USC.edu
Department of Biological Sciences

Department of Biological Sciences And Neuroscience Program Award Ceremony

April 20, 2026

 

Program:

The program will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. with welcome remarks.

 

Undergraduate Awards in Biological Sciences:

The Milton Okin Award (est. 1994)
These awards are given to honor the most outstanding students in sophomore, junior, or continuing senior standing in the biological sciences.

    • Isabella Chen
    • Jessica Hovhannisyan
    • Prapti Patel
    • Samanvita Pathanjali

The Milo Don Appleman Award (est. 1974)
This award is given to the most outstanding graduating senior pursuing a career in the clinical health sciences.

    • Brian Lam
    • Tedrick Markarian

The John Petruska Memorial Award (est. 2020)
This award is given to the most accomplished undergraduate student majoring in Biological Sciences with research contributions in the preceding 12 months.

    • Ryan Johnson

The SCynergy Award (est. 1998)
This award is given to the most outstanding graduating senior pursuing a career in the biological sciences.

    • Jin Zhuang

The Helen Leslie Milligan Turner Fellowship (2020)
This fellowship is given to support outstanding undergraduate students in Human Biology as they pursue faculty-mentored summer projects in research, clinical, educational, or community-based work.

    • Grant Elfvin,
      Project Title: Linking Demographic History, Natural Selection, and Disease-Relevant Variation in Africa Through Population-Specific Recombination Maps.
    • Helen Zhang,
      Project Title: Evaluating Structural Connectivity of MCH-producing Neurons in the Lateral Hypothalamic Area.
    • Lori Khatchaturian,
      Project Title: Investigating HDAC1–Malat1 Axis in Breast Cancer Metastasis.
    • Mohammed Ali Al-Sabeh,
      Project Title: Investigating Taste Dysfunction as a Potential Early Indicator of Alzheimer’s Disease.

The Bob Baker Memorial Award
This award is given to recognize an outstanding undergraduate student in Biological Sciences for excellence in academics and research, as well as leadership and service within the department or broader community.

    • Samanvita Pathanjali
    • Lara Sadi

Outstanding Student in a Course Award

    • BISC 120Lg — Amethyst Audon, Kseniya Evseenko, Amy Harari, Ryan Mirza, and Harrison Nguyen
    • BISC 121Lg — Sarah Chen
    • BISC 221Lg — Amy Yao
    • BISC 314L — Kayla Jung
    • BISC 320L — Martin Davis and Dali Tran
    • BISC 406L — Darren Zhou
    • BISC 466 — Alexandra Stanczak
    • HBIO 301 — Henry Barnes and Bryce Blaugrund
    • HBIO 401 — Dani Chmait
    • HBIO 405 — Arthur Markaryan
    • HBIO 420 — Jamie Kim and Malladi Shaarvari
    • HBIO 435 — Alexandra D’Amato
    • HBIO 441 — Aime Radilla Solano

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award

    • BISC 120 — Zoey Papka
    • BISC 220 — Kurt Castro
    • BISC 230 — Alexis Castaneda
    • BISC 325 — Kyle Allen
    • BISC 406 — Elizabeth Moore
    • HBIO 370 — Alexandria Koedel

 

Undergraduate Awards in Neuroscience:

The Brian Philip Rakusin Scholarship in Neuroscience (est. 2004)
This award is given to honor the most outstanding junior with achievements and aspirations in the field of neuroscience.

    • David Amirtham John

Outstanding Student of the Year Award (est. 2011)
This award is given to honor the most outstanding undergraduate student with achievements and aspirations in the field of neuroscience.

    • Ann Law
    • Allison Warren

Ng Family and Dornsife Experiential Learning Fellowships
These fellowships are given to support outstanding undergraduate students in Computational Neuroscience as they engage in faculty-mentored research in the neurosciences.

    • Yichen Lu
    • Ash Rodgers

 

Graduate Awards in Biological Sciences:

The Harrison M. Kurtz Award (est. 2003)
This award is given to honor the most outstanding Ph.D. student.

    • Molly Klug

The William E. Trusten Award (est. 2004)
Established in the memory of William E. Trusten in 2004, this award is given to the most accomplished graduate students in the biological sciences.

    • Jordan Coelho

The MEB Service Award (est. 2023)
This award recognizes graduate students who demonstrate outstanding commitment to the section through voluntary service.

    • Mia Franks
    • Natalie Villafranca

 

Award Selection Committees:

Undergraduate Awards Selection Committee

    • Suzanne Edmands, Ph.D.
    • Cameron Egan, Ph.D.
    • Gioia Polidori, Ph.D.
    • John Tower, Ph.D.


Harrison M. Kurtz Award & William E. Trusten Graduate Award Selection Committee

    • Andrew Gracey, Ph.D.
    • Andrew Hires, Ph.D.
    • Derrick Morton, Ph.D.
    • Lindsey Schier, Ph.D.