At 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, you can view a virtual program on this page with a video featuring each December graduate and a recorded message from Dean Kate VandenBosch. Until then, please read about the departmental activities and add to the celebration on social media using #uwgradcals.
Tributes to our Graduates
Department Commencement Activities
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Agricultural and Applied Economics
Dedicated web page with student information and celebratory messages. Each graduate will receive a gift mailed from the department.
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Agronomy
No students graduating in December.
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Agroecology
Congratulatory messages will be posted on social media.
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Animal and Dairy Sciences
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Bacteriology: Microbiology major
Winter graduates will be invited to participate in the program’s spring commencement celebration.
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Biochemistry
Video greetings from faculty and staff will be shared the week of Commencement via email.
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Biology
A slideshow of graduates will be available at biologymajor.wisc.edu from December 14–28, 2020.
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Biological Systems Engineering
Each graduate will receive a gift mailed from the department.
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Community and Environmental Sociology
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Entomology
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Environmental Sciences
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Food Science
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Forest and Wildlife Ecology
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Genetics and Genomics
Winter graduates will be invited to participate in the program’s spring commencement celebration.
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Horticulture
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Life Sciences Communication
The Department of Life Sciences Communication will host a live, virtual graduation reception on Friday, December 11 at 2:30 p.m. Invites were distributed to graduates via e-mail. Contact fd@lsc.wisc.edu with questions.
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Nutritional Sciences
The Department of Nutritional Sciences will be sharing profiles of graduates on their website as well as posting congratulatory messages on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
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Plant Breeding & Plant Genetics
All graduates will receive a graduation gift box in the mail. Congratulatory messages will be posted on social media.
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Plant Pathology
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Soil Science
Student Spotlight Profiles
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Ashtyn (Smits) GutzmanAgricultural Business Management major, Sustainability certificate
Gutzman, who grew up on a dairy farm near Cambria, Wisconsin, has always been passionate about the impact farmers have on the lives of others. While pursuing an Agricultural Business Management degree and a Sustainability certificate, she held a series of experience-building internship positions: as a sales intern at SeedLink LLC, in the tax and accounting department at Compeer Financial, and in the crop insurance department at Compeer Financial. All of her schooling and intern experiences came in handy when she and her fiance purchased a farm in early 2020. The two married in summer 2020. Gutzman hopes to find a position working directly with farmers to assist with their crop insurance or lending needs. Gutzman was named a Renk Scholar, an honor given to high performing UW–Madison students with an interest in agriculture or agribusiness.
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Jessica LiuBiochemistry major
While following a pre-med track, Liu pursued undergraduate research, taking a position in the lab of Mike Cox in the Department of Biochemistry. She conducted research on the molecular basis of the bacterium E. coli’s resistance to ionizing radiation, research that could lead to the creation of new medical therapies such as probiotic supplements for patients undergoing radiotherapeutic treatment, as well as new approaches to remove radioactive compounds from contaminated environmental sites. Liu plans to go to medical school. In recognition of her overall academic excellence, Liu was selected to receive the 2020 Alpha-Helix Scholarship, which is awarded to one CALS undergraduate student each year studying biochemistry, microbiology, genetics or nutritional sciences.