BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Florida Atlantic University recently honored some of its most accomplished graduates at the annual Hall of Fame & Distinguished Alumni Award Ceremony and Reception, recognizing alumni from nine of the university’s colleges for their professional achievements.
The top honor went to Maria Jasin, B.S. ’78, a Charles E. Schmidt College of Science graduate inducted into the FAU Hall of Fame. Jasin is a biomedical researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where she holds the William E. Snee Chair in the Developmental Biology Program. Her recent recognitions include the 2022 Jill Rose Award from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the 2025 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize from Rockefeller University, which honors outstanding women in biomedical research.
“Florida Atlantic boasts an outstanding network of alumni, and these honorees exemplify that excellence through their professional achievements,” said Katie G. Burke, Ph.D., assistant vice president for alumni and community engagement. “We are thrilled to recognize these remarkable individuals, who continue to leave a lasting mark in their fields and represent our university with distinction.”
Joining Jasin as distinguished alumni honorees were Michael Balter, College of Business; Kirk Brown, College of Social Work and Criminal Justice; Melissa Emerson, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing; Jose E. Garcia Jr., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science; Jaclyn Klimczak, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine; Patrick Martin, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters; Madeline Pumariega, College of Education; Harrison Stubbs, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College; and Ajay Vasanadu, College of Engineering and Computer Science.
