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Alumni Awards

The College of Natural Science Alumni Awards are presented annually to alumni, faculty and students in recognition of their achievement and excellence.

The 2023 Natural Science Alumni Awards were held on Friday, April 22nd.  Photos of the event are available online here.

Awards

The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2024 awards celebration is Friday, September 29, 2023.

At this time the 2024 Alumni Awards Celebration will be held in person on Friday, April 5, 2024.

Questions? Please contact Sara Ford via email at fordsar2@msu.edu.

The Dan Bolin Award is presented to outstanding undergraduate students who are juniors in the College of Natural Science in recognition of their leadership qualities, community service and academic abilities. The award is named in memory of former College of Natural Science student Dan Bolin.

Recipients are chosen by the NatSci Student Advisory Council from nominations submitted by students in NatSci. Awards are presented at the annual alumni awards held in conjunction with Classes Without Quizzes.

The Dan Bolin award recipients receive a one-time stipend funded by the NatSci AA Endowed Scholarship Fund. Your gift to this fund will enable the NatSci to grow the scholarship amount granted to future award winners.

Questions? Please contact Sara Ford, NatSci Alumni Relations via email or (517) 884-0290.

2023 Dan Bolin Undergraduate Awards

EMMA BEAVER, HUMAN BIOLOGY

Emma Beaver came to Michigan State from Lexington, Mich., and is a human biology major with a Spanish minor. She is a member of the Michigan State Honors College, a Dean’s Research Scholar, a
resident assistant in Shaw Hall and a student leader at MSU Salt Company, a college ministry. Beaver has received many awards and honors including an MSU Professorial Assistantship, a first-place
award at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum and was selected to be on the MSU Salt Company summer mission. As a professorial research assistant, Beaver had the incredible opportunity to conduct research regarding effects of light related to alleviating depression symptoms. Within the MSU Salt Company, she has been able to volunteer within the surrounding community distributing care packages, providing weekly childcare and peer mentoring. She has plans to volunteer with the Refugee Development Center in her senior year. She has been on the MSU Dean’s List every semester and has maintained a 4.0 GPA during her time at MSU.

FRANCESCA LAUBE, NEUROSCIENCE AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Francesca Laube came to Michigan State from Naperville, Ill., and is a neuroscience and criminaljustice major. She is involved in several organizations. She is a member of Phi Delta Epsilon--MI Zeta
(International Medical Fraternity) and the MSU Neuroscience Club. She is also co-leader of the Martin Luther Chapel handbell choir, and a volunteer with the Waterford Cancer Resource Center and Ward 9
Clean Up the Streets Day in Aurora, Ill. She has also received many awards and honors including the MSU Presidential Study Scholarship Award, MSU Spartan Grant and MSU Non-Residential
Scholarship, among others. She is a certified nursing assistant and plans to pursue a CNA position in a hospital setting when she returns from the neuroscience study abroad program in early July. She
served as an associate researcher in the Institute of Integrative Toxicology and decided to switch majors from human biology to neuroscience. She plans to attend medical school after graduation to
pursue a career in the field of surgical oncology. She has been on the Dean’s List every semester and has maintained a 3.6 GPA during her time at MSU.

FAHEED SHAFAU, BIOMEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE

Faheed Shafau came to Michigan State from Sterling Heights, Mich., and is a biomedical laboratory science major. He is a member of the MSU Honors College and Academic Scholars Program. He is an
RA for the MSU Residential Education and Housing Service and a Drew Scholars Program Peer and undergrad teaching assistant. He has received many awards such as the Eleanor L. Barrett Medical
Technology Discretionary Endowed Fund, College of Natural Science Undergrad Research Support Scholarship and the Charles Drew Alumni Endowed Scholarship. He has helped with grant proposals
and has presented at different conferences as an undergrad researcher. He volunteers at Sparrow Hospital, Burcham Hills and a children’s playroom. He enjoys volunteering and touching people from all walks of life. Utilizing medicine, he wants to uplift marginalized groups in America and make the world a better place than how he found it. He has been on MSU’s Dean’s List five semesters and has maintained a 3.87 GPA during his time at MSU.

TANUSHREE THAPAR, NEUROSCIENCE

Tanushree Thapar came to Michigan State from India and is a neuroscience major with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation. She is the vice president for the MSU Neuroscience Club, serves as
an RA at Gilchrist Hall and is an active member of the Alzheimer’s Association of America. She is currently interning at Burgess Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation as a Shaberg ESHIP
Scholar Intern. She has interned as a student researcher and a marketing strategist trainee with a pharmacological company in Delhi, India, called NextGen Pharma, where she shadowed researchers.
This past summer she interned at A.T. Still University as an undergraduate research intern and worked on finding the cardiorespiratory dysfunctions of Alzheimer’s disease. Her current goal is to work on her research, start a business and work toward her doctorate in neuroscience. She has maintained a 3.6 GPA during her time at MSU.

The Meritorious Faculty Award is presented to a faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in the areas of teaching and research. Nominees must have an appointment (full or partial) in the College of Natural Science. Recipients exemplify MSU’s commitment to the land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach through their dedication to professional, community and/or MSU service. The award includes a one-time stipend of $1000.

Anyone may submit a nomination.

The award is presented at the annual alumni awards held in conjunction with Classes Without Quizzes.

Nominations not selected to receive the award are held for three years and automatically re-nominated each year.

Questions? Please contact Sara Ford via email or (517) 884-0290.

2023 Meritorious Faculty Award

MICHAEL FEIG
Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Michael Feig’s group is a world leader in the high-resolution modeling of protein structures; they are now able to reach near-experimental accuracy by combining machine-learning approaches with prior innovations. Their research also focuses on using molecular dynamics computational simulations to
understand molecular behavior in the cellular environment. Feig built a comprehensive model of the bacterial cytoplasm that revealed new insights about protein behavior in the crowded environment within cells. This is just one example from his prolific (172 papers, h-index 58, 30,000 citations) and
ever-evolving research.

Feig’s group has also modeled bacterial genomic DNA, interactions between membranes and proteins, and mechanisms of key enzymes involved in transcription and DNA repair. His scholarship has elevated the research profile of NatSci and MSU, and has globally had a profound impact on using computational approaches to better understand biochemistry.

His well-funded and exciting research program has supported numerous postdocs and graduate students, and attracted many undergraduates, all of whom received excellent training and mentoring by Feig that propelled them to the next stage of their careers. For many years, he taught introductory
biochemistry to primarily nursing students, and in 2016 he began his current teaching in the core comprehensive biochemistry course for undergraduates. His high visibility in the scientific community garnered invitations to teach at the prestigious Telluride Summer School in Colorado (2019), and to share his knowledge through frequent seminars and meeting presentations around the world.

He has been a visiting scientist at the University of Warsaw, CeNT, Poland (2016, 2017, 2018, 2021-2022); and at the RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center, Kobe, Japan (2011-2021).

Feig has held leadership roles in the American Chemical Society, the Protein Society, the Telluride Science Research Center Board, NIH study section membership, NSF panel service, and as the
developer of widely used computational software and web servers.

He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Houston, and joined the MSU faculty as an assistant professor in 2003. Prior to coming to MSU, Feig was a research associate at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif.

Past Recipients

  • 2022 - Edward F. Brown, Department of Physics and Astronomy, FRIB, and Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering
  • 2021 - Shannon Manning, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
  • 2020 - Gemma Reguera, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
  • 2019 - David P. Weliky, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry
  • 2018 - L. Karl Olson, Department of Physiology
  • 2017 - Richard Hill, Integrative Biology
  • 2016 - Edward Walker, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and Entomology
  • 2015 - Babak Borhan, Chemistry
  • 2014 - Steven Heidemann, Physiology
  • 2013 – Robert Maleczka, Chemistry
  • 2012 – Gary Westfall, Physics & Astronomy
  • 2011 – C. Robin Buell, Plant Biology
  • 2010 – Julie Libarkin, Geological Sciences
  • 2009 – James Stapleton, Statistics & Probability
  • 2008 – Aureal Cross , Geological Sciences & Plant Biology
  • 2007 – Ralph Taggart , Plant Biology & Geological Sciences
  • 2006 – Jack Bass, Physics & Astronomy, George Bird, Entomology
  • 2005 – G.J. (Mike) Karabatsos, Chemistry
  • 2004 – Edwin Kashy, Physics & Astronomy
  • 2003 – Susan Conrad, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
  • 2002 – Loren Snyder, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
  • 2001 – Jerry Babcock, Chemistry
  • 2000 – Robert Hausinger, Biochemistry/Microbiology
  • 1999 – Julius Kovacs, Physics & Astronomy
  • 1998 – John E. Wilson, Biochemistry
  • 1997 – Glenda Lappan, Mathematics
  • 1996 – Jack Preiss, Biochemistry
  • 1995 – Emanuel Hackel, Zoology
  • 1994 – Hans Kende, Botany & Plant Pathology
  • 1993 – Howard Hagerman, Lyman Briggs School
  • 1992 – Pamela Fraker, Biochemistry
  • 1991 – James Hamilton, Chemistry
  • 1990 – Jerry Dodgson, Biochemistry
  • 1989 – John Beaman, Botany & Plant Pathology
  • 1988 – Clarence Suelter, Biochemistry
  • 1987 – Everett Beneke, Botany & Plant Pathology
  • 1986 – Alexander Tulinsky, Chemistry
  • 1985 – Marvin Hensley, Zoology
  • 1984 – Fumio Matsumura, Pesticide Research Center
  • 1983 – John Lockwood, Botany & Plant Pathology
  • 1982 – Kyung Whan Kwun, Mathematics
  • 1981 – Leo Mericle, Botany & Plant Pathology

The Outstanding Alumni Award recognizes alumni for outstanding professional achievement and support of the college or university. Recipients exemplify MSU’s commitment to the land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach through their dedication to professional, community and/or MSU service.

Anyone may submit a nomination.

The award is presented at the annual alumni awards held in conjunction with Classes Without Quizzes.

Nominations not selected to receive the award are held for three years and automatically re-nominated each year.

Questions? Please contact Sara Ford via email or (517) 884-0290.

2023 Outstanding Alumni Award

BRYAN O. BUCKLEY

B.S. Microbiology, ’10; Master of Public Health, ’12

Bryan O. Buckley is a health equity–focused and systems-oriented leader in health delivery system redesign, performance improvement and change management. He is currently the director for health equity initiatives at the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), and adjunct assistant
professor of medicine at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he teaches, coaches, supports and supervises graduate students at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Graduate Education.

Prior to his position at NCQA, he was a research fellow with Medstar Health’s Institute for Quality and Safety, where he led and supported healthcare delivery research, education and consulting related to community health, patient safety and quality. He previously served as the manager of strategic
initiatives in the executive office of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

Before beginning his doctor of public health degree at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2017, Buckley worked at the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, where he was responsible for the co-design and leadership of state-wide patient safety and quality efforts that engaged 132
hospitals to focus on safety culture, family engagement, readmissions, health equity, healthcare-associated infections, adverse events and group learning events.

He is a board member of the American Public Health Association; the American Heart Association Greater Washington, D.C. Region; and Food & Friends. He is a founding executive board member of
the DrPH Coalition, and is on the advisory board for the MSU and Grand Valley State University MPH programs. As an inaugural member of MSU’s Tobacco-Free Taskforce, Buckley worked with the university to transition it to a tobacco- and smoke-free campus; the policy was implemented in 2016.

In fall 2021, while out on a bike trail in Maryland, Buckley helped save the life of a man who collapsed from cardiac arrest. After calling 911, he performed CPR until the paramedics arrived. Because of this experience, he’s now a strong advocate for the importance of hands-only CPR awareness.

This spring, Buckley has completed an executive master of business administration in management and operations from the Quantic School of Business and Technology.

Past Recipients

  • 2022 - James D. Hoeschele, Ph.D. Chemistry ’69
  • 2021 - Patrick Lukulay, Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry ’95
  • 2020 - Claudia Turro, B.S. Chemistry ’87, Ph.D. Chemistry ’92
  • 2019 - Marilyn Capelli Dimitroff, B.S. Mathematics ’66
  • 2018 - Craig Roy, Ph.D., B.S. Microbiology ’85
  • 2017 - John Woollam, M.S., Physics ’63; Ph.D., Physics ’67
  • 2016 - Patrick Smith, Chemistry ’72; M.S., Chemistry ’77; Ph.D., Chemistry ’78
  • 2015 - Damian Handzy, Physics '95
  • 2014 - Joseph Caruso, Chemistry '51
  • 2013 – Henry Edelhauser, Physiology ’64 & ’66
  • 2012 – Bobby Wilson, Chemistry ’76
  • 2011 – Eric Ayers, Microbiology ’85
  • 2010 – Azam Niroomand-Rad, Physics ’71 & ’78
  • 2009 – Susan Sylvester, Entomology ’78
  • 2008 – Kenneth Yerrick, Chemistry ’59 & ’61
  • 2007 – Stephen Warren, Zoology ’76 & Genetics ’81
  • 2006 – Mark Ehlert, Microbiology ’75
  • 2005 – Michael Donoghue, Botany ’75
  • 2004 – Eugene Parker, Physics ’48
  • 2003 – Mary Ruth Dawson, Zoology ’52
  • 2002 – Daniel Edson, Clinical Lab Science ’79
  • 2001 – Phaedon Avouris, Chemistry ’74
  • 2000 – Jack Samarias, Statistics ’70
  • 1999 – Paul O’Connor, Chemistry ’91
  • 1998 – Richard & Shirley Pendell, Bio Science ’35
  • 1997 – Durward L. Allen, Zoology ’37
  • 1996 – B.L.S. Prakasa Rao, Statistics ’66
  • 1995 – Robert Martin, Medical Technology ’71
  • 1994 – Lorenz Kull, Physics ’67
  • 1993 – Joseph Longo, Physics ’66 & ’68
  • 1992 – Paul Ts’o, Botany & Plant Pathology ’51
  • 1991 – Karen Klomparens, Botany & Plant Pathology ’72 & ’77
  • 1990 – Jerry Cowen, Physics ’50 & ’54
  • 1989 – Harley Hotchkiss, Geology ’51
  • 1988 – Gordon Guyer, Entomology ’53
  • 1987 – Charles Vincent, Chemistry ’54
  • 1986 – Reardon Campeau, Mathematics ’65
  • 1985 – Ritchie Wessling, Chemistry ’57
  • 1985 – Susan Crispin, Botany & Plant Pathology ’78 & ’80
  • 1984 – Ron Goldsberry, Chemistry ’66 & ’69
  • 1983 – Michael Schulz, Physical Science ’64
  • 1982 – Thomas Jamieson, Bio Science ’65
  • 1981 – James Orbison, Chemistry ’39
  • 1980 – Eldon Foltz, Chemistry ’41    

The Recent Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have graduated within the last 15 years and have shown outstanding professional growth. Recipients exemplify MSU’s commitment to the land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach through their dedication to professional, community and/or MSU service.

Anyone may submit a nomination.

The award is presented at the annual alumni awards held in conjunction with Classes Without Quizzes.

Nominations not selected to receive the award are held for three years and automatically re-nominated each year.

Questions? Please contact Sara Ford via email or (517) 884-0290.

2023 Recent Alumni Award

JELANI ZARIF
Ph.D. Cell and Molecular Biology ’14

Jelani Zarif is the Robert E. Meyerhoff Endowed (Assistant) Professor at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has devoted his research career to studying prostate cancer—one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among men in the United States.

Zarif’s graduate research focused on the molecular mechanisms by which the androgen receptor promoted prostate tumor cell survival and invasion. After earning his Ph.D., he completed two
postdoctoral fellowships at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, a world-leading institution for prostate cancer research. His research at Johns Hopkins focuses principally on discovering and investigating new biomarkers that are expressed on immune cells known as macrophages, which could make ideal therapeutic targets and also predict clinical response to standard of care treatments for lethal prostate cancer.

He has received multiple research grants and awards including a highly competitive K22 Career Transition Award from the National Cancer Institute, the Department of Defense Translational Research award and a T32 grant from NIGMS. He was also a recipient of a Prostate Research Foundation Young Investigator Award, competing with applicants from 15 countries.

Zarif has been an active member of several community service organizations. While at MSU, he was an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and served as a mentor in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America and in the Turning Point of Lansing program, which provides mentoring to African
American males in grades 7 through 12, with the goal of helping them realize their full potential. In Baltimore, Zarif is a mentor in the Ingenuity Project, which works with the Baltimore City Public
Schools to provide bright students with a free, highly accelerated and challenging math and science curriculum and hands-on research opportunities. He is also a mentor for the Medical Education Resources Initiative for Teens (MERIT) program, which aims to eliminate healthcare disparities by transforming Baltimore City high school students into healthcare leaders through years of academic, professional and social support. In recognition of his contributions to the community, Zarif was
awarded the Johns Hopkins University Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award in 2015.

He received his B.S. (2005) and M.S. (2007) degrees from Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss.

Past Recipients

  • 2022 - Mark Ondari, Ph.D. Chemistry '10
  • 2021 - Shannon Morey, B.S. Chemistry ’10
  • 2020 - Kristina Martin, B.S. Clinical Laboratory Science ’02, M.S. Biomedical Laboratory Operations ’07
  • 2019 - Eeda Marie Wallbank, B.S. Environmental Biology and Botany ’05
  • 2018 - Paul Thomas, M.D., B.S. Human Biology ’09
  • 2017 - Jason Pratt, B.S. Microbiology and Molecular Genetics ’05
  • 2016 - Chelsea Walton, Ph.D. Mathematics '05
  • 2015 - Jennifer Schomaker, Ph.D. Chemistry ’06
  • 2014 - Karen Wayland, Ph.D. Environmental Geosciences and Resource Development ’01
  • 2013 – Sasha Fawaz, Zoology and Psychology '08
  • 2012 – Li Fan, Biochemistry ’00
  • 2010 – Dan Mindiola, Chemistry ’96
  • 2008 – Brian Langley, Chemistry ’99
  • 2005 – Wakeshi Benson, Chemistry ’96
  • 2003 – Carl Bruch, Physics ’96

The Tracy A. Hammer Graduate Student Award for Professional Development is presented to an outstanding graduate student in support of their professional development. Nominees must be pursuing a degree in the College of Natural Science

Faculty and students may submit a nomination.

The award is presented at the annual alumni awards held in conjunction with Classes Without Quizzes.

The award was renamed in 1996 to memorialize 1995 co-recipient Tracy Anne Hammer. A native of New York, Hammer was the first dual degree candidate to pursue a doctoral degree in animal genetics through the Department of Microbiology and Veterinary Medicine. Her research centered on canine dilated cardiomyopathy. Hammer died in a plane crash shortly before graduation and her degree was awarded posthumously.

The Tracy A. Hammer award recipients receive a one-time stipend of $750 funded by the NatSci AA Endowed Scholarship Fund. Your gift to this fund will enable the College of Natural Science to grow the scholarship amount granted to future award winners.

Questions? Please contact Sara Ford via email or (517) 884-0290.

2023 Tracy A. Hammer Graduate Student Awards

JOSHUA KASTE
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Joshua Kaste continues to earn top grades while fulfilling the course requirements for BMB, as well as two additional training programs—the NSF-IMPACTS program in computational plant biology, and the NIHfunded Plant Biotechnology for Health and Sustainability (PBHS). He demonstrates a creative flair in addressing issues ranging from metabolic engineering, to evolutionary patterns of gene expression, to metabolic flux analysis, to integrating metabolic modeling and omic datasets to accurately predict metabolic fluxes in whole plants. His ultimate goal is to inform the engineering of plants for sustainable
biosynthesis of biofuel and high-value products.

After earning his B.S. in plant sciences, summa cum laude, from Cornell University in 2016, Kaste was the supervisor of an agricultural genomics lab for three years before coming to MSU. He developed assays in collaboration with the USDA and worked with large-scale plant and animal breeding groups to provide high-quality, fast-turnaround genotypic data via microarray and next-generation sequencing platforms. He has been a first author or co-first author on several papers. In addition to his stellar academic and research progress, he is dedicated to the education and professional development of others. He has played leadership roles in the IMPACTS and PBHS programs, helping to organize and run their symposia; and he has played a major part in bringing a bioinformatics class project on topological data analysis to completion for publication. Most remarkably, he developed a complete set of hands-on computer-aided exercises for exploring the concepts and practice of metabolic flux analysis for an intensive workshop for Ph.D. students and postdocs that he co-taught in May 2022.

This award stipend will help defray expenses for Kaste to attend and present his work at a scientific conference. He expects to complete his Ph.D. in 2024.

Past Recipients

  • 2022 - Daniel Puentes, Physics and Ana-Maria Raicu, Cell and Molecular Biology Program
  • 2021 - Patricia Perez-Bonilla, Neuroscience and Pharmacology/Toxicology and Keenan Noyes, Chemistry
  • 2020 - Sean L. Nguyen Cell and Molecular Biology and Environmental Toxicology and Ilias Magoulas Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
  • 2019 - David Bowersm Program in Mathematics Education (PRIME) and Caitlin Kara Kirby, Earth and Environmental Science and Environmental Science and Policy
  • 2018 - Oyemolade Osibodu, Program in Mathematics Education (PRIME) and Visala Rani Satyam, Program in Mathematics Education (PRIME)
  • 2017 - Connie Rojas, Integrative Biology and Ecology
  • 2016 - Paula Gajewski, Genetics Program and Patricia Jaimes Department of Geological Sciences
  • 2015 - Jie Li, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Elizabeth Schultheis, Plant Biology
  • 2014 - Kumar Ashtekar, Chemistry
  • 2013 – Alexandria Theakston Musselman, Program in Mathematics Education and Emily Weigel, Zoology
  • 2012 – Arvind Jaganathan, Chemistry
  • 2011 – Tomomi Suwa, Plant Biology
  • 2010 – Samuel Pappas, Physiology and Sarah Heim, Physics & Astronomy
  • 2009 – Kimberly Cervello, Science and Mathematics Education and David Duriancik, Food Science & Human Nutrition
  • 2008 – Ed Kabara, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Jaime Kopper, Cell & Molecular Biology Program
  • 2007 – Rashad Simmons, Chemistry
  • 2006 – Ellen Wilch, Genetics Program
  • 2005 – Melissa Meaney, Chemistry
  • 2004 – Anne Fischer, Chemistry
  • 2003 – Emil Bozin, Physics & Astronomy
  • 2002 – Shannon Haymond, Chemistry and Shibani Mukherjee, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
  • 2000 – Micah Stowe, Chemistry
  • 1999 – Thomas A. Cullen, Chemistry
  • 1998 – Mark A. Waner, Chemistry
  • 1997 – Matthew Gardner, Chemistry and Vaughn Wagner, Zoology
  • 1996 – Eleny-Nicoleta Ionel, Mathematics and Tedi Draghici, Mathematics
  • 1995 – Jose de Ondarza, Physiology and Tracy A. Hammer, Microbiology and Veterinary Medicine
  • 1994 – Nancy S. Barta, Chemistry
  • 1993 – Philip Schultz, Chemistry

Want to attend the Alumni Awards? Please RSVP!

Register all guests attending the awards dinner on Friday, April 22nd.
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