April 22, 2024

By Katya Hrichak

Eight Cornell doctoral candidates and two postdocs have been inducted into the Cornell chapter of the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society.

The Bouchet Society recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement and promotes diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate. Its network of scholars exemplifies academic and personal excellence, character, service, and advocacy especially for those from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the academy.

Cornell’s Bouchet scholars, along with scholars from institutions around the country, were inducted at the annual Yale Bouchet Conference on Diversity and Graduate Education hosted by the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in New Haven, Connecticut on April 5 and 6. The theme of this year’s conference was “Rediscovering the Legacy of Edward A. Bouchet: A Catalyst for Historical Reckoning.” During the two-day program, six Cornell scholars gave poster and oral research presentations.

Scholars and their invited mentors and loved ones were also honored at the Cornell Bouchet Scholar Recognition and Celebration on April 17 at Cornell. Remarks on the meaning of the Bouchet Society were provided by Bouchet scholar and Deputy Provost Avery August.

“It is an incredible privilege each year to see such a strong cohort of students and postdocs recognized for their efforts to improve academia and the world more broadly through their scholarship and service efforts focused on advancing aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Sara Xayarath Hernández, associate dean for inclusion student and faculty engagement.

Cornell’s 2024 Bouchet Scholars:

• Evelyn M. Ambríz, postdoctoral associate for mentoring and faculty engagement in the Graduate School
• Drea Darby, doctoral candidate in entomology
• Juliana González-Tobón, doctoral candidate in plant pathology and plant-microbe biology
• Jesus Lopez Baltazar, doctoral candidate in chemical engineering
• Jason Ludwig, doctoral candidate in science and technology studies
• Kelly Richmond, doctoral candidate in performing and media arts
• Reum Scott, postdoctoral researcher in materials science and engineering
• Vaibhav Sharma, doctoral candidate in physics
• Meagan Sundstrom, doctoral candidate in physics
• Katherine Ally Zaslavsky, doctoral candidate in sociology

“Being a Bouchet Scholar is one of the greatest honors I have had at Cornell,” said Lopez Baltazar. “During the first years of my Ph.D. studies, I was very fortunate to interact with several peers who became Bouchet Scholars. Witnessing their passion, drive, and commitment toward leadership and service was very inspiring, and it motivated me to walk my own journey considering their footsteps.”

Several members of this year’s cohort note looking forward to joining the broader Bouchet Society community, which will allow them to share ideas, create opportunities, and contribute to the creation of more inclusive learning environments.

“What I appreciate most about the Bouchet Society values is that they remind us that the role of the scholar is not limited to research and teaching within the confines of the academy; as scholars we exist within a greater cultural and intellectual ecosystem with which we must be response-able and care-full,” said Richmond.

Yale and Howard Universities established the Bouchet Society in 2005 to recognize the life and academic contributions of Edward Alexander Bouchet, the first African American to receive a doctorate from a U.S. university. He earned his degree in physics from Yale in 1876.

Outside of the society’s founding universities, Cornell was among the earliest universities to establish a chapter of the Bouchet Society, inducting its first members in 2006.