May 2011 Commencement Speaker - Denise Loring
This Ceremony was marked by the return of Biology alumna Ms Denise Loring (BS, 1976) as the Commencement Speaker. After graduating with Honors from Stony Brook, Ms Loring received a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and then a JD from New York University School of Law. She is a partner in Ropes & Gray’s Intellectual Property Group, has served as lead counsel in biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device patent litigation in US federal and international courts, and received recent recognition from The Best Lawyers in America. Her address provided a glimpse of the challenges to be faced in the outside world, while also giving tangible evidence of the opportunities for success that await our graduates. Her speech to the graduates represented the start of a new tradition of having distinguished alumni give the Convocation Address.

May 2011 Student Speaker - Marwah Ibrahem
A second exciting new tradition incorporated into the 2011 Convocation Ceremony was inclusion of a student speaker. Ms Marwah Ibrahem (BS, Biochemistry 2011), selected as the student speaker by representatives from the Undergraduate Biology Student Advisory Board gave a speech to be remembered. She reminded her classmates of the obstacles they had overcome to reach this day, including the humbling experience of initiation into the Stony Brook community, the challenges of organic chemistry, the anxiety associated with failing clicker batteries and of course those unforgettable multiple choice exams that ask students to select the most incorrect answer.

We are proud to welcome this group of Biology and Biochemistry graduates to the growing community of Stony Brook alumni and look forward with eager anticipation to hearing of their accomplishments!