We encourage students to nominate their mentors for Mentor of the Year. You can choose to nominate your research mentor who is faculty or academic staff, and/or you can nominate a graduate student who you work closely with. One mentor will be selected from each category. Winners will be presented at the end of the symposium and receive $500 in research travel or supply funds. Applications currently closed!
Congratulations Dr. Alexander (Leggy) Arnold from Chemistry and Biochemistry, winner of the 2026 Research Mentor of the Year Award and Maya Fernando from Chemistry and Biochemistry, winner of the Graduate Student Mentorship Award!
Past winners have included:
Research Mentor of the Year Award
- 2026: Alexander (Leggy) Arnold (Chemistry & Biochemistry)
- 2025: Sabine Heuer (Communication Sciences & Disorders)
- 2024: Dyanna Czeck (Geosciences)
- 2023: Shannon Freire (Anthropology)
- 2022: Nathaniel Stern (Art & Design)
- 2021: Dong-Feng Deng (Freshwater Sciences)
- 2020: Dawn Erb (Physics)
- 2019: Jennifer Gutzman (Biological Sciences)
- 2018: Karyn Frick (Psychology)
- 2017: Arijit Sen (Architecture and Urban Planning)
- 2016: Douglas Steeber (Biological Sciences)
- 2015: Gabriella Pinter (Mathematics)
- 2014: Henry Tomasiewicz (Freshwater Sciences)
- 2013: J. Rudi Strickler (Biological Sciences)
Graduate Student Mentorship Award
- 2026: Maya Fernando (Chemistry & Biochemistry)
- 2025: Madison Rittinger (Biological Sciences)
- 2024: Julia Harris (Psychology)