Celebrating 2020-2021 Graduate School Award Recipients!
With the generous support of donors and the CU Boulder community, the Graduate School offers awards, grants and fellowships that support the outstanding research, creative work and teaching of our graduate students. Congratulations to our award winners and many thanks to the faculty and staff who support them in their research, creative work and teaching, as well as to the donors whose generosity make these awards possible.
Graduate Part-Time Instructors Teaching Appreciation Award Recipients
These awards recognize excellent graduate student teachers for their hard work, creativity, and continued excellence in teaching.
- Cali Banks, Department of Art & Art History, Fall 2020
- Jake Carias, Department of Sociology, Spring 2021
- Joelle Cicak, Department of Art & Art History, Spring 2021
- Rachel Chai, Department of Geography, Fall 2020
- David Chu, Department of Classics, Fall 2020
- Jennifer Cole, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Spring 2021
- Christopher Dengler, Department of Philosophy, Spring 2021
- Bailey Duhe, Department of Anthropology, Fall 2020
- Sara Fischer, Department of French & Italian, Fall 2020
- Kevin France, Department of Physics, Fall 2020
- Daniel Garzon, School of Education, Spring 2021
- Greg Gondwe, Department of Journalism, Fall 2020
- David Gunderman, Department of Applied Mathematics, Fall 2020
- Erkan Gunes, Department of Political Science, Fall 2020
- Emily Hite, Department of Anthropology, Spring 2021
- Shirely Huang, Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Spring 2021
- Shruthi Jagadeesh, Department of Geography, Spring 2021
- Brooke Latham, Department of Classics, Spring 2021
- Samantha Moya, Department of Political Science, Spring 2021
- Joy Mueller, Department of Applied Mathematics, Spring 2021
- Leah Powers, Department of French & Italian, Spring 2021
- Elisa Riga, Department of German & Slavic Languages & Literatures, Spring 2021
- Àjené Robinson-Burris, Department of Philosophy, Fall 2020
- Jayne Simpson, Department of Communication, Fall 2020
- Justin Trupiano, Department of Critical Media Practices, Fall 2020
- Kun You, Department of Asian Languages & Civilizations, Fall 2020
- Christine Zabala, School of Education, Fall 2020
Dissertation Completion Fellows
These fellowships provide one academic semester of financial support. Graduate School and Reynolds Dissertation Completion Fellows receive one full year of academic support toward their research.
- Bertha Bermúdez Tapia, Department of Sociology
- Christopher Barnes, Department of Media Studies
- Julie Larson, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Anna Hermes, Department of Environmental Studies
- Angela Theodosopoulos, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Kelly Zepelin, Department of Anthropology
- Kimberly Strong, School of Education
- Javan Carter, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Jennifer Reeve, Department of Geological Sciences
- Brittany Lambert, Leeds School of Business
- Sebastian Cantarero, Department of Geological Sciences
Graduate School Dissertation Completion Fellow
- Amelia Hogstad, Department of History
Reynolds Dissertation Completion Fellow
- Gagan Sapotka, Department of Philosophy
MFA Completion Fellow
This fellowship provides one academic semester of financial support.
Amy Hoagland
Amy Hoagland is a Louisville, KY born artist. She is currently attending the University of Colorado, Boulder as a candidate for her Masters of Fine Art in Sculpture. Her work focuses on the role that humankind plays within nature, discussing how human’s technological advancements are progressing Earth’s ever evolving structure. Amy received her BFA from the University of Kentucky and was granted a 2017 Windgate Fellowship award presented by the Center for Craft. She has completed residencies with the Marpha Foundation in Marpha, Nepal and with Casa Lü in Mexico City, Mexico. Amy recently had a solo exhibition as a visiting artist for the Kentucky College of Art and Design. She has exhibited internationally in Mexico City and nationally including Los Angeles, Austin, and Portland.
Summer Fellows
These fellowships provide $6,000 stipends over the summer term to support students working on their dissertation.
- Alexandra Alexiev, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Sheena Barnes, Department of History
- Brett Bessen, Department of Political Science
- Joseph Carzoli, Department of Integrative Physiology
- André Davis, Department of Mathematics
- Jessica DiCarlo, Department of Geography
- Sarah Fahmy, Department of Theatre & Dance
- Sara Fischer, Department of French & Italian
- Florencia Foxley, Department of Classics
- Quinton Freeman, School of Education
- Catherine Gach, ATLAS Institute
- Jamie Glass, Department of Geological Sciences
- Logan Rae Gomez, Department of Communication
- Greg Gondwe, Department of Journalism
- Tessa Gorte, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
- Payne Hennigan, Department of Economics
- Xiaowen Hu, Leeds School of Business
- Yiming Hu, Department of Chemistry
- Nicollette Laroco, Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering
- Nathaniel Mathews, Department of Applied Mathematics
- John McKeever, College of Music
- Samantha Molnar, Department of Computer Science
- Jonathan Quartin, Department of Mathematics
- Marley Olson, Department of Sociology
- Danielle Quichocho, Department of Advertising, Public Relations, Media Design
- Urooj Raja, Department of Environmental Studies
- Julia Salinger, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
- Gagan Sapkota, Department of Philosophy
- Alyssa Strickler, Department of Linguistics
- Kevin Sweet, Department of Critical Media Practices
- Andrew Tomaschke, Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Griëtte van der Heide, Department of Anthropology
- Robert Wagner, Department of Materials Science & Engineering
- Michael Wheeler, Department of Mathematics
- Patrick Wynne, Department of Mathematics
- Junnan Yu, Department of Information Science
Helen Christy Summer Fellow
Kristin Enright, Department of Art & Art History
Kristin came to CU after working in museums for several years, most recently as a museum educator at the Art Institute of Chicago and the National Museum of Mexican Art. In these roles, she managed programming for students, educators and docents that used culturally responsive pedagogy and works of art to increase student agency and facilitate access to language learning, historical thinking, and other academic areas. Kristin's research investigates the complex, global history of colonial Mexican Talavera ceramics in order to de-center dominant narratives about Latin America that are perpetuated by museums and the field of art history. Her practice of intervening in the frequent erasure of other narratives and the marginalization of colonial artworks in cultural institutions developed from her work with Latinx communities through Chicago art museums. Her goal through graduate study is to create spaces for difficult objects like Talavera in museums and art history curricula in such a way that invites reflection and engenders a provocative space to apply critical theory.
Katherine holds an MA in Art and Museum Studies from Georgetown University, an MA in Spanish with a concentration in Applied Linguistics from New York University in Madrid, and a BA in Art History and Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Donor Award Recipients
These awards are made possible by the Graduate School's generous donors. The Figueroa Family Fellowship provides financial support to a science or engineering student committed to positively impacting the cu boulder community and beyond. The Carol B. Lynch Memorial Fellowship provides a $2,500 fellowship to a student in the sciences whose research interests are interdisciplinary. The Sheryl R. Young Memorial Fellowship provides a $4,000 fellowship to a student in the sciences. The Brenda M. Romero CU Dissertation Award provides a $1,000 award to students enrolled at CU Boulder, CU Denver, and the Anschutz Medical Campus whose work relates to music (or sound studies) and social justice.
Figueroa Family Fellowship
- First Place: Maximilian Bailey, Department of Integrative Physiology
- Honorable Mention: Gabriella Johnson, Department of Computer Science
- Honorable Mention: Julia Potocnjak, Department of Integrative Physiology
Carol B. Lynch Memorial Fellowship
- Varsha Srikanth Koushik, Department of Computer Science
Sheryl R. Young Memorial Fellowship
- Katherine Hernandez, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Brenda M. Romero CU Dissertation Award in Music and/or Sound Studies and Social Justice
- Renata Barreto, Department of Critical Media Practices
- Benjamin Cefkin, College of Music
Cynthia H. Schultz Graduate Student Small Grant Recipients
These awards are made possible by the generous donation of the Schultz family, and in Loving Memory of John & Cynthia Schultz.
Ernest A. Bigelow Award
- Sergei Motov, Department of German & Slavic Languages & Literatures
Hope Schultz Jozsa Award
- Varsha Srikanth Koushik, Department of Computer Science
Jenny Kate Collins Award
- Brittney Banaei, Department of Theatre & Dance
Paula C. Moore Award
- Will Patterson, Department of Integrative Physiology
Verona Walker Award
- Duong Nguyen, Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering
Beverly Sears Graduate Student Grant Recipients
The Beverly Sears Graduate Student Grants are competitive awards sponsored by the Graduate School that support the research, scholarship and creative work of graduate students from all departments at CU Boulder. Funding for the Beverly Sears Graduate Student Grants program comes mainly from private donations. Some awards are made possible by the generous donation of an individual or family, often in honor of a family member. The highest-ranked proposals are considered for a Named Graduate Student Grant.
- Dreycey Albin, Department of Computer Science
- Stephan Allen, Department of Integrative Physiology
- Roberto Azaretto, Department of Critical Media Practices
- Brittney Banaei, Department of Theater and Dance
- Liza Barnes, Leeds School of Business
- Fiona Bell, ATLAS Institute
- Calin Brackin, Department of Advertising, Public Relations & Design
- Bentley Brown, Department of Critical Media Practices
- Kristin Calahan, Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Renata Carvalho Barreto, Department of Critical Media Practices
- Xiaoling Chen, Department of Geography
- Janghee Cho, Department of Information Science
- Miriam Clayton, Department of Psychology
- Zane Cupec, College of Music
- Taralicin Deka, Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences
- Jing Deng, Leeds School of Business
- Nicholas Dragone, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Anden Drolet, Department of Anthropology
- Sebastian Duenas Ocampo, Department of Environmental Studies
- Rawinorn Dulyakasem, Department of Environmental Studies
- Paige Edmiston, Department of Anthropology
- Stephanie Ellyse Schneider, Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Caitrin Engle, Department Anthropology
- Lucia Escamilla Gonzalez, Department of Spanish and Portuguese
- Chet Falk, Department of Materials Science & Engineering
- Denise Fernandes, Department of Environmental Studies
- Alex Flores, Department of Psychology
- Anna Gilmour, Department of Psychology
- Airy Gonzalez Peralta, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Matthew Harvey, Department of Political Science
- Rachel Havranek, Department of Geological Sciences
- Austin Hayes, Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Michael Hoefer, Department of Computer Science
- Peter Innes, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Taylor Johaneman, Department of Geography
- Kimberly Killen, Department of Political Science
- Varsha Srikanth Koushik, Department of Computer Science
- Nicollette Laroco, Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering
- Emma Loizeaux, Department of Geography
- Kyle Marquis, Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences
- Ferrell McClean, Department of Anthropology
- Dillon McGovern, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
- Benjamin Morris, College of Music
- Sergei Motov, Department of German & Slavic Languages & Literatures
- Sasha Novak, ATLAS Institute
- Duong Nguyen, Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering
- Anna Paraskevopoulos, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Will Patterson, Department of Integrative Physiology
- Nicholas Puente, Department of Anthropology
- Jake Saunders, College of Music
- Jeffrey Schmidt, Department of Geography
- Isabel Schroeter, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Adrienne Scott, Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Kailey Shara, ATLAS Institute
- Young-Young Shen, Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences
- Samantha Sheppard, Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences
- Gabriella Subia Smith, Department of Geography
- Bertha Bermudez Tapia, Department of Sociology
- Sanggay Tashi, Department of Anthropology
- Chilton Tippin, Department of Anthropology
- Chia-Nien Tsai, Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Paulus van Horne, Department of Critical Media Practices
- Melissa Villareal, Department of Sociology
- Corinne Walsh, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Kimberley Warren, Department of Critical Media Practices
- Dana Withrow, Department of Integrative Physiology
- Anna Wynfield, Department of Anthropology
- Spencer Ziegler, Department of Geological Sciences
CURFA Carl Kisslinger Research Award
- Shirley Huang, Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences
Dean's Award
- Meghan Hayden, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Eloise Timmons Award
- Kristin Enright, Department of Art & Art History
Friends of the Graduate School Award
- Jennifer Coulombe, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Ray Hauser Award
- Keke Wu, ATLAS Institute
Three Minute Thesis Winners
In the Three Minute Thesis (3MT), competitors describe their research in three minutes. They use only one static slide, in front of a panel of judges and a live audience. This event is held annually at the beginning of the Spring semester and is free and open to the public.
First Place
Varsha Rao, Department of Chemical & Bioligal Engineering
Second Place
Shirley Huang, Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences
People's Choice
Vishal Ray, Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences
Professional Development Digital Credential Badge Recipients
The Graduate School at CU Boulder is offering digital credential badges that may be earned by current graduate students and postdocs participating in our professional development opportunities. These digital badges are online microcredentials that allow students to showcase skills, competencies or achievements they have gained through learning experiences.
D. Ashley Campbell, Department of Media Studies, Communications Badge
Conny Cassity, Department of English, Communications Badge
Shirley Huang, Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Leadership Badge
Erin Schultz, Department of Engineering Management, Professionalism Badge
Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award Recipients
These awards recognize outstanding faculty for their mentorship of graduate students and contributions to graduate education.
- Nichole Barger, ecology and evolutionary biology
- Christine Brennan, speech, language, and hearing sciences
- Dan Doak, environmental studies
- Francoise Duressé-Stimilli, art and art history
- Jaelyn Eberle, museum studies
- Jennifer Fitzgerald, political science
- Leila Gómez, spanish and portuguese
- Bradley Hayes, computer science
- Jerry Jacka, anthropology
- Jan Lenaerts, atmospheric and oceanic sciences
- Ann-Marie Madigan, astrophysical and planetary sciences
- Donna Mejia, theatre and dance
- Valerie Otero, education
- David Root, psychology and neuroscience
- Ricarose Roque, information science
- Rebecca Scarborough, linguistics
- Deborah Whitehead, religious studies
- Emily Yeh, geography
- Luis Zea, aerospace engineering