Date: 04/22/2008
Contact:
Pat Lopes Harris, SJSU media relations, 408-924-1748
SAN JOSE, Calif., -- San José State University has named Sharin Shafian and Vicki Timmons as SJSU's Outstanding Graduating Seniors for 2008 in recognition of their scholarship and contributions to the community. San José State has also named graduate students Katherine Nolan and Nahida Lebbos as the recipients of SJSU's Outstanding Thesis Awards for 2008 in recognition of the exceptional quality of their research. President Don W. Kassing will recognize all four outstanding graduates at SJSU’s commencement ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 24, in Spartan Stadium.
Sharin Shafian will graduate with a bachelor's in mechanical and aerospace engineering with a GPA of 3.87. A committed volunteer, Shafian has been a member of Rebuilding Together: Silicon Valley, a project that strives to rehabilitate Bay Area homes for low-income populations, senior citizens and people with disabilities. She has also volunteered for SJSU's Day of Service, the College of Engineering Open House, and FIRST Robotics Silicon Valley Regional Competition. She represented the university at the regional conferences and national conventions at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Purdue University. A product test engineering intern at Synaptics, Inc., Shafian performs standard product testing and failure analysis, and helps iterate testing processes or procedure changes.
Vicki Timmons will graduate with a bachelor's in business. A President's Scholar for 2006 and 2007, Timmons is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society and the Alpha Gamma Sigma California Community College Honor Society. As part of the Gary J. Sbona Honors Program, Timmons led student teams for projects with Sun Microsystems, Bridge Bank, Estrella Family Services and Grail Family Services, and represented San José State on a trip to China. She has also taken on leadership roles as webmaster and treasurer in SJSU student clubs. Timmons is a first-generation college student and decided to get a college degree after having been in the workforce for 15 years. She is graduating with an overall GPA of 3.95.
Katherine Nolan will receive her master’s degree in mathematics. In her thesis entitled “Matchwebs,” she focuses on a relatively new area of mathematics research that involves the mapping of networks. Her thesis chair was Professor Tim Hsu. She has presented her work at student poster sessions of the Mathematical Association of America Section meeting and made a joint presentation at the Western Section Meeting of the American Mathematical Society in spring 2008. A Cupertino native, Nolan received a joint bachelor's in mathematics and economics from the University of California, San Diego, in 1995 after transferring there from West Valley Community College. She is currently working as an aviation analyst for ATAC, a software company that has developed software used by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Nahida Lebbos will graduate with a Master of Science in Human Factors and Ergonomics. Born in Bartroun, Lebanon, Lebbos graduated in physical therapy from the Lebanese University, Tripoli, Lebanon, and enrolled at SJSU after seven years in physical therapy with several hospitals and clinics in Lebanon and the United States. Her thesis, entitled “Mouse Device and Method of Support on Muscular Activity,” combines scholarly literature on systems engineering, motor learning and control, biomechanics, workplace design, and ergonomic approaches to better understand computer users. A human factors engineer at SAP Labs, Palo Alto, Lebbos remains interested in ergonomics research to create injury-prevention solutions for the computer workplace. Professor Emily Wughalter was her thesis advisor.
San José State -- Silicon Valley's largest institution of higher learning with 32,000 students and 5,700 employees -- is part of the California State University system. SJSU's 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation's 10th largest city.
print
email
