A luminous blue-green emerald swift (Sceloporus malachiticus) lizard stopped by to call attention to this impressive list of accolades. The Emerald of the Cloud Forest, Cusuco National Park, Honduras. Image: John David Curlis

We proudly present a compilation of awards EEB graduate students earned throughout the 2019 -2020 academic year. Since we weren’t able to gather at the annual EEB Spring Picnic this year to celebrate these awards due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, this list of student awards will be as all-inclusive as possible.

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology awards

Outstanding Graduate Student Publication: Giorgia Auteri *

Photographer at Large: John David Curlis *

Edwin H. Edwards Scholarship: Chatura Vaidya

First Paper Award: Peter Cerda, Sara Colom, Drew Larson, Sonal Gupta, Daohan (Rex) Jiang, Katie McLean, Kristel Sánchez, Mengyi Sun, Haiqing Xu *

Block Grant: Aurelia Allen, Kevin Amses, Henry Ertl, Molly Hirst, Emily Cracchiolo Laub, Morgan Lindback, Adrian Melo Carrillo, Brianna Mims, Robert Powers, Anna Redgrave, Karl Romanowicz IV, Anjali Shakya, Xukang Shen, Meagan Simons, Siliang Song, Kristen Wacker, Joyah Watkins, William Weaver, Taylor West, Anthony J Wing, Haiqing Xu, Jinny Yang

Graduate Student Research Supply Award: Sara Colom, Samantha Iliff, Nia Johnson, Robert Powers, Karl Romanowicz IV, Kayla Sale-Hale, Xukang Shen, Rachel Wadleigh, Anthony J Wing

Graduate Student Travel Award: Kevin Amses, Buck Castillo, Peter Cerda, John David Curlis, Michelle Fearon, Sonal Gupta, Molly Hirst, Rumaan Malhotra, Kirby Mills, Tamara Milton, Katrina Munsterman, Kristel Sanchez, Meagan Simons, Chatura Vaidya, Anthony J Wing

Dr. Nancy Williams Walls Award for Field Research: Peter Cerda, Nikesh Dahal, Alden Dirks, Gordon Fitch, Siria Gamez, Zachary Hajian-Forooshani, Chau Ho, Samantha Iliff, Nia Johnson, Rumaan Malhotra, Nicholas Medina, Kirby Mills, Katrina Munsterman, Simone Oliphant, Bridget Shayka, Chatura Vaidya, Rachel Wadleigh, Alexa White, Whitney White

More about EEB awards

This humpback whale surfaced to share its huge congratulations. Megaptera Feast, Monterey, Calif. Image: Zhengting Zou

U-M Museum of Zoology awards

Brower Fellowship: Giorgia Auteri

Charles F. Walker Award: Hayley Crowell

Edwin C. Hinsdale /Edward C. Walker Scholarship: Giorgianna Auteri, John David Curlis, Teresa Pegan

More about UMMZ graduate student awards

 

Rackham Graduate School awards

Rackham Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor: Joanna Larson*

Rackham Predoctoral Fellowships: Gordon Fitch (news to come), Camden Gowler, Iris Holmes, Joanna Larson*

Rackham Research Grant: Henry Ertl, Samantha Iliff, Rumaan Malhotra, Thomas Morgan, Robert Powers, Xukang Shen

Rackham Travel Grant: Kevin Amses, Wesley Bickford, Buck Castillo, Peter Cerda, Hayley Crowell, John David Curlis, Alden Dirks, Henry Ertl, Elizabeth Feliciano, Gordon Fitch, Zachary Hajian-Forooshani, Emily Cracchiolo Laub, Rumaan Malhotra, Nicholas Medina, Kirby Mills, Tamara Milton, Thomas Morgan, Katrina Munsterman, Jillian Myers, Beatriz Otero Jimenez, Robert Powers, Kristel Sanchez, Meagan Simons, Chatura Vaidya, Lisa Walsh

Rackham One-Term Dissertation Fellowship: Kevin Amses, Sonal Gupta, Adrian Melo Carrillo, Mengyi Sun

Susan Lipschutz Award: Iris Holmes*      

A great blue heron flyover to celebrate our graduate students! In-flight posture, Hook of Holland. Image: Marc Ammerlaan

Other University of Michigan awards

Certificate of Appreciation, U-M Council for Disability Concerns: Amy Charlotte Devitz *

E.S. George Reserve Graduate Student Scholarship: Drew Larson, Tamara Milton

Evolution and Human Adaptation Program Research Award: Molly Hirst and Rachel Wadleigh

Graduate Student Poster Competition, African Studies Center STEM Conference: Kirby Mills *

Matthaei Botanical Gardens Research Award: Sonal Gupta

 

External awards

Werner and Hildegard Hesse Award, American Ornithological Society: Susanna Campbell

Joseph Grinnell Award, American Ornithological Society: Eric Gulson

Grants-in-Aid of Research, American Society of Mammalogists: Giorgia Auteri, Molly Hirst

Brazier Howell Award, American Society of Mammalogists: Lisa Walsh *

Volterra Award for the best student oral presentation in theoretical ecology, Ecological Society of America annual meeting: Kayla Sale-Hale *

International Primatological Society Research grant: Molly Hirst

2019 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellows for Advanced Study: Nia Johnson

Graduate Student Research Award, Society for Systematic Biologists: Eric Gulson, Teresa Pegan *

North Central Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education Graduate Student Grant: Nicholas Medina

Translational Mycology Research Award, Mycological Society of America: Jill Myers *

*Awards previously announced in EEB web news

If your competitive award is not included on this list and was not previously announced in EEB web news, please email Gail Kuhnlein to share your good news.