Student Publications and Awards

Rackham Predoc Awardees

• 2025: Sanaa El-Sayed, Jeronimo Morales Toledo, Lucas Gomes
• 2024: Sydney Gable, Cecilia Howard, Xue Su
• 2023: Sarah Katz, Jing Ci Neo, Rodrigo Tinoco Figueroa

National Science Foundation GRFP Awardees

• 2024: Abigail Reed
  2023: Julia Campbell, Katarina Keating, Alex Quizon, Hadeel Saad

The Departmental student awards are presented at the annual Dorr Dinner in the Winter term of the academic year.

Mark Robbins Innovative Teaching Award - In recognition of the efforts and accomplishments of graduate students in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences who demonstrate the highest levels of creativity, dedication, and skill in crafting new educational resources.

• 2025: Mack Taylor
• 2024: Sydney Gable, Jiaqi Lu, Alex Quizon

Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award – given to a Graduate Student Instructor who has taught two or more classes before January 31 of the year of the award. The recipient is nominated for the Rackham Graduate School Outstanding GSI Award. Previous recipients are:

• 2025: Tariq Abdul Kareem, Lucas Gomes, Cameron Tripp
• 2024: Allison Curley, Alex Quizon, Xue Su
• 2023: Sarah Katz
• 2022: Madelyn Cook, Elizabeth Crowther

Previous winners are listed here.

John Dorr Graduate Academic Achievement Award – given to a graduate student who defended or will defend his/her PhD dissertation between January 31 of the year before and January 31 of the year of the award ceremony. Previous recipients are:

• 2025: Sarah Katz, Rodrigo Figueroa
• 2024: Colleen Yancey
• 2023: Billy Medwedeff
• 2022: Sooyeon Kim, Marlon Ramos

Previous winners are listed here.

Outstanding Graduate Student Service Award - Given to a graduate student in recognition of excellent service to the department or the graduate student community.

• 2025: Mack Taylor
• 2024: Allison Curley, Ethan Shirley
• 2023: Sarah Katz, Madelyn Cook

Outstanding MS Research Award - Given to a graduate student who defended or will defend their MS dissertation between January 31 of the year before and January 31 of the year of the award ceremony.

• 2025: Jiaqi Lu
• 2024: Kaitlin Koshurba, Mike Machesky
• 2023: Isaac Hinz

Golden Nebula Award – given to the best Turner Award proposal from a first-year graduate student. Previous recipients are:

• 2025: Rob McManus, Abigail Reed
• 2024: Anisha Ghosh, Lynnea Jackson, Elena Lee, Teddy Matel
• 2023: Million Mengesha, Nathan LaFramboise, Jungpyo Hong
• 2022: Diana Velazquez, Lucas Gomes, Kaitlyn Koshurba 

Previous winners are listed here.

Gold Star Award – given to the top-ranked Turner Award proposals for the year's grant cycle. Previous recipients are:

• 2025: Kaitlin Koshurba, Theodore Matel, Yiruo Xu
• 2024: Sanaa El-Sayed, Lucas Gomes, Cecilia Howard, Tara Lonsdorf, Cam Tripp, Diana Velazquez
• 2023: Yiruo Xu, Andres Felipe Gonzalez Duran, Emma Rieb
• 2022: Sydney Gable, Daniel Blakemore

Previous winners are listed here.