By Denise Driscoll, DCI Director

CISTAR 2024 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards

Professor Abhaya Datye, University of New Mexico  

“Abhaya took me in as a scientist when I was in danger of leaving the field entirely. So much of who I am as a scientist is modeled after and a credit to Abhaya and his mentorship.”

“I was also given space to pursue collaborations within CISTAR at my discretion …This led to several papers and several friendships that otherwise would never have come about.”

“His enthusiasm for research is infectious, and his guidance has been invaluable in shaping my understanding and critical thinking skills.  He prioritizes both scientific and personal development, creating a supportive environment where open communication thrives.”

“He is very responsive, respectful, and helpful to all of his students and does whatever he can to help them advance their careers with their goals in mind.”

“Overall, he is a great mentor and I hope to mentor others as well as he did with me.”

Professor Raj Gounder, Purdue University  

“Professor Gounder consistently goes above and beyond his teaching duties, creating an inclusive and nurturing learning environment that fosters personal and academic growth. His ability to connect with students on a personal level, understand their unique challenges, and provide tailored advice is truly remarkable.”

“Professor Gounder has shown an unwavering commitment to mentoring, often spending extra hours to offer one-on-one support, feedback on projects, and career advice. He has a talent for inspiring confidence and encouraging critical thinking, empowering students to reach their full potential.”

“Professor Gounder has mentored students from all around the world and all educational levels, putting time and effort into helping them not only with research but also with presentation preparation and applying for graduate school…His influence extends beyond the classroom, shaping the future of his students and the academic community as a whole.”

“All in all, I feel like the scope of different topics I can read a scientific paper about and have a good idea of what's going on has more than doubled from being in Dr. Gounder's lab for the short span of 3 months, as well as a newfound appreciation for what experimentalists have to go through."

CISTAR 2024 Graduate Fellow Mentor Awards

Angel Santiago-Colon, Purdue University

“Angel was always extremely helpful when I looked at something I didn't understand, not by just giving me the answer but by guiding me toward it until I could make that final leap myself.”

“…what I really appreciated about him the most was just his presence around the lab. I felt like he and I really had more a friendship than a typical mentor-mentee kind of relationship where while I was definitely learning a lot from him, it was nice to just sit back and laugh sometimes with him, too.”

Bo Wei Cynthia Chen, University of Notre Dame

“Cynthia was by far the best graduate fellow I have worked with. She had us learning lab skills early on and scaffolded our learning in such a way that built our confidence but also challenged our thinking.”

 “She helped us in developing creative ways to transfer the concepts and skills learned into our classrooms. … Cynthia is the best!!”

                                                                                                                                           Luke Denoyer, University of New Mexico

“He helped me learn about Iron Incorporated Perovskites while being nice and patient while doing it.”

“He took a lot of time out of his day to answer my questions as well as help me deal with the challenges the CISTAR young scholar program had to offer.”

Thanks to everyone who participated in this process.  As chair of the committee, I’d like to especially acknowledge the mentor award committee that helped choose the 2024 winners:  Dr. Jeff Miller, faculty representative; Maeve Drummond Oakes, Director Engineering Workforce Development; Elsa Castillo, Co-director Diversity and Inclusion; Bo Wei Cynthia Chen, President, SLC.

 With much appreciation and thanks to all the CISTAR mentors who have enriched our center!

Dr. Denise M. Driscoll

CISTAR Director of Diversity and Inclusion & 

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences