Urminder Singh, genetics, development and cell biology (GDCB) graduate student, is the recipient of an Iowa State University COVID-19 Exceptional Effort Award for Graduate Student Research Impact. Singh also received an honorable mention for the 2021 Zaffarano Prize from the Graduate College.

Singh, a graduate student in GDCB Professor Eve Wurtele’s lab, is one of 52 individuals/teams recognized with an award. The awards recognize “the extraordinary and innovative ways Iowa Staters strived to overcome the challenges of the pandemic.”

The Graduate Student Research Impact award “recognizes a graduate student who has contributed to ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19 through research in any disciplinary area.” In particular, Singh received his award “for breakthrough research into the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on orphan genes of African American populations.” Individual award recipients received a certificate and $500 stipend.

Discover more about the four graduate research students awarded for their efforts in the Graduate College article by Sarah Igram, “Four graduate researchers awarded for efforts to combat the pandemic.”

Learn about all of the recipients of the COVID-19 Exceptional Effort Awards in the Inside Iowa State article, “Exceptional effort awards garner 647 nominations.”