GDCB recognizes several with departmental awards

November 3, 2023
Several members of the Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology received departmental awards in the spring for their contributions. Top left photo, from left, are Barakat Radwa, postdoc in the Espin Palazon lab, and Xiaoyi (Chelsea) Cheng, graduate student in the Espin Palazon lab. Top right photo, from left, are GDCB Assistant Professor Dior Kelley and GDCB Assistant Professor Raquel Espin Palazon. GDCB Adjunct Assistant Professor Erica Unger-Wallace is in the bottom left photo. In the bottom right photo, from left, are GDCB Assistant Chair for Teaching and Associate Teaching Professor Carly Manz and GDCB Associate Department Chair for Teaching and Teaching Professor Karri Haen Whitmer.

The Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology (GDCB) recognized several faculty, students and postdocs with awards in spring 2023. 

Faculty receiving awards include Raquel Espin Palazon, Dior Kelley, Karri Haen Whitmer, Carly Manz and Erica Unger-Wallace. Postdoctoral research associates receiving awards included Radwa Barakat and Stephanie Klein, while GDCB graduate student Xiaoyi (Chelsea) Cheng also received an award.

Faculty awards

Raquel Espin Palazon, assistant professor, received a GDCB Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching for her “outstanding contributions to the educational mission of GDCB and to the success of our students.”

Dior Kelley, assistant professor, received a GDCB Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching for “outstanding contributions to the educational mission of GDCB and to the success of our students.”

Karri Haen Whitmer, associate department chair for teaching, and Carly Manz, assistant chair for teaching, received a GDCB Departmental Award “for exceptional and dedicated efforts in developing the new Integrated Health Sciences major at Iowa State University.”

Erica Unger-Wallace, adjunct assistant professor, received a departmental award “for outstanding contributions to the success of the educational mission of GDCB, and to the development and support of the Biology 313 lab program.”

Postdoc awards

Radwa Barakat, postdoc in the Espin Palazon lab, received a GDCB Departmental Award for her “outstanding contributions to research together with your strong leadership contributions to the GSPO (Graduate Student Postdoc Organization/GDCB) and community outreach.”

Stephanie Klein, postdoc in the Anderson lab, received a GDCB Departmental Award “for outstanding contributions and leadership roles in multiple committees, organizations and events.” 

Student award

Xiaoyi (Chelsea) Cheng received a GDCB Departmental Award for her “outstanding leadership and additional contributions to the GDCB and graduate student communities.” Cheng is a graduate student in the Espin Palazon lab, and she is president of the GSPO.

The department congratulates all recipients on their awards.