Faculty Awards
Tasker Receives Outstanding Faculty Research Award
April 16 2015
Catherine and Hunter Pierson Chair in Neuroscience Professor Dr. Jeff Tasker receives acknowledgment for 24 years of research excellence at Tulane
Increasingly, scientists are moving away from basic research to focus on translational research, which transitions knowledge directly into clinical applications. But Jeff Tasker, professor of cell and molecular biology, has spent the last 24 years at Tulane University devoted to basic research, proving the importance of the dedicated pursuit of pure knowledge.
"The basic research of yesterday is what supplies the basis for the applied research of today," says Tasker, who holds the Catherine and Hunter Pierson Chair in Neuroscience. "More and more, research is moving to translation and away from the fundamental quest for knowledge,"
Tasker works every day to try to contribute to the development of a top neuroscience program at Tulane, one that is respected nationally and internationally.
'Best lecturer,' 'legendary teacher' to receive top awards
May 15, 2014
One highlight of Saturday’s (May 17) Tulane University Commencement ceremony is honoring outstanding teachers. Receiving 2014 President’s Awards for Graduate and Professional Teaching are Gary Dohanich, professor of psychology and neuroscience.... These honors recognize faculty members with a compelling record of excellence in teaching, learning and research, and a commitment to educational excellence.
What sets Gary Dohanich apart “is the time and thoughtfulness that he willingly devotes to support individual graduate students,” says a Tulane colleague and a former student of Dohanich. His teaching skills “are legendary,” she says, and his mentoring of doctoral students has been a major influence on science at Tulane. A driving force in development of neuroscience as a discipline on campus, he is founder and co-director of the neuroscience master’s program and associate director of the PhD program.
Graduate Awards
Tulane Student-Scientists Lead Breakthrough Discoveries
May 2, 2012
The School of Science and Engineering's event allows students to illustrate their latest research outcomes on paper posters affixed to portable walls.
Undergraduate Awards
4.0 Award
The 4.0 Award is presented to the Neuroscience major who has earned an overall GPA of 4.0 while earning the B.S. Degree in Neuroscience.
4.0 Award recipient:
- 2021 - Rithvik Vutukuri
- 2020 - Yaseen Khan
Senior Scholar in Neuroscience
The Senior Scholar Award is awarded annually to the outstanding graduating Neuroscience major(s) in the Honors Program.
Senior Scholar in Neuroscience Recipients:
- 2021 - Isabel Riccio, Erin Bender
- 2020 - Thomas Huang, Macy Komnick
- 2019 - Genevieve Curtin, Sandy Nguyen
- 2018 - Silus Buck, Sierra Lear, Joseph Ramsey
- 2017 - Kathy Le, Alyssa Cruse
- 2016 - Shreya Kashyap, Eleanor Semmes
- 2015 - Alec Friedman, Jonathon Solomonov
- 2014 - Rachel Springer, Caroline Germany
- 2013 - Rachel Britton, Elizabeth Hargroder
- 2012 - Erin Harris, Evan Kyzar
- 2011 - Kristin Leone
- 2010 - Shelly Gurwara
- 2009 - Claire Stelly, Philip Fontenot
- 2008 - Cassandra Kovach, Christina Thomas
- 2007 - Amelia Decker, Sarah Atkinson
- 2006 - Sanmati Rao
- 2005 - Amy Clark, Robert Eil
- 2004 - Clayton Smith
- 2003 - Mollie Teng
- 2002 - Abigail Hoffmann
- 2000 - Jessica Wiegand
The Arnold Gerall Prize in Neuroscience
Professor Arnold “Arnie” Gerall earned his Ph.D. in 1951 from the University of Iowa, and joined the faculty of Tulane University in 1961. His primary research focus in physiological psychology spanned over half a century and was seminal particularly in the areas of sexual differentiation and reproduction. He retired from Tulane in 1997 and died on Dec. 11, 2013 at the age of 86.
Concurrent with a Festschrift in 1991 to celebrate his contributions to the field of physiological psychology, Professor Gerall's friends, colleagues, and former students established a research prize in his name. The Arnold Gerall Prize in Neuroscience annually recognizes a Newcomb-Tulane College senior for excellence in psychology and neuroscience. The honor's theses that each of these students completed carried on the strong tradition of neuroscience research that Professor Gerall fostered at Tulane.
Gerall Award Recipients:
- 2021 - Jacob Frentzen
- 2020 - Julia Nauman
- 2019 - Kaitlyn Tholen
- 2018 - Matthew Coleman
- 2017 - Clara Howell
- 2016 - Carly Rosen, Nina Baumgartner
- 2015- Louis Arens, Nicole Moody
- 2014 - Pamela Svorinic
- 2012 - Sara Hunt, Michael Mainguy, Michael Seay
- 2011 - Jillian Lauer
- 2010 - Lisa Keskitalo
- 2009 - Lee Kahn, Kelsey Ward
- 2008 - Kate Frankola, Jeni O'Malley
- 2007 - Steven Bright
- 2006 - Vishnu Cuddapah, Carolyn Pauker
- 2005 - Ellen Hosemann
- 2004 - Clayton Smith
- 2003 - Lacey Sahuque
- 2002 - Christopher May
- 2001 - Elizabeth Rarick
- 2000 - Jessica Wiegand
Neuroscience Faculty Award
The Neuroscience Faculty Award was established in 2013 to recognize the outstanding senior neuroscience majors who have demonstrated excellence in academic performance and research.
Neuroscience Faculty Award Recipients:
- 2021 - Colleen Drangines, Leticia Ferreira Nakatani, Rebecca Haliburton, Emily Hochreiner, Rithvik Vutukuri
- 2020 - Jackson Levine, Spencer Olesky, Charlotte Pearson, Mostafa Meselhe, John Carl Begley, Mary Catherine Stovall, Ashleigh Nave
- 2019 - Jenna Bates, Claire Namboodri, Owen Parra, Samantha Perry
- 2018 - Caroline Bonaventure, Mimi Chen, Sheridan Goldstein
- 2017 - Julia Chimienti, Taylor Fitzpatrick-Schmidt, Sara Kebede
- 2016 - Kimberly Micotto, Stuart Rowe, Michelle Sheena, Laura Stanfel
- 2015- Janelle Cyprich, Morgan Evans, Jamie Kaplan, Morgan Laurent
- 2014 - Teresa Cao, Claire Wilson
- 2013 - Imran Anwar, Kristin Ates
Tulane 34 Award
Tulane 34 recognizes outstanding Tulane undergraduates and graduate/professional school students for their community service, student leadership and academic achievement. It is an opportunity both to recognize outstanding student accomplishment and to underscore the significance and breadth of citizenship and public service activities woven into academic life at Tulane. The award recognizes a broad range of citizenship and public service activities in which our students excel. These include volunteer service in established programs, informal forms of service, new student initiatives, and participation in the Tulane student organization activities and student governance. The Neuroscience Program has had several Tulane 34 Awardees, and we congratulate our winners of this prestigious award.
Tulane 34 Award:
- 2019 - Claire Namboodri
- 2017 - Julia Chimienti
- 2016 - Nina Baumgartner, Marguerite O'Quinn
- 2015 - Jamie Kaplan, Sean Saxon
- 2014 - Pamela Svorinic
- 2013 - Kristin Ates
- 2012 - Sarah Hunt
- 2010 - David Tien
- 2009 - Emily Evans
- 2008 - Ahmed Salahudeen
- 2007 - Amelia Decker
Goldwater Scholar
The Goldwater Scholarship Program is the most prestigious award for undergraduate student researchers in mathematics, science, and engineering. 269 students were awarded by the Goldwater Scholarship Program with an Honorable Mention. Being recognized with an Honorable Mention demonstrates significant accomplishment and great potential for a future research career in mathematics, science, and engineering.
- 2017 - Honorable Mentions: Sierra Lear (Robinson Lab)
- 2015 - Honorable Mentions: Nina Baumgartner (Daniel Lab) & Natasha Topolski (Drury Lab)
