Honors & Awards in 2025 for Biology, Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics, and Entomology Faculty, Staff and Students

We proudly recognize faculty members and graduate and undergraduate students in the University of Maryland’s biological sciences community who recently received honors, awards and/or new positions.

Faculty & Staff Members

• Norma Andrews, retired as CBMG professor emerita
• Kan Cao, CBMG Professor, was named UMD Entrepreneur of the Year for launching her anti-aging skincare line, Bluelene, from her company MBlue Labs
• Nicholas Fletcher, promoted to Biology senior lecturer
• Maira Goytia, Biology senior lecturer, Teaching Innovation Grant to revamp her “Anatomy and Physiology I” class
• Brantley Hall, CBMG assistant professor, Norma M. Allewell Prize in Entrepreneurship
• Antony Jose, promoted to CBMG professor
• Scott Juntti, promoted to Biology associate professor with tenure
• Paul Keen, CBMG program administrative specialist, CMNS Dean’s Staff Award
• Chan Lin, promoted to Biology senior lecturer
• Matheus Macedo-Lima, Biology postdoctoral fellow, R21 Early Career Research award from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
• Steve Mount, retired as CBMG associate professor emeritus
• Gilad Ofek, promoted to CBMG associate professor with tenure
• Errica Philpott-Barber, CBMG program manager, USM Board of Regents Staff Award
• Dorothea O'Toole, CBMG facilities manager, CMNS Dean’s Staff Award
• Sougata Roy, CBMG associate professor, $2.5M NIH grant after receiving rare ‘unicorn score’
• Paula Shrewsbury, Entomology professor, named Fellow of the Entomological Society of America
• Colenso Speer, promoted to Biology associate professor with tenure
• David Straney, retired as CBMG associate professor emeritus
• Sara Via, retired as Entomology professor
• Hadiya Woodham, promoted to Biology principal lecturer
• Zarna Pala, a Terrapin Innovation Award recipient as part of the university-wide Fearlessly Forward Awards. 
• Zarna Pala, RISE Grant from the Division of Academic Affairs.

Graduate Students

• Sondos Abdelhafeez, biological sciences, Community Engagement Committee Recognition Award
• Michael Adu-Brew, entomology, American Chemical Society's AGRO Division Travel Award
• Urja Biswas, biological sciences, Wallace Prescott Rowe Award
• Cory Conrad, biological sciences, Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
• Helen Craig, entomology, AGNR's Cornerstone event post competition winner
• Aidan Danoff, biological sciences, Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
• Wesley DeMontigny, biological sciences, Heven Sze Graduate Award In Biomolecular Sciences and Genetics
• Jenan El-Hifnawi, entomology, Society of Systematic Biologists’ Graduate Student Research Award
• Katy Evans, entomology, Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award
• Eeshita Ghosh, biological sciences, Carroll E. Cox Award
• Catherine Harvey, biological sciences, Isabel R. McDonald Service Award
• Carinna Householder, biological sciences, F31 Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health
• Xuan Cindy Li, biological sciences, Andrew J. Moyer Outstanding Graduate Student Award
• Aurelie Niyongabo, biological sciences, Philip J. Provost Graduate Fellowship Award
• Brendan Randall, entomology, Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship
• Ángela Sáenz, entomology, Maryland Forestry Foundation Mel Noland Fellow
• Maggie Schaefer, entomology, Ehrenfeld Award for her oral presentation at the Ecological Society of America’s annual meeting and 2nd place at the Mid-Atlantic Ecological Society of America's poster competition
• Asan Turdiev, biological sciences, MOCB-BISI M. Zain-Ul-Abedin Memorial Scholarship Award
• Anna Phan, Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award
• Sahana Kumar, Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award
• Asan Turdiev, Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award
• Adena Collens, Summer Research Award
• Gabriela Marie Arp, Summer Research Award
• Elizabeth Engle, Summer Research Award
• Rui Yin, Charles Carmello Outstanding Dissertation Award
• Eeshita Ghosh, International Graduate Research Fellowship
• Anna Mikkelsen, Edna O. Hockenson Summer Fellowship
• Urja Biwas, Edna O. Hockenson Summer Fellowship
• Maria (Rife) Corkan, Stefanie & Richard Vogel Summer Fellowship
• Yuxi Wang, Drs. Wayne T. & Mary T. Hockmeyer Summer Fellowship
• Aisha Abdulkarimu, Drs. Wayne T. & Mary T. Hockmeyer Summer Fellowship
• Carinna Householder, Dr. Eugenie Clark Scholarship
• Michelle Launi, Dr. Devra Kleiman Memorial Graduate Fellowship

Undergraduate Students

• Moumita Afrin, biological sciences & anthropology, Senior Marshal
• Ruhama Demissieruhama Demissie, biological sciences, Appleman-Norton Award for Plant Biology
• Camila Garcia, biological sciences, Sigma Alpha Omicron Microbiology Honor Society Initiate
• Maggie Grant, biological sciences, Hansen Outstanding Student Award
• Ekaterina Gribok, biological sciences, Hansen Outstanding Student Award
• Sarika Kapadia, biological sciences, CBMG Departmental Honors
• Navleen Kaur, neuroscience, Senior Marshal
• Cristianus Leahu, biological sciences, Sigma Alpha Omicron Microbiology Honor Society Initiate
• Haesung Lola Lee, biological sciences, CBMG Departmental Honors
• Saanika Mahashetty, biological sciences & management, Senior Marshal
• Jasmine Martin, neuroscience, CMNS Alumni Network Endowed Undergraduate Award
• Steven Mendelson, biological sciences, Senior Marshal
• Darin Michaels, biological sciences, Dr. P. Arne Hansen Award for CBMG Honors Program Outstanding Thesis
• Anthony Miramontes, biological sciences, Sigma Alpha Omicron Microbiology Honor Society Initiate
• Ipsa Mishra, biological sciences, CBMG Departmental Honors
• Arjun Rakheja, biological sciences, Senior Marshal
• Aditya Viswanath Viswanathan Ram, biochemistry & neuroscience, Senior Marshal
• Trisha Reddy, biological sciences, Senior Marshal
• Samuel Rosemore, biological sciences, CBMG Departmental Honors
• Swathi Sevugan, biological sciences & biochemistry, CMNS Alumni Network Endowed Undergraduate Award
• Jerry Shen, biological sciences & mathematics, Senior Marshal
• Tesia Shi (B.S. ’23, biological sciences; B.S. ’23, psychology), University of Minnesota, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
• Sanjida Soha, biological sciences, Sigma Alpha Omicron Microbiology Honor Society Initiate
• Alejandra Urquiaga, biological sciences, Sigma Alpha Omicron Microbiology Honor Society Initiate
• Olivia Velasquez, biological sciences, Appleman-Norton Award for Plant Biology
• Cindy Wang, biological sciences, CMNS Alumni Network Endowed Undergraduate Award
• Matthew Williams, biological sciences, Senior Marshal
• Caitriona Wright, biological sciences, Senior Marshal
• Grant Yang (B.S. ’23, biological sciences), Harvard University, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship