Vice Provost for Graduate Education André Christie-Mizell honored outstanding graduate students and members of the graduate faculty at the inaugural Graduate School Honors Banquet on March 31, recognizing the 2023 recipients of the Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award and new awards to be presented annually. VINSE faculty member Shihong Lin and graduate student Carlisle DeJulius were among those recognized.
“The students who received awards are remarkably talented—they represent the outstanding scholarship, leadership and innovative spirit of our Graduate School community,” Christie-Mizell said. “The faculty we celebrated with awards have mentored over 150 students collectively. By applauding outstanding faculty mentors, we can enhance our culture of mentorship at Vanderbilt and continue to center the experience of our students.”
The Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring award was established in 2022; this annual award honoring outstanding mentorship affirms the Graduate School’s mission of helping our students reach their full potential as scholars and human beings. The winners receive a prize of $1,500 and an engraved award. The Graduate School honored four individuals with this award, one of which was VINSE faculty member Shihong Lin.
Lin has been at Vanderbilt since 2015, becoming an associate professor in 2021. His primary appointment is as a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with a courtesy appointment in chemical and biomolecular engineering. He is also serving 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.”
Established by Christie-Mizell, the Outstanding Doctoral Student 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. The Graduate School honored three individuals with this award, including VINSE graduate student Carlisle DeJulius.
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.