b'Curt William Harden Danville, VirginiaB.S., Virginia Commonwealth UniversitySystematics and Biogeography of Shallow Subterranean Carabidae in the Eastern United StatesAdvised by Dr. Michael CaterinoCurt was the recipient of a Coleopterist Society Graduate Student Research Enhancement Award, two E.W. King Memorial grants, and a Graduate Student Government travel grant. He has presented seven talks and three posters and published seven papers, with three more in press. He has discovered more than 40 new beetle species, served as a research associate of the Virginia Museum of Natural History, and was a counselor for the Virginia Natural History Society.Patricia Louise Shorter Wooden.Gloucester, VirginiaB.S., Virginia Tech; M.S., Louisiana State UniversityPhylogenetics and Biogeography of Appalachian Trechus (Coleoptera: Carabidae)Advised by Dr. Michael CaterinoPat was recognized as the 2023-2024 CAFLS Outstanding Graduate Student in Teaching and received the 2022-2023 GSG Excellence in Outreach Award, and was awarded the South Carolina Entomological Society Cochran Memorial Scholarship. She presented at 10 conferences, including a first place designation in the Entomological Society of America student competition (2022). She completed the Clemson Strategic Inclusive Excellence Certificate program, served two terms as president of the Entomology Club at Clemson, and plans to continue her passion for bringing insect science to the masses.Wildlife and Fisheries BiologyAaron Joseph Bunch Elizabeth City, North CarolinaB.S., North Carolina State University; M.S., University of FloridaEvaluating Novel Approaches For Improving Anadromous Fish Passage In Coastal RiversAdvised by Dr. Troy FarmerAaron was awarded the CAFLS Wade Stackhouse Fellowship and a Graduate School doctoral completion grant.In 2020, he was nationally recognized as the American Fisheries Societys Distinguished Service Award recipient. Aaron was in the first cohort of Clemsons Strategic Inclusive Excellence Certification program.He regularly gives science communication workshops and produces a diversity and inclusion podcast for his profession.In his time at Clemson, Aaron has been primary author on seven publications and co-authored an additional six.Lily Mae ThompsonHestand, Kentucky B.S., Centre College; M.S., Virginia Commonwealth UniversityExamining Context Dependency of Invasion Hypotheses at the Continental Scale Using Riverine Fish CommunitiesAdvised by Dr. Brandon PeoplesLily has authored 16 peer-reviewed publications and received the award for best poster at the 2024 South Carolina American Fisheries Society meeting. She has accepted a postdoctoral fellow position at the University of Missouri addressing the detection and management of aquatic invasive species in midwest National Parks.10'