The Department of Biology held their Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 7, 2026. The following undergraduate students were recognized for their accomplishments. Congratulations to all of these award recipients for their hard work and achievements!
Please note individual names are listed in alphabetical order by last name where applicable.
ARTHUR J. AND FLORA D. LEVIN EXCELLENCE IN UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING AWARD
The Arthur J. and Flora D. Levin Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award ($500) recognizes a Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or Neuroscience undergraduate student for excellence in teaching. Faculty, course supervisors, teaching staff, and/or graduate teaching assistants may nominate students for this award. The 2025-2026 recipient of this award is Rain Johnson who was nominated by Dan Eberl, Professor of Biology. Rain was the lead undergraduate teaching assistant for the Animal Behavior course (BIOL:3244) in the Spring 2026 semester.
Recipient: Rain Johnson
Major: Biology
BIOLOGY OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT AWARD
The Biology Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Award recognizes a student who has been an outstanding undergraduate teaching assistant in the Department of Biology. The 2025-2026 recipients of this award are Joe Goltl and Lauren Gomez, who were nominated by Angie Cordle, Instructional Services Specialist.
Recipient: Joe Goltl
Majors: Biology and Science Education
Hometown: Council Bluffs, IA
Recipient: Lauren Gomez
Major: Biology (Cell and Developmental Biology track)
Hometown: Elgin, IL
AVIS CONE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
The Avis Cone Undergraduate Research Fellowship ($1,000) recognizes a Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or Neuroscience major undertaking laboratory research in the Department of Biology.
Recipient: Tuesday Davis
Majors: Biology (Genetics and Biotechnology track)
Faculty Research Mentor: Ana Llopart, Ph.D.
Hometown: Hillsboro, IA
Nominated by: Dr. Llopart
Tuesday's research focuses on understanding nuclear-mitochondrial DNA segments (NUMTs) and their role in genome evolution and potential functional consequences. Working primarily with Drosophila, Tuesday has developed and applied a computational pipeline using Illumina whole-genome sequencing data to detect NUMT insertions by identifying hybrid reads that map to both mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. His work investigates variation in NUMT abundance across strains of Drosophila santomea and Drosophila yakuba, aiming to characetize patterns of insertion at an intraspecific level, consequently providing insight into evolutionary processes.
EVELYN HART WATSON UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
The Evelyn Hart Watson Undergraduate Research Fellowship ($1,000) recognizes a Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or Neuroscience student undertaking laboratory research in the Department of Biology who has a GPA of at least 3.0. Two recipients were selected for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Recipient: Lauren Gomez
Major: Biology (Cell and Developmental Biology track)
Faculty Research Mentor: Doug Houston, Ph.D.
Hometown: Elgin, IL
Nominated by: Kelsi Mann, PhD student in the Integrated Biology (iBio) Graduate Program (Houston Lab)
Lauren is studying developmental biology, specifically the mechanisms underlying craniofacial defects. She has been a valued member of the Houston Lab for nearly 4 years and is dedicated to research and her own projects. During her time in the lab, she completed the training to handle vertebrate animals and perform live surgeries.
Recipient: Madeline Roberts
Major: Neuroscience
Faculty Research Mentor: Jan Fassler, Ph.D.
Hometown: Geneseo, IL
Nominated by: Dr. Fassler
Madeline's research in the Fassler Lab has focused on a multidisciplinary project on understanding how heat treatment alters the physical, physiological, and molecular properties of polymicrobial biofilms on medical implants. Madeline's future research in the lab will allow her to expand her skill set further by learning advanced techniques such as confocal microscopy and computational transcriptome analysis.
CLIFFORD W. HESSELTINE AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
The Clifford W. Hesseltine Award for Academic Excellence ($1,000) recognizes a Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or Neuroscience student of junior or senior standing who has a strong academic record (GPA of at least 3.5) and excellence outside the classroom. Two recipients were selected for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Recipient: Sean Strand
Majors: Biology
Faculty Research Mentor: Tina Tootle, Ph.D.
Hometown: Johnston, IA
Nominated by: Dr. Tootle
Sean is an outstanding Biology student at the University of Iowa who has demonstrated excellence across academics, research, and service. In addition to his strong academic performance, he has made meaningful contributions to cutting-edge research in the Tootle Lab on prostaglandin signaling and nucleoskeletal dynamics in collective cell migration, work with important implications for understanding cancer metastasis. He has earned multiple competitive research awards and fellowships, presented his work at university research conferences, and is expected to contribute to a future publication. Beyond work in the Tootle Lab, he shows strong leadership and compassion through clinical volunteering with cancer patients, mentorship in the community, and professional experience in medical technology. Together, these achievements reflect a highly motivated, intellectually engaged student with clear potential for a future career in medicine. He was also recognized at the university level where he was a 2026 recipient of the Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award from the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Office of the Vice President for Research.
Recipient: Ava Vaillant
Majors: Biology (Genetics and Biotechnology track)
Faculty Research Mentor: Ryan Boudreau, Ph.D.
Hometown: Lakeville, MN
Nominated by: Dr. Boudreau
Ava is an exceptional Biology student at the University of Iowa whose academic excellence is matched by a sustained and deeply motivated commitment to neuroscience research. Driven by a personal connection to SCN2A-related neurological disorders, she has spent over three years conducting independent research in Dr. Boudreau's lab where she investigates translational regulation of sodium channel genes with implications for gene therapy. Her work has earned competitive fellowships and reflects advanced skills in experimental design, data analysis, and mentorship, as she now serves as a senior undergraduate leader in the lab. Ava's achievements highlight a highly driven and capable future scientist with clear potential to contribute to meaningfully to biomedical research.
BIOLOGY UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH TRAVEL AWARD
The Department of Biology Undergraduate Research Travel Award is presented to an undergraduate student who is performing research within the Department of Biology. The award (up to $1000) provides funds for an undergraduate student to attend a regional or national conference in the next year. Olivia Blake, a Biology student (Neurobiology track) who works in the Eberl Lab in the Department of Biology, is the 2026 recipient of this award.
Recipient: Olivia Blake
Major: Biology (Neurobiology track)
Hometown: Cedar Falls, IA
Olivia will use the Travel Award to attend the Invertebrate Sound and Vibration (ISV) conference, held jointly with the Biotremology Society, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, in June 2026. Olivia will present on her current research using the smetana gene (encoding a dynein arm assembly factor) as a tool to distinguish the role of dynein arms in two different subsets of mechanosensory neurons (for hearing and for wind/gravity detection) in the fly antenna.
LOWDEN PRIZE FOR OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT IN BIOLOGY
The Lowden Prize for Outreach and Engagement in Biology ($400) recognizes a Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or Neuroscience student who has been highly engaged in the Department of Biology. This award is funded by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Department of Biology.
Greta Schlafer
Major: Biology (Genetics and Biotechnology track)
Hometown: Altoona, WI
Greta was chosen for this award due to her high engagement in the Department of Biology. She became a student ambassador in the Spring 2025 semester and has led or participated in giving department tours to prospective students and guests as part of campus-wide Admissions events such as Hawkeye Visit Days and Admitted Student Days and also for weekly Biology tours on Thursdays and Fridays during the fall and spring semesters. She has also participated in Hawkeye Visit Day student panels. In all, Greta has been involved in over 25 undergraduate recruiting events and tours. She has also been an undergraduate researcher in the Manak Lab in the Department of Biology since August 2024 where she's part of a team that evaluates the effect of oxidative stress and the immune system on the disease progression of epilepsy and autism in a fly model. She has also been a Lab Assistant for Olga Miakotina, Instructional Services Specialist, since August 2024 where she helps prepare labs. For the past year, Greta has also been the Community Outreach Coordinator for the GENE (Genetics Exploration and Engagement Club) student organization. Starting in the fall semester, Greta will be a student in the Genetic Counseling Graduate Program at the University of Minnesota.
BIO LEADERSHIP AWARD (EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS)
The Biological Interests Organization (BIO) recognized their 2025-2026 Executive Board members with the BIO Leadership Award. The purpose of the BIO student organization is to provide students with connections to research opportunities, career networking, and volunteering opportunities within the Department of Biology and across the University of Iowa campus.
The 2025-2026 BIO Executive Board members who earned a Leadership Award are:
Darien Arndorfer – Social Media Coordinator
Tyler Draayer – Academic Director
Rafaella Guimaraes – Co-President
Haleigh Holbert – Communications Director
Katie Lee - Outreach Coordinator
Apisinee Thao – Co-President and Social Event Coordinator
Lydia Watkins – Study Group Coordinator
BIO PARTICIPATION AWARD (GREEN CORD RECIPIENTS)
The BIO student organization recognized these graduating students who have demonstrated involvement and continued commitment to the club with a green cord and BIO Participation Award. Members earn a cord based on attendance at BIO events. To receive a cord, members must attain an average of 4 points per semester or 32 points total. Cords can also be earned by serving on the BIO Executive Board.
These BIO members earned a green cord and Participation Award:
Tyler Draayer
Rafaella Guimaraes
Haleigh Holbert
Noura Ibrahim
Ella Laidig
Katie Lee
Ang Mawi
Grace Schroeder
Apisinee Thao
Lydia Watkins
