Heather Chamberlain-Irwin, Ph.D. student in the interdisciplinary Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program and co-advised by anthropologist Dr. Andrew Somerville (Department of World Languages and Cultures) and maize geneticist Dr. Matthew Hufford (Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology), is the recipient of two prestigious dissertation funding awards in the amount of $63,000.
Dr. Rick Dorn, recent Ph.D. graduate from the Department of Chemistry, is the winner of the 2023 Zaffarano Prize for Publishable Research. The prize, established by former Graduate College dean Daniel Zaffarano 1988, honors students with superior publishable research, as Zaffarano believed publishing was a vital part of the graduate experience.
Dr. Carrie Ann Johnson, recent Ph.D. graduate in Rhetoric and Professional Communication, focused her dissertation on a highly under-researched topic: whisper networks, or the informal communication channels that women use to keep one another safe from sexual harassment and other forms of sexism. Her work earned her the 2023 Karas Award for Outstanding Dissertation.
Fourteen postdoctoral scholars and two principal investigators have been awarded for their contributions to the Iowa State community. Postdocs are eligible for the Postdoctoral Seed Grant, Postdoctoral Scholar Excellence Award for Teaching and Mentoring Students, and the Postdoctoral Scholar Research Excellence Award. Principal investigators are eligible for the Postdoctoral Mentoring Award.
Hamidreza Zobeiri, Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering, is the winner of the 2022 Zaffarano Prize for Graduate Student Research. Each spring semester, the Graduate College gives this honor to a graduate student with superior publishable research.
Shortly before defending his dissertation this past April, Dr. Anindya Bijoy Das learned he had been selected as a Karas Award winner for Outstanding Dissertation.
Dr. Maria Alcívar-Zúñiga, an alumna of Iowa State’s Human Development and Family Studies, is a winner of the 2022 Karas Award for Outstanding Dissertation. Named for Dr. George Karas, retired former Associate Dean of the Graduate College, this accolade is given every year to honor students in rotating disciplines.
Crystal Roach, a doctoral student in Iowa State’s Department of Animal Science, recently received a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) predoctoral fellowship through the National Institutes of Health. The award allows Ms. Roach to expand her research into the field of reproductive toxicology examining the impacts of zearalenone, a mycotoxin commonly found on corn and grains in prepubertal gilts.
Rachel Sorensen, in her fourth year of Iowa State's Ph.D. program in toxicology, will compete in the final round of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition on Oct. 28. Learn more below about Rachel and her 3MT presentation, titled "Possible Problems with Puny Plastic Particles."
Njeshi Charity Nya, an Iowa State graduate student in toxicology, will participate in the final round of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition on Oct. 28. Learn more about her below, and watch her presentation, "Drug Development for the Treatment of Onchocerciasis (River Blindness)," on Thursday at 6 p.m.
