with the challenges of a changing world

Born and raised in Germany, Dr. Ruth Fabian-Fine received her BSc, MSc, and PhD in Frankfurt/Main where she worked in the field of neuroscience investigating how sensory signals are controlled. Subsequently, she has held two postdoctoral positions. At the National Institute for Medical Research in London England she focused on the underlying mechanisms of learning and memory in the mammalian brain. At Dalhousie University, where she was awarded the prestigious Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship, she continued her work on synaptic plasticity in both mammalian and invertebrate organisms. She joined the Biology Department at Saint Michael’s College in 2015 where she teaches Cellular/Molecular Neuroscience, Developmental Biology, Toxicology and Biological Communication. She has since established a thriving research lab and has published numerous research articles. Together with her colleagues Drs. Adam Weaver and Shane Lamos, she currently holds a Vermont Biomedical Research Network Project grant to study underlying cellular mechanisms that induce neurodegeneration in invertebrate and human brains.

Joanne Rathgeb Teaching Award - Past Recipients

1986 – Arthur C. Hessler

1987 – Richard C. Yorkey

1988 – F. Nicholas Clary

1989 – Carey H. Kaplan

1990 – Joanne Rathgeb

1991 – James P. Conley

1992 – William O. Anderson

1993 – John N. Carvellas

1994 – Carolyn Duffy

1995 – Anne McConnell

1996 – Joseph M. McLaughlin, SSE

1997 – Dianne M. Lynch

1998 – John P. Reiss

1999 – Laima O. Ruoff

2000 – Ronald B. Begley

2001 – Donna M. Bozzone

2002 – M. Reza Ramazani

2003 – Linda S. Halsted

2004 – George L. Ashline

2005 – William F. Grover

2006 – Christina M. Root

2007 – William H. Marquess

2008 – Susan W. Kuntz

2009 – Lorrie N. Smith

2010 – Richard S. Kujawa

2011 – Douglas S. Green (posthumously)

2012 – Vincent L. Bolduc

2013 – Peter Tumulty

2014 – Nathaniel Lewis

2015 – Mark Lubkowitz

2016 – Patricia Siplon

2017 – Traci Griffith

2018 – Joan Wry

2019 – Valerie Bang-Jensen

2020 – Steve Doyon

2021 – Carolyn Lukens-Olson

2022 – Patrick Standen

Scholarship and Artistic Achievement Award - Past Recipients

1986 – John D. Engels

1987 – Donald A. Rathgeb

1987 – Joanne E. Rathgeb

1988 – Francis R. Nicosia

1989 – Armand O. Citarella

1990 – Lance C. Richbourg

1991 – Herbert N. Kessel

1992 – Carey H. Kaplan

1993 – Joseph J. Ferdinand

1994 – William R. Garrett

1995 – George W. Dameron

1996 – William F. Grover

1997 – William Tortolano

1998 – John C. Van Houten

1999 – F. Nicholas Clary

2000 – Judith S. Hillman

2001 – Svetlana Elnitsky

2002 – Jeffrey A. Trumbower

2003 – Greg Delanty

2004 – Ke-wen Wang

2005 – Ronald B. Miller

2006 – Sharon Lamb

2007 – David T. Z. Mindich

2008 – John P. Kenney

2009 – Patricia D. Siplon

2010 – Jeffrey M. Ayres

2011 – Joanna A. Ellis-Monaghan

2012 – Robert J. Niemi

2013 – Mary Beth Doyle

2014 – John O’Meara

2015 – Donna Bozzone

2016 – John Devlin

2017 – Susan Ouellette

2018 – Alain Brizard

2019 – Adrie Kusserow

2020 – Michael Bosia

2021 – William Ellis

2022 – Ruth Fabian-Fine

Norbert A. Kuntz Service Award - Past Recipients

1986 – David LaMarche

1987 – Daniel J. Bean

1988 – Joseph W. Kroger

1989 – Norbert A. Kuntz

1990 – William E. Wilson

1991 – Vincent L. Bolduc

1992 – Edward J. Mahoney

1993 – Joanne E. Rathgeb

1994 – David LaMarche

1995 – Judith Hillman

1996 – Daniel J. Bean

1997 – John N. Carvellas

1998 – Richard O. Gamache

1999 – Dominique P. Casavant

2000 – Peter Harrigan

2001 – Herbert N. Kessel

2002 – Kathleen M. Balutansky

2003 – Marta Umanzor

2004 – Jody K. Willis

2005 – Barry J. Krikstone (posthumously)

2006 – George W. Dameron

2007 – Zsuzsanna Kadas

2008 – Robert P. Kenny

2009 – Anne P. Judson

2010 – George L. Ashline

2011 – Bret Findley

2011 – Edward J. Mahoney

2012 – Valerie S. Banschbach

2013 – Ray Patterson

2014 – Greta Pangborn

2015 – F. Nicholas Clary

2016 – Robert Letovsky

2017 – Doug Slaybaugh

2018 – Melissa VanderKaay Tomasulo

2019 – Katherine Kirby

2020 – Peter Vantine

2021 – Jeffrey Ayres

2022 – Renee Carrico