Graduate College and Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSGA) Awards 2021
This year's Graduate College Awards Ceremony was held April 28, 2021 over Zoom. Though unconventional for an awards ceremony, the Graduate College is extraordinarily proud of each of our honorees this year! Through the last year, we have all persisited to be flexible and do our best, and these honorees exemplified the traits needed for commitment to graduate education. Please join us in recognizing each awardee in the following categories.
Honorary Commencement Marshals
- Sreekul Raj Rajagopal, who is completing a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Photonics in the College of Arts and Sciences under the direction of his research advisor, Dr. Albert T. Rosenberger
- William M. Hammond, who is completing a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Plant Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences under the direction of his research advisor Dr. Henry Adams
- Madison Kay Lapke, who is completing a Master of Science degree in International Agriculture in the Ferguson College of Agriculture under the direction of her research advisor, Dr. Barbara Stoecker
- Benjamin Semola, who is completing a Master of Science in Global Studies in the School of Global Studies and Partnerships under the direction of his research advisor Dr. Eugene Bempong
Robberson Summer Dissertation Fellowships and Research and Creative Activities Grants Recpients
- Christopher Dabbs from Counseling Psychology in the College of Education and Human Sciences, advised by Dr. Carrie Winterowd
- Ibrahim from Integrative Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, advised by Dr. Matteo Minghetti
- Vishnu Kovilakam from Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, advised by Dr. Kaladi Babu
- Bijesh Mishra from Natural Resource Ecology Management in the Ferguson College of Agriculture, advised by Dr. Omkar Joshi
- Mohammad Naderi from Industrial Engineering and Management in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, advised by Dr. Austin Buchanan
- Jens Jesperson from Human Development and Family Science in the College of Education and Human Sciences, advised by Dr. Amanda Morris
- Ishan Jayalath from Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, advised by Dr. Frank Blum
- Pramila Lamichhane from Veterinary Biomedical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine, advised by Dr. Tom Oomens
- Dawn Martin-Young from Language Literacy and Culture in the College of Education and Human Sciences, advised by Dr. Sheri Vasinda
- Kai-Sean Lee from Hospitality and Tourism Management in the Spears School of Business, advised by Dr. Li Miao
- Amanda Johnson from History in the College of Arts and Sciences, advised by Dr. Douglas Miller
- Benjamin Nelson from Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the College of Arts and Sciences, advised by Dr. Karen Wozniak
2021 Graduate Research Excellence Awardees
From Subject Matter Group I – Biological Sciences:
- Hasina Rakotomanana, who received a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences in the College of Education and Human Sciences, advised by Dr. Barbara Stoecker
- Nicholas Koemel, who received an MS in Nutritional Sciences in the College of Education and Human Sciences, advised by Dr. Sam Emerson
From Subject Matter Group II –Humanities:
- Christopher Linforth, who received a Ph.D. in English in the College of Arts and Sciences, advised by Dr. Aimee Parkinson
From Subject Matter Group III –Physical Sciences:
- Amir E. Khaneghahi, who received a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, advised by Dr. Clint Aichele
From Subject Matter Group V – Education:
- Samantha Blackwell, who received a Ph.D. in Agricultural Education in the Ferguson College of Agriculture, advised by Dr. Angel Riggs
Fall 2020 Technical Abstract Writing Contest
- First Place $300 award: Shoukath Sulthana from Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences - abstract entitled “Visible Light Mediated Photocatalytic Click Reaction on Gold Nanoparticles: A Novel Bio Conjugation Approach”
- Second Place $200 award: Sundaram Ramakrishnan from Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology- abstract entitled “High Dielectric and Earth Abundant Nanostructures for Solar Light Harvesting Applications”
- Third Place $100 award: Juhi Chaturvedi from Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Ferguson College of Agriculture - abstract entitled “Towards Elucidating the Structural Basis of Antagonizing SAMD9 by Poxvirus Proteins”
Fall 2020 Public Abstract Writing Contest
- First Place $300 award: Shoukath Sulthana from Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences - abstract entitled “Visible Light Mediated Photocatalytic Click Reaction on Gold Nanoparticles: A Novel Bio Conjugation Approach”
- Second Place $200 award: Archana Yadav from Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the College of Arts and Sciences - abstract entitled “Genomic Characterization of UBA6911, an Enigmatic Yet-uncultured Ubiquitous Class within the Bacterial Phylum Acidobacteria”
- Third Place $100 award: Juhi Chaturvedi from Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Ferguson College of Agriculture - abstract entitled “Understanding the Arms Race between Virus and the Humans”
Spring 2021 Public Abstract Writing Contest
- First Place $300 award: Abdulmajeed Alayyaf from Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences - abstract entitled “Effect of the preparation method on the surface chemistry and surface morphology of metal oxide nanoparticles”
- Second Place $200 award: Amanda Somers from Experimental Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences - abstract entitled “Probing Potential Contributing Factors of Increased Encephalization Index in Avian Species”
- Third Place $100 award: Mohammad Habibi from Animal Science in the Ferguson College of Agriculture - abstract entitled “Low Protein Swine Feed Supplemented with Synthetic Amino Acids benefits both the Pig Production and Human Environment”
Graduate College Ambassadors.
Ambassadors are graduate students who are passionate about OSU, excited about their graduate student experience, and eager to share their insight with future graduate students and other diverse audiences in a positive and professional manner. They are selected each year and must be in good academic standing and making satisfactory degree progress. The 2021 Graduate College Ambassadors are:
- Aubrey Andrews, Political Science
- Lynsey Baxter, Material Science Engineering
- Tomie Bitton, English
- Juhi Chaturvedi, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Taylor Conley, Chemical Engineering
- Colleen McClure, Marketing
- Katelyn Miller, Agricultural Communications
- Paul Montgomery, International Agriculture
- Stephanie Myers, Biomedical Sciences
- Adolfo Peña, Global Studies
- Sreekul (Raj) Rajagopal, Physics
- Melissa Reed, Entomology
- Fernanda Saenz Ramirez, Geography
- Christina Sciarrillo, Nutritional Sciences
- Leena Singh, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Mahesh Kumar Sivasubramanian, Comparative Biomedical Sciences
- Stanlee Underwood, Accounting
- Stacie Warner, Social Foundations of Education
GPSGA Outstanding Committee Members
- Jeevotham Senthil Kumar
- Rachel Higgins
- Karleyda Sandoval Carvajal
- Rose Fields
- Jayesh Yevale
-
Fernanda Ramirez Saenz
- Parna Ghosh
- Sanmi Alake
GPSGA Phoenix Award
- Doctoral degree program recipient, Samantha Addante from Clinical Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences
- Master’s degree program recipient, Kushal Shah from Business Analytics and Data Science in the Spears School of Business
GPSGA Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant
- Ryan Koch from Integrative Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences
Phoenix Graduate Faculty Mentor Award
- Dr. Adel Pezeshki from Animal and Food Science in the Ferguson College of Agriculture
Outstanding Graduate Coordinator
- Dr. Doug Miller from History in College of Arts and Sciences
Outstanding Graduate Program Support Staff
- Melody Ladd from Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering in the Ferguson College of Agriculture