Shihong Lin, civil and environmental associate professor, and two biomedical engineering doctoral students were honored recently at the inaugural Graduate School Honors Banquet.
Vice Provost for Graduate Education André Christie-Mizell presented the Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award to Lin and a new award—Outstanding Doctoral Student Award—to Carlisle DeJulius. Deanna Meador, deputy director of the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center, presented the Excellence in Innovation Award to Anupam Kumar.
Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring
The Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring award was established in 2022. The winners receive a prize of $1,500 and an engraved award. Lin is one of four faculty members who received the award.
Lin serves as the director of graduate recruiting for environmental engineering. One of his students shares what makes Lin’s mentorship impactful: “One of the things I admire most about Dr. Lin’s mentorship is his humble manner and enthusiasm for research. Whenever there is a new topic to be understood, he is always willing to ask questions and discuss with the group, even if he is the most senior and knowledgeable in the room. This approach has created a culture of openness and collaboration in our research group, and it has made me feel comfortable seeking his advice on any research-related issues.”
Outstanding Doctoral Student Award
Established by Christie-Mizell, this new award recognizes students who demonstrate exceptional scholarly accomplishments. The awardees were nominated by faculty and selected from across the various colleges and schools for their overall academic record and the outstanding quality of their research, scholarship and/or creative expression. The winners receive a prize of $500 and an engraved award. DeJulius is one of three students who received the award.
A biomedical engineering student, Carlisle DeJulius’ research focuses on “developing therapeutic polymers and microparticles with antioxidant and drug delivery properties.” Her approved thesis proposal is “Antioxidant Polymer Technologies to Treat Inflammatory Diseases.” Her research interests include drug delivery, microparticle fabrication, antioxidant polymers and degenerative diseases.
DeJulius has co-authored eight published manuscripts, with three of these as the lead author, and she has other manuscripts in the preparation stage. She is also a named inventor on two patent applications that have resulted from her work. In addition, she was a Fellow in the NIH Training Program for Innovative Engineering Research in Surgery and Intervention.
Excellence in Innovation Award
Awarded by the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center, this award recognizes a graduate student whose groundbreaking discoveries, translational activities and commitment to sharing their experiences with others helps strengthen the innovation culture on campus. The winner receives a prize of $500 and an engraved award.
Through his research, Anupam Kumar, a biomedical engineering graduate student, has demonstrated his innovation capabilities as he combined electronic hardware, software and industrial design to develop a wearable low-cost neuroimaging device for naturalistic environments—all with the goal of driving positive value change by improving the way ADHD is diagnosed and treated in children.
Additionally, Kumar shares his accumulated, multi-disciplinary expertise by mentoring students, staff and faculty through the Wond’ry’s makerspaces, where he is helping to grow the next generation of innovators through hands-on workshops that he develops and leads.
Contact: Brenda Ellis, brenda.ellis@vanderbilt.edu