The 2025 College of Sciences Awards Ceremony was held on Tuesday, April 29 at 3:00 p.m. to recognize and honor the achievements of faculty, staff, and students.
Dean Gail Dodge along with Associate Deans Jingdong Mao, Joshua Wallach, and Lesley Greene and Operations Manager Gabriel Franke presented the college awards. Two members of the college Advisory Board, Jim Brunelle, and Lynn Clements presented the Faculty Above and Beyond Awards. Each of the seven department chairs then handed out departmental awards to faculty, staff, undergraduates and graduate students for their hard work.
Dean Dodge said, “Today we honor excellence and the achievements of our faculty, staff, and students. Congratulations to those winning these awards and to everyone who was nominated! Your hard work and commitment to the College and to ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ are truly appreciated.â€
- Distinguished Research – Moskov Amaryan (Physics)
- Distinguished Early Career Research – Joe Tamborski (Ocean & Earth Sciences)
- Cheng Fund for Innovative Research
- Isaura Simões (Biological Sciences)
- Erin Purcell (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
- Distinguished Teaching Award, Adjunct Faculty Erik Johnson (Physics)
- Distinguished Teaching Award, Lecturer Brian Olechnowski (Biological Sciences)
- Distinguished Teaching Award, Tenure-Track Faculty Gloria Massamba N’Siala (Biological Sciences)
- Distinguished Teaching Award, Tenured Faculty Lisa Wallace (Biological Sciences)
- Above and Beyond Faculty Award Sponsored by the College of Sciences Advisory Board
- Soad Ibrahim (Computer Science)
- Suzanne Morrow (Psychology)
- Blair Swoope (Mathematics and Statistics)
- Outreach Award
- Sampath Jayarathna (Computer Science)
- Ocean & Earth Science’s Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography (CCPO) Team: Mike Dinniman, Eileen Hofmann, John Klinck, and Julie Morgan
- Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor – Sage Hawn (Psychology)
- Outstanding Advisor – Ashley Doane (Psychology)
- Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant – Laboratory Instruction Tara Williams (Ocean and Earth Sciences)
- Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant – Classroom Instruction Heranga Rathnasekara (Mathematics and Statistics)
- Outstanding M.S. Thesis Award – Sarah Durham (Biological Sciences)
- Lee Entsminger Dissertation Award – Gavindya Jayawardena (Computer Science)
- Outstanding Staff Member – Michelle King (Biological Sciences)
- Excellence in Graduate Teaching – Eric Walters (Biological Sciences)
To view the list of winners from this year and previous years visit our Faculty Awards website.
Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor – Sage Hawn
Outstanding Staff Member – Michelle King
Outstanding M.S. Thesis Award – Sarah Durham
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant – Laboratory Instruction Tara Williams
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant – Classroom Instruction Heranga Rathnasekara
Outstanding Advisor – Ashley Doane
Outreach Award Team Mike Dinniman, Eileen Hofmann, John Klinck, and Julie Morgan Ocean & Earth Science’s Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography
Outreach Award Sampath Jayarathna
Neil and Susan Kelley Endowed Scholarship Anamika das Kona
Top Undergraduate Student in Secondary Math Teaching Natalyia March
Top Undergraduate Student in Applied Math Andrew Jones
Top Undergraduate Student in Actuarial Math Jasmine Armster
Philip R. Wohl Scholarship Recipient Ronglong Fang
ee Entsminger Dissertation Award – Gavindya Jayawardena not pictured (Computer Science) Sampath Jayarathna Advisor.
Distinguished Teaching Award, Tenured Faculty Lisa Wallace
Distinguished Teaching Award, Lecturer Brian Olechnowski
Distinguished Teaching Award, Adjunct Faculty Erik Johnson
Distinguished Research Moskov Amaryan
Distinguished Early Career Research Joe Tamborski Ocean and Earth Sciences
Dean Gail Dodge
Best Undergraduate Student Researchers Bryan Hawickhorst
Best Undergraduate Student Researchers Andrew Maciejunes
Best Graduate Teaching Assistants Morteza Mohammady Gharasuie
Best Graduate Teaching Assistants Kehinde Ajayi
Best Graduate Teaching Assistants Ben Johnson
Best Graduate Student Researchers James Owens
Cheng Fund for Innovative Research Award Isaura Simões
Cheng Fund for Innovative Research Award Erin Purcell
Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award Logan Baker
Outstanding Graduating Senior Award Ria Gowanda
Top Graduating Senior in Biochemistry Tyler White
Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award Victoria Felton
Above and Beyond Faculty Award Suzanne Morrow
Above and Beyond Faculty Award Soad Ibrahim
Above and Beyond Faculty Award Blair Swoope
Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor – Sage Hawn
Outstanding Staff Member – Michelle King
Outstanding M.S. Thesis Award – Sarah Durham
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant – Laboratory Instruction Tara Williams
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant – Classroom Instruction Heranga Rathnasekara
Outstanding Advisor – Ashley Doane
Outreach Award Team Mike Dinniman, Eileen Hofmann, John Klinck, and Julie Morgan Ocean & Earth Science’s Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography
Outreach Award Sampath Jayarathna
Neil and Susan Kelley Endowed Scholarship Anamika das Kona
Top Undergraduate Student in Secondary Math Teaching Natalyia March
Top Undergraduate Student in Applied Math Andrew Jones
Top Undergraduate Student in Actuarial Math Jasmine Armster
Philip R. Wohl Scholarship Recipient Ronglong Fang
ee Entsminger Dissertation Award – Gavindya Jayawardena not pictured (Computer Science) Sampath Jayarathna Advisor.
Distinguished Teaching Award, Tenured Faculty Lisa Wallace
Distinguished Teaching Award, Lecturer Brian Olechnowski
Distinguished Teaching Award, Adjunct Faculty Erik Johnson
Distinguished Research Moskov Amaryan
Distinguished Early Career Research Joe Tamborski Ocean and Earth Sciences
Dean Gail Dodge
Best Undergraduate Student Researchers Bryan Hawickhorst
Best Undergraduate Student Researchers Andrew Maciejunes
Best Graduate Teaching Assistants Morteza Mohammady Gharasuie
Best Graduate Teaching Assistants Kehinde Ajayi
Best Graduate Teaching Assistants Ben Johnson
Best Graduate Student Researchers James Owens
Cheng Fund for Innovative Research Award Isaura Simões
Cheng Fund for Innovative Research Award Erin Purcell
Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award Logan Baker
Outstanding Graduating Senior Award Ria Gowanda
Top Graduating Senior in Biochemistry Tyler White
Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award Victoria Felton
Above and Beyond Faculty Award Suzanne Morrow
Above and Beyond Faculty Award Soad Ibrahim
Above and Beyond Faculty Award Blair Swoope