Graduate Student Association Award Winners

Congratulations to the following 2010 Graduate Student Association (GSA) Award winners:

Donald Creighton Outstanding Faculty Memorial Award
David Marcotte, professor of public policy

The Donald Creighton Outstanding Faculty Memorial Award honors a graduate faculty member who mentors and supports graduate students in their academic and professional pursuits during their time at UMBC. Marcotte takes a strong interest in the growth of his students and is always available when students need advice, whether it involves choosing classes to take, assisting students with post-graduate plans or helping students with their research.

Outstanding Senator Award
Christopher Cheng Ph.D. ‘10, mechanical engineering

The Outstanding GSA Senator Award is given to a member of the graduate senate who is a strong advocate for his/her program, department, and/or student group. The 2010 recipient of this award is Christopher Cheng, a doctoral student in the mechanical engineering department and is the senate representative for the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Association. Cheng has been a member of the senate since 2007, where he has always provided great input on issues concerning graduate students and is very involved in GSA-sponsored activities. Also, as a part of MEGSA, he
helped start the Annual Scientific Photography Competition, which engages not only the graduate student community, but the university faculty and staff, as well.

Outstanding Staff Award
Chuck Smithson, graduate program coordinator, Mechanical Engineering

The Outstanding Staff Award is given to a university staff member who provides outstanding service and support to the graduate student community. Smithson, graduate program coordinator, has been at UMBC since 2005 and has been an essential member of the mechanical engineering team. He is an incredible asset to graduate students and always happily goes above and beyond whatever is necessary to help anyone and everyone who stops by his office, no matter how busy he may be.

Jessica Soto-Perez Memorial Award
Margaret Grow Ph.D. ‘14, Chemistry

The Jessica Soto-Perez Memorial Award honors a graduate student who not only excels in his/her program, but also inspires and supports fellow graduate students. The 2010 recipient of the Jessica Soto-Perez Memorial Award is Margaret Grow, a doctoral candidate in chemistry who researches nanoparticles and targeted chemotherapies.  During her
time at UMBC, Grow has become the spirit of the chemistry department and an advocate for graduate students on campus. Not only has she been both a research and a teaching assistant, but she has also been involved in graduate student organizations, such as the Chemistry and the Women in Science and Engineering Graduate Student Associations. She even created the winning logo for this year’s Graduate Student Week T-shirt.