May 23, 2009

Sukhdeep Singh of Fresno, a chemistry major graduating with a 3.902 grade point average, was chosen as the California State University, Fresno President’s Medalist, the highest honor the university presents to a graduate.

Fresno State President John D. Welty presented Singh with the award during University Commencement at the Save Mart Center, which celebrated the achievements of 5,349 students who have earned their baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees.

Singh, who earned his Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, is regarded as an outstanding model of research and scholarly activity.

Singh was born in India. When he came to the United States with his family as an 8-year-old he spoke no English.

Click on the photos below to enlarge. President Welty congratulates a doctoral degree recipient. Graduates celebrate. Graduates celebrate. Family photo time after commencement. Graduates celebrate.

A graduate of Central High School west of Fresno, he enrolled at Fresno State and became interested in chemistry when he took a course from Dr. David Frank. He found Frank’s enthusiasm for the subject contagious and credits him and organic chemistry professor Dr. Joseph Gandler with providing him the confidence and motivation he needed to excel.

Singh has been accepted into medical school at the University of California, Davis, where he plans to pursue his dream of becoming a pediatrician.

As an undergraduate, Singh published scholarly work at the level of an accomplished master’s or Ph.D. student, according to Dr. Andrew Rogerson, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. Singh is first author of a peer-reviewed journal article published in the International Journal of Chemical Kinetics in February 2009. He is working on a second paper to be submitted to the internationally renowned Journal of Physical Chemistry.

In addition, Singh has published five abstracts in the past year and presented his work at several conferences on the national stage. He was selected by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to present his research in Raleigh, N.C.

At Fresno State, his numerous awards and honors include the Downing Scholarship and the Chan Scholarship. He is a three-time winner of the Foster Farms Scholarship and was a 2009 Faculty Sponsored Research Award recipient.

Singh has a strong record of service to the community. He has done volunteer work as a floor assistant in the emergency room at St. Agnes Medical Center, as the giraffe mascot for Children’s Hospital Central California and as a member of the Wheels for Support Club, which prepares nonfunctioning vehicles for donation.

He also has been an academic research associate at Fresno State and was a formal and informal academic mentor to other students. He worked with Dr. Alam Hasson, an associate professor of chemistry, to initiate a project to investigate chemical reactions pertinent in smog formation. Singh then led a group of three undergraduate students working on the project.

The President’s Medal winner is selected from among the nine undergraduate Dean’s Medalists representing Fresno State’s academic colleges and schools and the Division of Student Affairs.

This year’s graduating class is composed of 5,349 students who completed their work in the 2008-09 summer, fall or spring semesters and were eligible for bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.

The University Graduate Medal was awarded to Rose Le of Clovis during the Graduate Degree Hooding Ceremony for master’s and doctoral degree candidates on Friday, May 22. That medal is the top honor for a graduate student, chosen from the nine Dean’s Graduate Medal winners. Le represents the College of Health and Human Services.