Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates announces research excellence, distinguished mentor awardees

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates has awarded four University of Iowa students with the Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award, and two faculty members with the Distinguished Mentor Award.

The Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award, sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, recognizes outstanding accomplishments in scholarly investigation, artistic creation, or performance by University of Iowa undergraduates. The awardees receive a $1,000 scholarship to attend a professional development program or event, and an ICRU Fellowship for either the upcoming summer or academic year.

The recipients of the 2015 Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award are:

  • Chloe Daniel, an Anthropology and Psychology major with a minor in Museum Studies
  • Brett Schneider, a Biology and Psychology major
  • Asli Tahan, a Psychology major with a minor in Clinical and Translational Sciences
  • Kasra Zarei, a Psychology, Math, Biochemistry, and Biomedical Engineering major

The Distinguished Mentor Award recognizes the outstanding mentoring of undergraduate students in research and creative projects at the University of Iowa. Winners are nominated by mentees. Faculty/staff recipients of the Distinguished Mentor Awards are provided funding for one ICRU Research Fellow for the academic year following their selection. 

The winners of the 2015 Distinguished Mentor Award are:

  • Assistant Professor Brandon Davies, Department of Biochemistry, UI Carver College of Medicine
  • Professor Larissa Samuelson, Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

The recipients of both awards will be recognized at the annual Celebration of Excellence in Research dinner, hosted by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, in April 2015.

The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.