2024 Outstanding Neuroscience Senior Awards
Congratulations Class of 2024!
At the end of spring semester, the neuroscience faculty honor the program’s exceptional graduating seniors in the Outstanding Neuroscience Student Awards. The IPN is particularly proud of this cohort of students, many of who started their undergraduate college career under the difficult circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and the swift transition to online course work. We were so excited to celebrate the students with their families and friends! Congratulations to all of our 2023/24 graduates!
IPN also celebrated three newly minted PhDs in Neuroscience. Congratulations to Dr. Nooshin Safari, Dr. Apoorva Kaushik and Dr. Kelsey Mitchell!
Outstanding Neuroscience Senior Award
Given to majors with a cumulative 3.5 GPA with at least 60 credits at Mason
Fall 2023 recipients
Alaa Guennouni
Sara Azmi
Jennifer Jennings
Myriam Atali
Neriman Özeran
Krista Frodigh
Samantha Mamani
Narges Ahmadi
Spring/Summer 2024 Recipients
Tohfe Beidas
Aumena Choudhry
Nickolas Brodock
Zakiy Ali
Huda Abdulle
Ahmed Al Ali
Kareem Musmar
Zoubayrou Joseph Desire Yvan NDiaye
Ivan Michael McGary
Petra Honainy
Divya Sundaram
Khaeyo Mari Villaruel
Emma Brace
Isabela Herrera Bibolini
Suha Shah
Blawal Mubashir
Warda Ali
Malaika Kamal
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Neuroscience Award
Given to the student with the highest GPA
Alaa Guennouni (Fall 2023)
Tohfe Beidas (Spring/Summer 2024)
Faculty Choice Award
This award is designed to reward the senior neuroscience major who demonstrates an exceptionally high degree of interest, maturity, motivation, and effort in their neuroscience classes. The primary focus of this award is the attitude of the nominated student. In determining the recipient of this award, personal challenges or circumstances that the student has had to overcome can be considered.
Emily Kassab (nominated by Dr. Jennifer Brielmaier)
I have taught Emily in NEUR 335, NEUR 411, and PSYC 376. Emily always comes to class prepared. She consistently contributes positively to discussions and the overall class dynamic. She and her partner took on the challenge of being the first students to lead discussion of a journal article in NEUR 411 this spring. She takes pride in her work and responds well to constructive feedback. Her enthusiasm for the course material is apparent in both her in and out of class work. It's been a pleasure to have her as a student.
Ahmed Al Ali (nominated by Dr. Giorgio Ascoli)
Ahmed joined the lab 2 years ago as an intern, continued as a volunteer, and became one of our best interns. He was active during his training, with a natural curiosity to learn more and understand every single step of the process. He shows discipline, commitment, and good skills. He was also in the accelerated master's program in cognitive psychology and behavioral neuroscience.
Outstanding Neuroscience Researcher Award
Candidates for this award must be graduating seniors who have a minimum overall grade point average of 3.00, while having completed, by graduation, a minimum of 45 credits taken at GMU. The successful candidate will be the one who has excelled at research, either through development of their own project or through contribution to laboratories on campus or in the community. Relevant publications and presentations can be considered when choosing a winner.
Krista Frodigh (nominated by Dr. Ted Dumas)
Krista has worked in my lab for a bit over a year. Far more than her research assistant peers in PBNJ lab, Krista shows a very high degree of maturity and commitment to neuroscience research. She learned new molecular bench techniques quickly and was able to "give back" to the lab by working independently. Also, she assimilates published reports accurately and near completely and can journal clubs presentations in a professional manner. Krista had to leave the lab last month to take on a full time job to help support her husband and family. I was very much impressed with her all around.
Zoubayrou Joseph Desire Yvan Ndiaye (nominated by Dr. Giorgio Ascoli)
Joseph joined the lab during summer last year. Since then, he has been highly committed to the NeuroMorpho.Org project, is continuously active, and has developed good skills. He truly is one of a kind: very knowledgeable and always eager to learn more. He also was involved in the data analysis for the ASSIP program last year and he was proactive and up to speed in a short time. He is one of the best interns in our large lab. Not only does he have the commitment, discipline, and skills; he is also responsible and dependable.
