Gillings School celebrates outstanding achievements of environmental sciences and engineering students
September 10, 2024
The Gillings School of Global Public Health is proud to recognize over 50 students from the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (ESE) who have been recognized with prestigious awards over the past academic year. These awards celebrate exceptional achievements, innovative research and impactful service within the department, across UNC-Chapel Hill and beyond.
Among the recipients are undergraduate and graduate students who have excelled in research areas such as water quality management, air pollution control, environmental epidemiology and sustainable development.
“Our students’ achievements embody the Department’s mission to solve our most pressing environmental challenges and promote health” said Dr. Rebecca Fry, Chair of the ESE Department. “We are delighted to honor and recognize the next generation of scientists working to address environmental health issues.”
Departmental Award Winners
Each year, the ESE Department recognizes undergraduate and graduate students for their outstanding contributions to the field.
Andromede Uwase was awarded this year’s ESE Achievement Award which recognizes a graduate of the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in ESE who displays outstanding performance in formal courses; quality and depth of the graduate degree report; creativity and scientific maturity; service to the department, community or state; and/or professional promise.
Toheedat Bakare, Dannys Daimar, Emery Hoos, Andrew Jotcham and Isabella Siesel received the Bachelor of Science in Public Heatlh Achievement Award which recognizes combinations of excellence in formal course work, research in ESE and service impact.
Students from the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering holding awards.
Graduate Student Recognitions
Graduate students within the ESE department additionally received prestigious external awards.
Clara Eichler and Eric Brown are two doctoral candidates from the ESE Department who were honored with the 2024 Impact Awards from The Graduate School at UNC-Chapel Hill for their research contributing to the future of North Carolina.
Rosa Cuppari received an Outstanding Student Presentation Award from the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting.
Furthermore, the following graduate students displayed exemplary work through various research fellowships and scholarships which support student’s continued pursuit of academic excellence and innovative research.
Yarrow Linden, Haley MacDonald and Lucy Tantum were recipients of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
Devin Alewel was selected for the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Environmental Protection Agency Research Participation Program.
Nora Abbott, Claire Bocklage, Anastasia Freedman, Dylan James, Alicia Kirby, Amelia Martin and Charlotte Robbins are National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Funded graduates.
Clara Eichler received the ASTM International Scholarship for graduate students.
Rita Gyimah received Water Environment Federation Association leadership funding.
Syed Anjerul Islam received the 2024 Summer Research Fellowship by The Graduate School at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Alex Ng was selected for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program.
Kristina Stuckey received the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship for graduate students.
Undergraduate Student Recognitions
Undergraduate students across the department were recognized for their outstanding research and academic excellence from diverse organizations and academic societies.
Emily Barkley received the James Maguire Memorial Award from the Department of Chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Margot Francini received the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship for Portuguese; Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) for Summer 2024; the 2024 Andrews Fellowship in Environmental Policy; and the QUEST/Folt Internship at the Institute for Environmental Health Solutions.
Julian Goldner competed in the Carolina Global Photography Competition and received third place.
Margot Langenbach received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Associate Certification.
Zach Mangel received the Eve Carson Scholarship for students who have exhibited passion and transformative growth since matriculation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Avery Matthews received the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) for Summer 2024. Avery was also accepted into the Summer 2024 Institute for the Environment 21st century Environmental Health Scholars cohort as well as the QUEST/FIRE 2024 Summer Cohort Additionally, Avery was awarded the Health Effects Institute 2024 Summer Fellowship.
Cole Seifert was selected for the 2024 University of Delaware Summer Opportunities for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE) Program.
Isabella Siesel has been an EMT Officer with UNC EMS for three years.
Rebecca Turner received the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) for Summer 2024.
The following students completed their Senior Honors Thesis:
- Toheedat Bakare
- Julian Goldner
- Emery Hoos
- Andrew Jotcham
- Aditya Roy
- Isabella Siesel
The following students were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society:
- Max Feldman
- Savannah Faith Grizzard
- Sydney Kates Martin
- Aneesh Purohit
- Joshua Singleton
- Arjun Suresh
- Rebecca Lynn Turner
The following students were inducted into Delta Omega Honor Society in Public Health:
- Sarah Kirsh
- Jarvis Richardson
- Andromede Uwase
Congratulations to all the award recipients for their outstanding achievements in environmental sciences and engineering.
