Dragons on Fire: Kudos for Student Achievement: Fall 2024

Here's a snapshot of awards, scholarships, publications and fellowships Drexel University students have earned in the past term, courtesy of the Office of the Provost.

Scholarships, Fellowships and Publications

More than 120 students participated in the 2023–24 cohort of the Pennoni Honors College’s STAR Scholars Program and spent their summer term conducting research, scholarship and creative work under the guidance of Drexel faculty mentors. This included two students who participated in the re-envisioned iSTAR Scholars program, a first since 2019, at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

Doger Norceide and Vikki Rueda, second-year MD students from the College of Medicine, used funding they received from the Gold Humanism Student Summer Fellowship program to lead a service project. It provided justice-involved adolescent men with a weeklong immersion in career development and exposure to health care careers through educating the participants about health disparities in their communities while equipping them with the framework to make positive local impacts. The program was run in collaboration with Educators for Education, an organization which serves communities by offering education services, professional development and training, advocacy and social support.

Students from the College of Medicine’s Biomedical Graduate Students for Diversity group received a Research!America Civic Engagement Microgrant to conduct science-related activities with children at the East Falls Farmer’s Market this summer, including a hands-on experiment and a science passport with stickers.

Nathan Nazario, history, science and technology ’26 from the College of Arts and Sciences, who is a co-op in the Invertebrate Paleontology Department of the Academy of Natural Sciences, was featured and contributed to an English-Spanish article, “Unearthing Latin America: A college student’s quest for hidden history,” in the Latino youth magazine Motivos Bilingual Magazine.

Bryan Eichen, MS environmental science, ecology and evolution ’24 from the College of Arts and Sciences, was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to conduct research in Indonesia for a year starting in fall 2024. Eichen, the third person in the Entomology Department to receive a Fulbright in recent years, studied Pennsylvania crane flies to assess conservation status of certain insect groups in the commonwealth. Eichen will continue his databasing work this summer at the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Abe Jeyapratap, BS computer science and mathematics ’25 from the College of Computing & Informatics, is the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholarship. The Goldwater recognizes excellence amongst undergraduate sophomores and juniors planning to pursue research careers in STEM. Drexel is permitted to nominate only a few students a year for this award, and Jeyapratap was among just 438 scholars selected nationwide.

Alexa Gorman, BS psychology ’25 from the College of Arts and Sciences, completed the Princeton Neuroscience Institute Summer Internship Program, where she conducted an original research project with guidance from Princeton University faculty.

Sarmad Khan, BS mechanical engineering and peace engineering ’25 from the College of Engineering, presented at the Manufacturing PA Innovation Program Webinar on the topic “Predictive Machine Learning Model for Improved Safety and Product Quality.” This research was conducted in conjunction with industry partners Endress+Hauser and Eastern Controls, Inc.

Rayan Alaufey, a PhD candidate in chemical engineering from the College of Engineering, has developed a groundbreaking co-doping strategy for tin oxide to enhance electrochemical ozone production. Published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Alaufey’s research introduces a novel approach to creating efficient catalysts for ozone generation, potentially revolutionizing water treatment technologies with a more sustainable alternative to chlorine-based methods.

Erin Harten, a fourth-year MD student, and Nandini Madan, MD, associate professor of pediatrics from the College of Medicine, presented groundbreaking research at the 12th Annual Dysautonomia International Conference in Chicago, which is the world’s largest conference on autonomic disorders. The research demonstrated a significant rise in pediatric postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome diagnoses following COVID-19 infections.

Bengucan Gunen, a PhD candidate in community health and prevention from the Dana and David Dornsife School of Public Health, was awarded the American Society of Nephrology’s Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in June 2024. This fellowship funds Gunen’s research aiming to understand how healthcare providers can better assist hemodialysis patients so that patients can receive more personalized care.

Patrick Smith, community health and prevention PhD ’25 from the Dornsife School of Public Health, was awarded a National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Fellowship from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in June 2024. This fellowship enables Smith to further study how individual-level eviction experiences and neighborhood eviction rates influence cardiovascular health, while supporting Smith’s ongoing training and mentorship through his dissertation research.

Aisa Feratovic, BSBA marketing ’24 from the Bennett S. LeBow College of Business, received a Cooperative Education Award from the Steinbright Career Development Center in recognition of her work as a co-op student at Harding Loevner, an investment firm based in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Carissa Colligan, PhD candidate in marketing from the LeBow College of Business, presented “More Than a Modality: Conceptualizing New Ways Consumers Are Using Technology to Support Social Causes Through Virtual Volunteering,” a working paper co-authored with Jillian Hmurovic, PhD, assistant professor of marketing at the LeBow College of Business, as a poster at the Marketing and Public Policy Conference in June and at the Consumer Culture Theory conference in July. Their paper was also accepted as Competitive Paper presentation for the American Marketing Association Summer Conference in August.

Four Pennoni Honors College students were selected to pilot a new Community Fellows program for academic year 2024–25. For three terms, Sanjana Bandi, biomedical engineering ’27 from the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems; Allison Choong, sociology ’28 from the College of Arts & Sciences; Samirah Rahman, international business ’28 from the LeBow College of Business; and Lucy Sanchez, civil engineering ’28 from the College of Engineering, will study the principles of community-based and community-led engagement and earn a Leadership Certificate from the Lindy Center for Civic Engagement.

Pennoni Honors College’s Undergraduate Research & Enrichment Programs is proud to announce the recipients of several prestigious fellowships in spring 2024.

• Udall Undergraduate Scholarship: Calvin Keeys, environmental science ’25 from the College of Arts & Sciences.
• 2024 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) honorees: Marley Downes, BS/MS materials science & engineering ’24 from the College of Engineering; and Vivian Tian, MA digital media ’25 from the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design.
• 2024 Boren Awards: Emily Lincoln, MPH ’25 from the Dornsife School of Public Health, Boren Fellow to Brazil; and alternate Jordan Adams, global studies ’26 from the College of Arts & Sciences, to Taiwan.
• 2024–25 Fulbright Scholars: Bryan Eichen, BS/MS environmental science ’24 from the College of Arts & Sciences, study/research grant to Indonesia; Jack Ivie, BS/MS environmental science ’24 from the College of Arts & Sciences, study/research grant to Iceland; and alternates Anthony Lisi, chemistry ’24 from the College of Arts & Sciences, alternate for study/research to Italy; Kejsi Ruka, global studies ’24 from the College of Arts & Sciences, alternate for study/research to Croatia.
• Gilman Scholarship: Jordan Adams, global studies ’26 from the College of Arts & Sciences, to Taiwan; Astrid Bliss, fashion design ’26 from the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, to the United Kingdom; Hui Min Chen, international business & economics ’28 from the LeBow College of Business, Teliyah Davis, entertainment and arts management ’26 from the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Rymirah Garfield, global studies ’26 from the College of Arts & Sciences, and Annie Jiang, management information systems ’26 from the LeBow College of Business, all to South Korea; and Kenny Lin, management information systems and finance ’26 from the LeBow College of Business, to Hong Kong.

Natalia Brand, PhD student in education from the School of Education, delivered a presentation on gun violence in schools at the 74th annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. The presentation was based on her paper, “QuantCrit Descriptive Analysis of School Shooting Events.”

The Environmental Collaboratory has established a student research cohort that will engage with four community-based organizations to develop environmental justice-focused policy briefs based on recommendations from the Philadelphia Climate Justice Collective. Research areas include climate solutions considering equity, impact and justice; linking air quality and respiratory health; and high heat solutions relevant to local communities. Cohort members include Ziri Ezeh, BA philosophy, politics and economics ’25, and Savannah Mitchum, BA environmental studies and sustainability ’26 from the College of Arts and Sciences; Emily Malina, BA design research and interior architecture ’25 from the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design; Caleb Adeoye, MPH health management and policy from the Dornsife School of Public Health; and Alyssa Kemp, BS/MS environmental engineering ’25, and Autumn Jones, BS material science and engineering from the College of Engineering.

Nevaeh Hearn, BA fashion industry and merchandising ’25 from the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, was selected as one of the 25 National Retail Federation (NRF) Foundation Next Generation Scholarship Semifinalists. Phase two of the scholarship includes an exclusive case study created in collaboration with UNIQLO, along with a $1,000 stipend to travel to attend the 2025 Student Program and the NRF Foundation Honors Gala in New York City in January 2025.

Teliyah Davis, BA entertainment and arts management ’26 from the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, was selected for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad in Seoul, South Korea. The scholarship program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, supports American undergraduate students pursuing study abroad and international internships. 

Academic Accolades and Other Achievements

Erin O’Brien, a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering from the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, received a Drexel University Graduate College Outstanding Dissertation Award for the dissertation titled, “Controlling Inflammation to Promote Tissue Regeneration.”

Shreya Soni, a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering from the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, received a Drexel University Graduate College Research Excellence Award (Pre-Candidacy) for having completed original, innovative research, scholarship and/or creativity during her career at Drexel.

Ricardo Whitaker, P a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering from the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, received a Drexel University Graduate College Research Excellence Award (Most Original and Creative Work) for having completed original, innovative research, scholarship and/or creativity during his career at Drexel.

Drexel’s chapter of the international computing and information honors society Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE), led by College of Computing & Informatics PhD candidate and Chapter President Sonia Pascua, was recognized by UPE Global with the 2024 Upsilon Pi Epsilon Outstanding Chapter Award. The award honors chapters offering programs and activities that attain a high level of achievement. The Drexel chapter received the highest prize amount following its report to the UPE Convention at Florida International University in Miami, Florida.

Two teams of students from the College of Nursing and Health Professions competed in the 2024 PA Olympics; one of the teams took second place. This annual regional charity event has 12 physician assistant (PA) graduate programs from universities across the Greater Philadelphia area participate in an “Amazing Race” type of competition throughout the city. The students also work collectively to raise awareness of and financially support a local community-based organization.

Rida Memon, BA global studies ’24 from the College of Arts and Sciences, was awarded the Janice Bond Memorial Plaque from the Pan-American Association of Philadelphia. This award recognizes graduating seniors from area colleges and universities for general excellence in courses related to Latin America.

Malaina Rogers Frazier, BS elementary education from the School of Education, developed her capstone project into a children’s book that will be published on Amazon on Aug. 30, 2024, and is titled “Mia Pia: Do Your Own Thing.”

Shatakshi Tyagi, BS computer science ’27 from the College of Computing & Informatics, received the Best Presenter Award at the Spring/Summer 2024 PECO Co-op Day. Tyagi, who was a co-op at Exelon over spring and summer 2024, showcased two projects involving large language models (LLM), generative AI and machine learning to develop an AI-powered tool, along with data analysis and visualization using Microsoft Power Automate, Power Query and Power BI to build an interactive dashboard.