BISI Graduate Student Award Winners 2026

Congratulations to all the BISI graduate student winners and their advisors for receiving prestigious awards this spring.

Graduate School Awards 

Outstanding Graduate Assistant (TA) Award:

  • Theresa Menna (CBBG, Fritz Lab; Nominated by Dr. Kimberly Paczolt for BSCI222)

Outstanding Graduate Assistant (RA) Award:

  • Guanchao Ding (MOCB, Briken Lab) 
  • Aisha Abdulkarimu (MOCB, Maisel Lab) 

Summer Research Award:

  • Wesley DeMontigny (MOCB, Delwiche Lab)
  • Michelle Launi (BEES, Bruns Lab)

Charles Carmello Outstanding Dissertation Award:

  • Kristen Behrens (BEES, Kocher Lab)

Ann Wylie Semester Dissertation Fellowship:

  • Nathaniel Felbinger (CBBG, Pierce Lab) 
  • Zexuan Zhao (BEES, Machado Lab)

MPower Investment Fund Track 2 (Ph.D. Candidates):

  • Johena Sanyal (PSYS, Taneyhill Lab)

BISI-CBMG-CMNS Endowed Awards

Edna O. Hokenson Summer Fellowship:

  • Shayana Saravanakumar (CBBG, Pierce Lab)

Stefanie & Richard Vogel Summer Fellowship:

  • Jeff Loube (MOCB, Scull Lab)

Drs. Wayne T. & Mary T. Hockmeyer Summer Fellowship:

  • Fu "Ben" Dong (MOCB, Jose Lab)
  • Husan Turdiev (MOCB, Chang Lab)
  • John Labella (MOCB, Winkler Lab)
  • Christina Ippoliti (MOCB, Chang Lab)

NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

  • Michael Liapin - Honorable Mention (BEES, Juntti Lab)