Spring 2025 CBMG Honors and Awards

Undergraduate Student Awards

RUHAMA DEMISSIE

Recipient of an Appleman-Norton Award for Plant Biology
Mentor: Dr. William Snell
BSCI Specialization: Cell Biology & Genetics

Dr. Snell’s and Hibba Hussain’s comments: Ruhama Demissie has been a part of our lab since Fall 2022. She has worked with us on our studies to understand the molecular events that occur during fertilization that enable the two gametes to fuse to form a new single cell. We use a chlorophyte, the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model organism for our studies. Ruhama has been using biochemical methods to investigate the molecular properties of the proteins required for the fusion process.

Two of the Chlamydomonas proteins we study are also essential for fertilization in all plants, and thus, her findings have the potential to contribute to a deeper understanding of plant reproduction. Ruhama is extremely hardworking and dedicated, going above and beyond what needs to be done. She is intelligent and a quick learner, picking up several research skills in her time in the lab. She is incredibly curious and loves thoughtful discussion of results. Ruhama is an excellent team player, and it has been a true joy to have her in our laboratory. Her positive energy and insights will be missed. Ruhama’s long-term career plans are to be in the clinical medicine field.

OLIVIA VELASQUEZ
Recipient of an Appleman-Norton Award for Plant Biology
Mentor: Dr. Charles Delwiche
BSCI Specialization: General Biology

Dr. Delwiche’s comments: Olivia Velasquez has been working in the Delwiche lab, primarily supervised by postdoc John Mattick, since early 2024. In that time, she has shown great capability with benchwork and cell culture work, and has made significant intellectual contributions experimental design and troubleshooting. She has two main projects: first, expressing and characterizing an archaeal homologue of the plant (+)-gamete protein HAP2 in Haloferax volcanii to understand how the eukaryotic life cycle evolved during the origin of eukaryotes; and second the sequencing and characterization of novel Dunaliella species. Dunaliella is a halophilic green algae related to Chlamydomonas, and we have isolated novel strains from Salt Flats in the South San Francisco Bay (California). In her time in the lab, Olivia has isolated single colonies of both Haloferax and Dunaliella from plates that she made herself, designed and executed growth and fluorescence experiments using our plate reader, and has performed DNA isolations as well as helped run the Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencer to determine the genome of these new isolates. Her knowledge and technique is exemplary, and she has shown the ability to perform successful experiments without direct supervision. Her time in the lab has directly contributed to multiple successful experiments characterizing growth, mating, and the genomics of diverse halophilic organisms.

MAGGIE GRANT
Recipient of a Hansen Outstanding Student Award
BSCI Specialization: Cell Biology & Genetics 
Mentor: Dr. Brantley Hall

Dr. Hall’s comments: Maggie Grant has been selected for the Hansen Outstanding Student Award in recognition of her outstanding academic performance, research contributions, and leadership. Over the past three years in my lab, Maggie has played a central role in both molecular biology research and human subjects studies for the Smart Underwear Project. Her work has already led to co-authorship on a Nature Microbiology paper, with two more manuscripts underway. A Banneker Key Scholar and Gemstone Honors student, Maggie brings energy, precision, and curiosity to every challenge. She will continue her research this fall as a graduate student in the MOCB program. Congratulations, Maggie!

EKATERINA GRIBOK
Recipient of a Hansen Outstanding Student Award
Nominator: Dr. Louisa Wu
BSCI Specialization: Cell Biology & Genetics

Dr. Wu’s comments: Ekaterina has been a UTA for my BSCI410 Molecular Genetics class for 2 semesters. The large class size and diversity of students make it a challenging upper level class to teach well so I rely heavily on my TAs. I have always been impressed with Ekaterina’s breadth and depth of knowledge in molecular genetics, and have often tasked her with grading open-ended short essay or exam questions. She runs her own office hours, and answers many questions on the class Piazza. I’ve always valued the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of her answers, and the support she gives the students in the class.

DARIN MICHAELS
Recipient of the Dr. P. Arne Hansen Award for CBMG Honors Program Outstanding Thesis
CBMG Departmental High Honors
Thesis Title: The Impact of B cell Specific Neutral Lipid Accumulation on B cell Function and Activation
Mentors: Dr. Wenxia Song and Dr. Margaret Fallen
BSCI Specialization: Physiology & Neurobiology

Dr. Song’s and Dr. Fallen’s comments: Darin joined my lab in the spring of 2023 during his sophomore year as a Physiology and Neurobiology major. His research focused on understanding how B cell-specific neutral lipid accumulation affects B cell function and activation. I consider Darin to be one of the top honors undergraduate students I have ever worked with. He is highly self-motivated, quick to grasp complex research concepts, consistently asks insightful questions, and communicates his ideas—both in writing and presentations—with exceptional clarity. Despite a demanding course load and dental school interviews, Darin always prioritized his lab responsibilities. He came fully prepared, often reviewing multiple research papers and protocols in advance to maximize his time in the lab. He regularly arrived early or stayed late to ensure the success of technically challenging experiments. We are extremely proud of Darin for receiving the P. Arne Hansen Award for Best Departmental Thesis and earning CBMG Departmental High Honors—testaments to his diligence, intelligence, resourcefulness, and outstanding time management. It has been a true pleasure working with Darin, and I have no doubt he has a bright future ahead of him as he begins dental school at the University of Maryland.

IPSA MISHRA
CBMG Departmental Honors
Thesis Title: Effects of BCAAs and Cold Exposure on Lipid Metabolism in Brown Adipose Tissue
Co-Mentors: Dr. Nishanth E Sunny (AGNR) & Dr. Brantley Hall
BSCI Specialization: Physiology & Neurobiology

Dr. Sunny’s comments: Ipsa Mishra has been with the Sunny lab for over two years now and has played an integral role in advancing our lab’s scientific findings. Not only has Ipsa been a collaborative member of the lab by making herself available to assist with multiple research projects, but she also took the initiative in both designing and performing her own independent studies. Ipsa’s honors project focused on understanding how branched chain amino acids (BCAAs; Valine, Leucine, and Isoleucine), which are essential dietary amino acids, impact aspects of lipid and glucose metabolism in mice. Ipsa’s studies were designed to provide clues on how these amino acids are functioning to regulate thermogenesis and metabolism in different tissues, which could in turn help us to evaluate BCAA’s role towards managing metabolic diseases (e.g., obesity, Type II Diabetes). Through these studies, Ipsa has gained hands-on animal experience and valuable knowledge on many advanced laboratory techniques including mass spectrometry-gas chromatography and the utilization of stable isotope tracers to measure metabolic flux in numerous tissues. Ipsa is an ambitious and diligent researcher and has been able to adapt to challenges posed throughout her studies. We congratulate Ipsa on receiving the CBMG Departmental Honors and wish her all the best!

SAMUEL ROSEMORE
CBMG Departmental High Honors
Thesis Title: Guidance Cues in Collective Cell Dynamics
Mentor: Dr. Wolfgang Losert (PHYS)
BSCI Specialization: Physiology & Neurobiology

Dr. Losert’s comments: Samuel Rosemore was very successful in his project, which required both live cell microscopy and intensive data analytics.  The goal of his collaborative project was to characterize the mixing and unmixing of healthy and metastatic cells in an epithelial tissue and to understand whether the microenvironment can change the mixing of cells.  I was impressed by Sam's technical skills and his interdisciplinary communication skills with our University of Maryland, Baltimore colleagues Michele Vitolo and Stuart Martin.  Sam also excelled at teamwork, proactively and enthusiastically collaborating with Cathy Gu and Kashmyr Dalang.  Throughout the project, Sam consistently showed great critical thinking and strong commitment to projects, often going beyond expectations to explore new analytical approaches, for example, a new way to measure mixing at the single-cell level.

HAESUNG LOLA LEE
CBMG Departmental Honors
Thesis Title: Investigating the Physiological Mechanisms Underlying Sex-Specific Response to Pheromones in Astatotilapia burtoni
Mentor: Dr. Scott Juntti (BIOL)
BSCI Specialization: Cell Biology & Genetics
Dr. Juntti’s comments: HaeSung (Lola) Lee has been a wonderful addition to my lab due to her astute, collegial, and engaging approach to science. Lola’s been fearless in taking on a couple different challenging projects in the lab. She brought her molecular biology skills to bear on a project to streamline our genotyping in the lab, and then to understand how it is that male-typical characteristics arise in behavior of cichlid fish. Her work has contributed significantly to an ongoing project that we anticipate will be published in the coming year. Lola has also been an outgoing member of the lab whose engagement has been important to improving the science of those around her. As she moves to a bioengineering MS program next year, she will most definitely be missed!

SARIKA KAPADIA
CBMG Departmental High Honors (Defended in Fall ‘24)
Thesis Title: fikk Gene Expression Specific to Severe Malarial Syndromes in Malian Children
Mentor: Dr. Mark Travassos (UMB)
BSCI Specialization: Cell Biology & Genetics
Dr. Travassos’ comments: Sarika joined my group in May 2023. From the start, she impressed me with her scientific curiosity, critical thinking, and analytic ability. Sarika has identified a subset of highly variable kinases that appear to play a critical role in the development of severe malaria. She taught herself the programming, software programs, and statistics needed to tackle her project. Sarika continues to broaden out her analysis and add new layers of complexity to her findings as her curiosity pulls her in new and intriguing directions. She is also an excellent member of our severe malaria working group, joining discussions about other projects, contributing important insights, and always being willing to help out and provide support. These attributes have made her a delight to work within our group. 
 

Initiates for the Sigma Alpha Omicron (SAO) Microbiology Honor Society

CAMILA GARCIA
BSCI Specialization: Microbiology
Camila is a senior majoring in Microbiology at the University of Maryland. On campus, she conducts research with the Snell Lab, focusing on the dynamics and function of the PTCH gene in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Camila's other involvements include the FIRE program's Fertility Science stream, both as a researcher and a peer research mentor. She's also an active member and former board member of Alpha Omega Epsilon, a professional engineering and technical science sorority. After graduation, Camila will be joining the National Cancer Institute as a postbaccalaureate research fellow.

ANTHONY MIRAMONTES
BSCI Specialization: Microbiology
Anthony Miramontes is a senior Microbiology and Psychology major at the University of Maryland. During his time at UMD, he has served as a TA for Principles of Microbiology and competed on the club baseball team. After graduation, he will be pursuing a career in healthcare.

CRISTIANUS LEAHU
BSCI Specialization: Microbiology

Cristianus is a senior Microbiology major at the University of Maryland. While at Maryland, he has acted as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for General Microbiology and was also a part of Dr. Lee's Pseudomonas aeruginosa lab. After graduation, he plans to either obtain a Ph.D. or go into clinical microbiology.

SANJIDA SOHA
BSCI Specialization: Microbiology
Sanjida is a senior microbiology major with research interests in infectious disease, vaccine development, and immunology. She works as a classroom tech support assistant with UMD DIT and serves as the founding director for STEMc, a nonprofit supporting STEM education in developing countries.

ALEJANDRA URQUIAGA
BSCI Specialization: Microbiology

CEC Recognition Award

SONDOS ABDELHAFEEZ
Recipient of the Community Engagement Committee (CEC) Recognition Award
Lab: Dr. Michael Cummings (BIOL)
BISI Specialization: Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, and Genomics 
Project Title: Comparing Diastereomer Populations between Antisense Oligonucleotides
Comments from the CEC Committee: Sondos Abdelhafeez is highly deserving of the CBMG CEC Graduate Award. Sondos has been a member of the Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics (CBMG) department’s Community Engagement Committee (CEC) for the past year, and in that time, she has contributed greatly to the committee’s efforts to highlight and celebrate everyone in our department. Sondos cares deeply about making sure everyone has a voice. She is always one of the first people to step up and volunteer to help with CEC committee projects, and once she is involved, she puts her full effort and talent into the task. Sondos is a strong proponent of Community Engagement, and she has been a valuable member of the CBMG CEC Committee. As the Chair of this committee, we value and appreciate you Sondos and your commitment to CBMG, BISI and UMD. Congratulations!

Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards

AIDAN DANOFF
Recipient of an Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
TA for BSCI442
Lab: Dr. Jose Feijo
Project Title: Evolution of Development in the Coleochaetophyceae and its to Plant Development
BISI Specialization: Molecular and Cellular Biology (MOCB)

Dr. Feijo’s comments: Aidan joined our Plant Physiology and Development course this year. He is undoubtedly one of the best TAs I had the chance to work with after 10+ years of teaching it. He is reliable, responsible, engaged, enthusiastic and developed a great relationship with students, many times walking the extra mile in terms of finding different angles to teach some of the materials. For a long time, I haven't felt the kind of confidence and relaxation in the work of a TA as I had with Aidan.

CODY CONRAD
Recipient of an Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
TA for BSCI213
Nominator: Dr. Daniel Stein
Lab: Dr. Norberto Gonzalez-Juarbe
Project Title: Manipulating Cell Death Pathways to Create Novel Therapeutics for Cancer Treatment
BISI Specialization: Molecular and Cellular Biology (MOCB)
Comments from Dr. Cordelia Weiss: Cody displays a level of maturity and passion for teaching that is rare for first-year graduate students. He has been instrumental to both Dr. Stein and myself in the development of a brand new BSCI course—due to his unwavering effort, and enthusiasm. Cody is scientifically curious and creative, and designs discussions to provide the best educational experience possible. I have no doubt that he will be very successful in his graduate and professional career.

Graduate Student Awards

CATHERINE HARVEY
Recipient of the Isabel R. McDonald Service Award
Lab: Dr. Kan Cao
Project Title: Investigating the Molecular Mechanisms Behind LMNA-related Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
BISI Specialization: Molecular and Cellular Biology (MOCB)
Dr. Cao’s comments: Catherine is a dedicated graduate student in our department whose commitment to service, education, and community outreach embodies the core values of this award. What makes Catherine’s service especially meaningful is the thoughtful and the intentional approach she takes to it. She does not see this work as an obligation but rather as an extension of her academic identity—a way to foster learning in others while growing as an educator herself.

EESHITA GHOSH
Recipient of the Carroll E. Cox Award
Lab: Dr. José Feijó

Project Title: Functional role of Cornichon Homologue Proteins in regulating Glutamate Receptor-Like Channels and calcium homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana
BISI Specialization: Physiological Systems (PHYS)

Dr. Feijó’s comments: Eeshita made fantastic advances in the genetic characterization of the 5 gene family of the COPII cargo-adapter protein family CORNICHON in plants, with a collection of very relevant phenotypes, and is quickly advancing into unraveling the molecular mechanisms behind their function. She presented posters in international meetings and is nominated for a selected abstract for the next tri-annual meeting on Plant Membrane Biology, the most relevant meeting in our area, for next summer.

AURELIE NIYONGABO
Recipient of the Philip J. Provost Graduate Fellowship Award
Lab: Dr. Gilad Ofek
Project Title: Structural Insights into the Immune Recognition of Viral Surface Glycoproteins
BISI Specialization: Molecular and Cellular Biology (MOCB)

Dr. Ofek’s comments: From her earliest days as a graduate student in the lab, Aurelie hit the ground running and has sustained her research progress since then. She quickly picked up the methods and techniques of structural biology, and has obtained multiple crystal structures that have helped shed light on filovirus and HIV glycoprotein recognition by neutralizing antibodies. In parallel, she developed an assay to study and characterize the structural dynamics of viral surface glycoproteins, which she is applying to several viral systems. Aurelie has also contributed significantly to service activities within the Department and the University as a whole, including co-founding the Black Graduate Students in Biology organization. Taken together, Aurelie has shown all the signs of scientific excellence and leadership, and a willingness to tackle highly challenging questions in her research.

XUAN CINDY LI
Recipient of the Andrew J. Moyer Outstanding Graduate Student Award
Lab: Dr. S. Cenk Sahinalp (NCI) and Dr. Steve Mount 
Project Title: Algorithmic Approaches for Investigating DNA Methylation in Tumor Evolution and Heterogeneity
BISI Specialization:  Computational Biology, Bioinformatics and Genomics (CBBG)

Dr. Sahinalp’s and Dr. Mount’s comments: Xuan (Cindy) Li is an outstanding student. Her thesis work, primarily under the direction of Cenk Sahinalp, included three distinct but related projects that resulted in first-author papers in top computational biology journals. This accomplishment was all the more remarkable because she came to Maryland as a molecular and cellular biology student without a significant background in computational biology. After switching concentration areas to computational biology, bioinformatics and genomics, she quickly became truly conversant in her new field, but suffered another setback when her thesis advisor in Computer Science suddenly left the University of Maryland (and academia), leaving her without an advisor in the middle of her third year. Nevertheless, she found a home in the Cancer Data Science Laboratory at NCI and prevailed, carrying out three major projects. It has been a great pleasure for me to attend the identification and solution of algorithmic problems in applying single-cell methylation data to tumor phylogenies.

WESLEY DEMONTIGNY
Recipient of the Heven Sze Graduate Award in Biomolecular Sciences and Genetics
Lab:  Dr. Charles Delwiche
Dissertation Topic: Robust Bayesian Inference for Phylogenetics
BISI Specialization: Molecular and Cellular Biology (MOCB)

Dr. Delwiche’s comments: Wesley DeMontigny is a second-year graduate student in my lab. He is very intelligent, has an outstanding work ethic, focus, and drive. He is also a pleasant and engaging person, and strikingly, is open to, and in fact actively seeks out, correction and advice. My lab makes extensive use of phylogenetic analysis. Some months after he had joined the lab I recommended that Wesley look into Bayesian methods, which are a family of statistical methods that take a fundamentally different approach to analysis than more familiar ‘frequentist’ methods. Wesley was fascinated, and took to the topic with an enthusiasm I have rarely seen. I introduced him to John Huelsenbeck at Berkeley, who is one of the pioneers of Bayesian phylogenetic methods. John generously offered to meet regularly with Wesley and introduce him to the nuances of Bayesian analysis by helping him develop his own analytical code base. This quickly evolved into a collaboration, and within a few months Wesley was making important contributions to the software (Rev. Bayes), as well as, increasingly, to the underlying theory. Since joining my lab, he has developed methods to impute the probability of gene presence in incomplete, metagenomic genomes by taking into account data quality, as well as collaborated with Antony Jose on a gene family analysis he started when a rotation student, and worked with Wade Winkler on a teaching lab. He is actively developing a code base for his own analytical tools. He is already well on his way toward several substantial publications, and I fully expect him to move on to a highly successful career in the field.

URJA BISWAS
Recipient of the Wallace Prescott Rowe Award
Lab: Dr. Jeffrey DeStefano
Project Title: Investigating the Role of Reverse Transcriptase in HIV-1 Mutagenesis
BISI Specialization: Molecular and Cellular Biology (MOCB)

Dr. DeStefano’s comments: Urja Biswas has worked in my lab for the past 2.5 years on two projects related to HIV:(1) determining if the HIV virion contains nucleotides that can support DNA synthesis in the virion, and (2) examining the fidelity of HIV DNA synthesis to understand what factors contribute to mutations that lead to HIV’s genetic diversity. She has been a model student who has demonstrated the drive and curiosity required to address these complex and difficult questions. Urja’s patient demeanor and calmness has made her an excellent mentor for undergraduate students in the lab. Our lab is delighted to see her receive the Wallace Prescott Rowe virology award.