Arts and Sciences graduates to be honored Aug. 4 at FSU Summer 2023 commencement

Florida State University is set to celebrate its Summer 2023 graduates Friday, Aug. 4 with commencement ceremonies at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.

College of Arts and Sciences graduates will participate in two ceremonies on Friday. Doctoral students will be hooded at the 9 a.m. ceremony, while undergraduate and master’s students will cross the stage during the 7 p.m. ceremony. Nearly a quarter of the 2,956 degrees FSU awards this Friday will be to undergraduate and graduate students from Arts and Sciences disciplines. Summer commencement also marks a historic milestone, as FSU’s total alumni base surpasses 400,000 living graduates worldwide.

“Commencement recognizes a transition from success in and around the classroom to the embracement of fresh challenges outside the academy,” said Sam Huckaba, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Graduates have worked hard to earn their degrees, are well-rounded, and are prepared to make significant contributions. It is inspiring to honor them with a joyous and forward-looking celebration.”

Marzieh Tara Khodaei and Brenna Gilliam are among the college’s more than 650 Summer 2023 graduates and will receive a doctoral degree and bachelor’s degree, respectively.

Khodaei completed her doctorate in computational science through the Department of Scientific Computing. Her interdisciplinary thesis work spans sub-areas of network science, computational biology and machine learning, all of which have practical applications in biological and medical research including epidemiology — the study of disease transmission — as well as the study of evolution.

“It is a great honor to earn my doctoral degree through the Department of Scientific Computing,” Khodaei said. “My goal was to establish myself as a well-trained mathematical expert and computational scientist, and FSU’s status as a top research university fostered an environment where I could achieve this goal.”

Khodaei’s research area is phylogenetic trees, branching diagrams that can show differences and similarities between species based on genetic data. Phylogenetic trees are fundamental for understanding evolutionary history, and they may be the key to fully understanding evolutionary aspects of genomic data as well as providing insight into how and why diseases spread.

Following graduation, Khodaei will continue her research at FSU as a postdoctoral scholar.

“I am especially grateful for my doctoral adviser and chair of the Department of Scientific Computing, Peter Beerli,” Khodaei said. “Through his help, I strengthened my knowledge in computational biology and learned how to develop my mathematical knowledge into leading-edge research.”

Gilliam, another summer graduate, completed her undergraduate degree with majors in Italian and classical civilizations through the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics and the Department of Classics. Gilliam’s Honors in the Major thesis explored contemporary adaptations of Dante’s “Divine Comedy.”

After graduation, Gilliam hopes to boost her professional experience in the museum field with her ultimate aim being work in cultural heritage, historic preservation or a related discipline.

“I could not have made it to where I am today without the unending support and generosity of FSU’s faculty members,” Gilliam said. “I am especially thankful for my thesis adviser and assistant professor of Italian Elizabeth Coggeshall, who always went above and beyond for me.”

In addition to completing her thesis, Gilliam was involved in the National Italian Honor Society as well as the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. Gilliam also took master’s-level classics courses despite being an undergraduate student during the seven months she studied abroad at the University of Pavia in northern Italy.

“The most meaningful opportunity I had at FSU was my experience studying abroad,” Gilliam said. “I made so many wonderful connections and memories during that time that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”

To learn more about FSU’s Summer 2023 commencement activities and view the full schedule of events and livestream links, visit commencement.fsu.edu.