KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� May 4, 2026 鈥� The full breadth of academic excellence was on display at the 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 inaugural on April 30 in the Edwards Hall auditorium.
The event combined awards that were presented to faculty, students, and staff at three separate ceremonies in previous years. Individuals were lauded for outstanding achievements in teaching, mentoring, and research.
鈥淲e united these awards into one ceremony because academic excellence takes many forms, and they all deserve to be recognized visibly and collectively,鈥� said Sue Adams, vice provost for academic and faculty initiatives. 鈥淥ur hope is that this shared celebration strengthens connections across departments and colleges and allows us to better appreciate the extraordinary contributions made by faculty, staff, and students across our University.鈥�
溏心vlog免费B站 President Marc Parlange touted the University鈥檚 R1 status, which designates 溏心vlog免费B站 as a top-tier research university in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, and 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 No. 1 ranking among public universities in New England for the second year in a row by The Wall Street Journal.
鈥淭hese distinctions highlight the world-class education and opportunities available at 溏心vlog免费B站鈥搉one of which would be possible without our exceptional faculty,鈥� said Parlange. 鈥淎nd our students, who bring curiosity, passion, and persistence to their educational experiences, embody the excellence that defines our University.鈥�
Some of the award winners expressed their gratitude and took pride in their accomplishments.
鈥淪eeing students become successful in education brings me such joy,鈥� said Theresa Deeney, recipient of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Teaching Excellence Award. 鈥淚 was amazed at the impact our special education scholars made in teaching learners who struggle with literacy skills.鈥�
Anita Jacobson, clinical professor and director of community health and engagement, won the Academic Impact Excellence Award.
鈥淚鈥檓 most proud of building and sustaining community partnerships that not only expand access to naloxone and overdose prevention resources, but also create meaningful, real-world learning opportunities for our students,鈥� said Jacobson.
Professor Samantha Meenach was honored for her exceptional mentoring of students.
“My research path began with my own undergraduate research experience, and I have never forgotten how profoundly it shaped my trajectory,鈥� said Meenach. 鈥淚 mentor undergraduates because I know firsthand that access to research opportunities and a supportive mentor can change the entire direction of a student’s life.”
Ryan Poling-Skutvik, assistant professor of chemical, biomolecular, and materials engineering, and Laura Hamman-Ortiz, assistant professor of TESOL and bilingual education, were presented Research and Scholarship Awards for Early Career Faculty.
鈥淢y proudest accomplishment has really been seeing my undergraduate and graduate students develop and flourish as independent scientists and researchers,鈥� said Poling-Skutvik. 鈥淢ultiple students gave their first independent presentations at conferences this year.鈥�
鈥淚 am grateful to the bilingual educators and their students who have welcomed me into their classrooms, shared their joys and frustrations, and worked tirelessly to improve their craft and to serve the students entrusted to their care,鈥� said Hamman-Ortiz.
Kristin Johnson, vice provost for global initiatives, and Cheryl Foster, professor of political science, served as the masters of ceremonies. The award winners are listed below.
TEACHING AND SERVICE AWARDS
溏心vlog免费B站 Teaching Excellence Award
, professor of reading education, Feinstein College of Education
Honors Teaching Excellence Award
, associate teaching professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Part-Time Faculty Teaching Excellence Award
Michael Nedwidek, part-time faculty of health and physical education, Feinstein College of Education
General Education Teaching Excellence Award
, associate professor, Department of Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences
Undergraduate Student Writing Excellence Award
Brooke Gallant, The Theme of 鈥淗ope鈥�
Graduate Student聽Writing Excellence Award
Ariel Leahy, The Theme of 鈥淗ope鈥�
Academic Impact聽Excellence聽Award
, clinical professor, College of Pharmacy
Undergraduate Research Mentoring Excellence Award
, professor, Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering; and Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy
RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
Advanced Career Faculty 鈥� Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
, Herrmann Professor of Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy
Advanced Career Faculty 鈥� Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities
, professor of supply chain management, College of Business
Early Career Faculty 鈥� Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
, assistant professor and graduate director, Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
Early Career Faculty 鈥� Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities
, assistant professor, TESOL and Bilingual Education, Feinstein College of Education
Graduate Student 鈥� Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
Dalton L. Stein, Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Engineering
Graduate Student 鈥� Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities
, behavioral science Ph.D. student, Department of Psychology, College of Health Sciences
Undergraduate Student 鈥� Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
Terran AlbergoMcGovern, Department of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences
Undergraduate Student 鈥� Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities
Francesca Fontaine, Department of Nutrition, College of Health Sciences
Innovation:聽Translational Impact Award
, associate professor, Ocean Engineering, College of Engineering
溏心vlog免费B站 RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP PHOTO CONTEST
First place: Emily Sperou, College of the Environment and Life Sciences
鈥淏uilt-In Neck Pillow鈥�
Second place: Alexia Lanagan, College of Arts and Sciences
鈥淧redator and Pollinator鈥�
Third place: Liam Corcoran, College of the Environment and Life Sciences
鈥淓astern Whip-poor-will In Hand鈥�
Committee Choice: Dakota Hunter, College of Pharmacy
鈥淎ctivation of Microglia in the Thalamus of a Preclinical Model of Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy鈥�
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: UNITED STATES ISSUED PATENTS
Photoswitchable Binary Nanopore Capable of Detecting Single Molecules
Associate Dean ,
Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Grace G. D. Han, Alejandra Gonzalez, Brandeis University
Apparatus and Methods for Preparation and Introduction of Trace Samples Into an Ionizing Detection System
Professor , Professor , Alexander Yevdokimov
Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Fragmentation Resilience Energy Mass Spectrometry (FREMS)
Professor , Professor , Alexander Yevdokimov, and Kevin Colizza
Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Polymer Immobilization Matrix for Containment of Hazardous Materials and Methods of Using the Same
Professor , Professor , Gerald Kagan, and Robert Ichiyama
Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
PNictogen-Containing Heterocyclic Compounds and Their Use
Assistant Professor , Bradley M. Lipka, Daniel S. Honeycutt
Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
Jacob M, Goldberg, Colgate University
Fluorescent Compound Comprising a Fluorophore Conjugated to a pH-Triggered Polypeptide
Professor , Professor , Assistant Research Professor
Department of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences
Donald M. Engelman, Yale University
pHLIP庐-Mediated Intracellular Delivery of Immuno-Stimulatory Compounds
Professor , Professor, Assistant Research Professor
Department of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences
Donald M. Engelman, John C. Deacon, Yale University
pH-Triggered Membrane Peptide-Mediated Epitope Tethering at Cell Surfaces
Professor , Professor , Assistant Research Professor
Department of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences
Donald M. Engelman, Yale University
Radiolabeled Ligands for Targeted PET/SPECT Imaging and Methods of Their Use
Professor , Professor , Assistant Research Professor
Department of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences
Jason S. Lewis, Dustin Wayne Demoin, Nerissa Viola-Villegas, Sloan-Kettering
Polymeric Compositions and Corrosion Resistant Systems
Associate Professor , Sumeru Nayak
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Wearable Optical Microfibrous Material with Encapsulated Nanosensors for Wireless Monitoring of Chemical Analytes
Associate Professor , Mohammad Moein Safaee, Mitchell Gravely
Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
BUS Authentication and Anti-Probing Architecture
Professor , Professor Tao Wei, Zhenyu Xu
Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
Method and Apparatus for Runtime Detection of BUS Probing/Tampering in Computer Systems
Professor , Professor Tao Wei, Zhenyu Xu
Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
Glass-Ceramic Thermal Paint System and Method Using Uv:vis Spectroscopy
Professor , Noah Alexander Burke, Panagiotis Panoutsopoulos, Zachary Ahlquist
Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
High Temperature Heat Flux Sensors
Professor , Noah Alexander Burke, Panagiotis Panoutsopoulos, Zachary Ahlquist
Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
GRADUATE SCHOOL AWARDS
Outstanding Graduate Mentoring Award
, professor, Department of Psychology, College of Health Sciences
Outstanding Doctoral Research Award
Juliana Agudelo聽Areiza, postdoctoral researcher, field of toxicokinetics with Assistant Professor Fabian Fischer
Outstanding Master鈥檚 Thesis Research Award
, Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, Major Professor 鈥� Reza Abiri