By: Miranda McDaniel
This year, the GDBBS was proud to honor its students and faculty during a particularly special Annual GDBBS Awards Banquet celebrating 30 years of graduate education. The banquet, which was held on April 24th, recognized the wonderful achievements earned by the members of our community.
The night began with an opening greeting from Director, Dr. Nael McCarty. He expressed his appreciation for the faculty and students, acknowledging all those who dedicate their time and energy towards making our interdisciplinary program one of the most successful programs in biological and biomedical research. He also reflected on the evolution and impact of our program since it began 30 years ago, paying special attention to the faculty and previous Division Directors who have helped to establish such a flourishing community of scientists and scholars.
Among the award recipients was Dr. Valerie Horsley, who received the Distinguished Alumna Award. Since earning her PhD in 2003, Dr. Horsley has gone on to become an Associate Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Dermatology at Yale. In addition to her several awards, including the Pew Scholar Award, Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award, Dr. Horsley also ran for State Senate in 2018.
[To learn more about Dr. Horsley and her journey from science to senate, check out our Fall 2018 edition of the GDBBS Alumni Newsletter to find her article “Why I (A Successful Scientist) Decided to Run for Political Office and Why You Should Get Involved, Too”.]
After dinner, several students, faculty, and alumni were recognized for their achievements. The award recipients were as follows:
GDBBS Award Recipients
Endowment Research Awards
Graduate Program in Biology Academic and Professional Achievement Award
Marko Bajic (GMB) — Advisor: Roger Deal, PhD
Margaret and Thomas Lew Graduate Award in Biomedical Sciences in Biochemistry
Kelsey Maher (BCDB) — Advisor: Roger Deal, PhD
M. Edward Quach (BCDB) — Advisor: Renhao Li, PhD
Raymond Dingledine Award For Extraordinary Graduate Achievement
Suzanne Mays (MSP) — Advisor: Eric Ortlund, PhD
William and Catherine Rice Research Award
Fadi Poulous (CB) — Advisor: Brian Petrich, PhD
Keith Wilkinson Division Service Award
Sarah Suciu (GMB) — Advisor: Tamara Caspary, PhD
Distinguished Alumna Award
Valerie Horsley, PhD (BCDB Graduate, 2003) — Advisor: Grace Pavlath, PhD
Program Scholars of The Year
Kelsey Maher (BCDB) — Advisor: Roger Deal, PhD
Allyson Koyen (CB) — Advisor: David Sung-Wen Yu, MD, PhD
Hari Somineni (GMB) — Advisors: Subra Kugathasan, MD; Gregory Gibson, PhD
Maria White (IMP) — Advisor: Anice Lowen, PhD
Ashley Cross (MMG) — Advisor: Joanna Goldberg, PhD
Cameron Herting (MSP) — Advisor: Dolores Hambardzumyan, PhD
Arielle Valdez (NS) — Advisor: Gary Bassell, PhD
Connor Morozumi (PBEE) — Advisor: Berry Brosi, PhD
Graduate Career Award
Amanda Mener (IMP) — Advisor: Sean Stowell, MD, PhD
TATTO Teaching Award
Xingwen Loy (PBEE) — Advisor: Berry Brosi, PhD
Matthew Stern (NS/MD-PhD) — Advisor: Robert Gross, MD, PhD
Student Career Teaching Award
Elizabeth Kline (NS) — Advisor: Malú Tansey, PhD
Student Leadership Award
Mary Herrick (NS) — Advisor: Malú Tansey, PhD
Student Mentor Award
Erica Harris (PBEE) — Advisor: Nicole Gerardo, PhD
Faculty Mentor Award
Peter Wenner, PhD (NS)
Outreach/Community Service Award
Andrea Pack (NS) — Advisor: Samuel Sober, PhD
Rachel Turn (BCDB) — Advisor: Richard Kahn, PhD
Congratulations to all of our award recipients! We are incredibly proud of our community for their amazing achievements, and we look forward to the next 30 years of success!
