NSCI Honors Excellence in Graduate Education

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Students honored at annual breakfast

Faculty and students from the Department of Nutritional Sciences were among those honored during the College of Human Sciences’ 2018 Graduate Education Breakfast.

The College presented awards to outstanding students at the master’s and doctoral level and recognized faculty and students in the area of mentorship. Student award winners received stipends and a plaque to recognize their achievements.

“The caliber of award applications this year was outstanding and represents the vast accomplishments of our graduate students as well as the meaningful contributions made by our graduate faculty,” Christine Johnson, associate dean for research and graduate studies, said. “Our graduate student award nominees articulated their passions for helping others and their commitment to their respective fields.”

Babajide Ojo, Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research Award for Graduate Students

Babjide Ojo, a Ph.D. student, received the Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research Award for Graduate Students. The award recognizes and encourages outstanding mentoring of undergraduate by graduate students in research activities outside of the classroom. Ojo was nominated for the honor by undergraduate student Grace Gallucci and his advisor is Dr. Edralin Lucas. Lucas considers Ojo as partner in training both undergraduate and graduate students for her research lab. Gallucci’s nomination cited Ojo’s teaching approach to mentorship and his ability to not only to teach her how to operate lab equipment, analyze samples and interpret data, but also to convey “the big picture” of the study.

 

 

Lei Wu, Outstanding Graduate Student – Ph.D. Level

Lei Wu is the recipient of the College of Human Sciences 2018 Outstanding Graduate Student Award – Ph.D. Level. Wu is pursuing a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences and was nominated for the honor by faculty mentor Dr. Dingo “Daniel” Lin. Wu’s research project investigates the role of carotenoid metabolism in the mitochondrial function and low-grade inflammation. Her work has led to five peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals. Lin said that Wu, “is an intelligent and enthusiastic student with outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.” She is one of only 12 finalists for the American Society of Nutrition’s Graduate Student Research Award. The honor is among the most prestigious awards given and reflects Wu’s excellence among future leaders in the field of nutritional sciences.

 

 

Dr. Gail Gates, Nutritional Sciences Graduate Corodinator

In addition, Dr. Gail Gates was recognized for her service as the graduate coordinator for the Department of Nutritional Sciences.