Each year, a number of Biological Sciences students receive departmental awards of recognition, usually presented at our departmental awards ceremony in March or April. Our undergraduate and graduate students are also frequent recipients of awards and scholarships at the national, university, and college level.
Jump to: University Awards, College Awards, Departmental Awards - Grad Students, BSGSA Awards, Departmental Awards - Undergraduates
2020-2021 - Tokea “Kea” Payton, PhD student, Biological Sciences - Phil and Mary Bradley Graduate Student Award for Mentoring in Creative Inquiry
2018-2019 - Kylie Smith, PhD Student, Biological Sciences - Phil and Mary Bradley Graduate Student Award for Mentoring in Creative Inquiry
2020-2021
Blue Key Academic & Leadership Award: Recognizes a student who has distinguished themselves in academic scholarship and campus leadership.- Charles Henry, Microbiology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hong Luo.
>> Read more about all the 2021 Science award nominees.
2019-2020
Phi Kappa Phi Certificate of Merit: Recognizes a graduating senior with a GPA of 3.4 or above who has made noteworthy contributions in areas such as leadership, service, and creative endeavors to his or her department, college, and Clemson University
- Jill Walton, Microbiology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Barbara Campbell
Outstanding Junior in Science: Recognizes the best overall junior on the basis of scholarship and character
- Shaoni Dasgupta, Biological Sciences. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kerry Smith. Shaoni is also 2020 Goldwater Scholarship winner as well as a 2019 Beckman Scholar.
2018-2019
Outstanding Graduate in Learning - Lauren Stoczynski, PhD Student, Biological Sciences: Stoczynski was a teaching assistant in three different major and non-major 1000-level General Biology labs where she taught two or three lab sections – with approximately 20-30 undergrads in each – for nine semesters. Stoczynski is an exceptional TA, far exceeding the base expectations for her role in teaching laboratories. She clearly keeps her students engaged and actively participating throughout lab. 
Outstanding Graduate in Engagement: Kylie Smith , PhD Student, Biological Sciences: This is the second time that the College of Science has awarded this honor to a graduate student who has excelled in strengthening and engaging with the community outside his/her specific research field in a partnership defined by two-way communication and mutual respect. Smith meets these criteria perfectly by engaging in multiple outreach opportunities to facilitate sharing her research findings in the most impactful ways. Smith is the team leader of the Conservation of Marine Resources Creative Inquiry team at Clemson and has mentored more than 50 undergrads in the past seven years. Smith transplant corals to experimentally test ecological theory, and this approach promises to produce better strategies for successful coral reef restoration.
>> Read more about the 2019 Science award nominees.
2020-2021
Outstanding Graduate in Engagement Award. Given to a graduate student who has excelled in strengthening and engaging with the community.
- Randi Sims, MS in Environmental Toxicology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Childress
Outstanding Graduate in Learning Award. Given to a graduate student who has been exemplary in undergraduate science teaching.
- Jazmine Eccles, MS in Biological Sciences. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Bill Baldwin. Nominated by Mr. John Cummings
- Hayley Hassler, MS in Microbiology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Vince Richards. Nominated by Dr. Krista Rudolph
Outstanding Graduate in Discovery Award. Given to a graduating doctoral student who has made a distinctive and discernable contribution to their field.
- Aidan Sokolov, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences. Faculty Mentor: Dr. David Feliciano
Biological Sciences graduate student Heather Andrews Walters received the Clemson University Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award in Life Sciences—one of only two master’s thesis awards presented by the Graduate College across the entire campus.
Seven Clemson University graduate students were awarded the 2021 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, a highly competitive grant aimed at building future scientific and engineering leaders. Seven others received Honorable Mentions. Biological Sciences is very proud of our two fellowship winners, Cierra Sullivan and Tristan Schramer, and honorable mention Harrison “Chris” Moss! >> Read more
2019-2020
Outstanding Graduate in Engagement Award. Given to a graduate student who has excelled in strengthening and engaging with the community.
- Melissa Heintz, PhD candidate in Environmental Toxicology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. William Baldwin
Outstanding Graduate in Learning Award. Given to a graduate student who has been exemplary in undergraduate science teaching.
- Joseph Angeloni, PhD candidate in Microbiology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Min Cao
Outstanding Graduate in Discovery Award. Given to a graduating doctoral student who has made a distinctive and discernable contribution to their field.
- Andrew Mason, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Christopher Parkinson
2020-2021
Commitment to Service – Kursten Anderson
Commitment to Research - Kat Zapfe
Commitment to Graduate Student Life - Tim Cronin
Alfred “Hap” Wheeler Distinguished BSGSA Member – Amanda Palecek-McClung
2019-2020
Commitment to Service – Melissa Heintz
Commitment to Research - Amanda Palecek-McClung
Commitment to Graduate Student Life - Daniel Malagon
Alfred “Hap” Wheeler Distinguished BSGSA Member – Kara Noonan
2020-2021
Robert H. Martin Award. Given to a graduating senior with the highest cumulative GPR in biochemistry, botany, microbiology or zoology.
- Lily Rumph, Microbiology - Biomedicine Concentration with a minor in Chemistry
Outstanding Senior in Discovery: Given to a graduating senior who has performed outstanding original research in the sciences.
- Erin Walker, Microbiology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Barbara Campbell
- Kori Hays, Biological Sciences. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Childress. Kori was also selected as a 2020 Ernest F. Hollings undergraduate scholar by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Outstanding Senior: Recognizes the best senior on the basis of scholarship and character.
- Chris Moss, Microbiology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lesly Temesvari. Chris received the 2021 American Scandinavian Fellowship and will conduct research in Sweden for a year before enrolling at the John Hopkins School of Medicine. >> Read more
Chris was also selected as a 2020 Astronaut Scholar!
- Megan Sajer, Biological Sciences. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Chloe Dixon
Outstanding Junior: Recognizes the best overall junior on the basis of scholarship and character.
- Charles Henry, Microbiology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hong Luo. Charles also won the Blue Key Academic & Leadership Award at the College level!
- Morgan Steiner, Biological Sciences
2019-2020
Senior Faculty Award for Most Outstanding Student.Given to the most outstanding student majoring in Biological Sciences.
- Benjamin Camper, Biological Sciences. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sharon Bewick
Robert H. Martin Award. Given to a graduating senior with the highest cumulative GPR in biochemistry, botany, microbiology or zoology.
- Kristy Waldrep, Microbiology
Outstanding Senior in Discovery: Given to a graduating senior who has performed outstanding original research in the sciences.
- Katherine Floyd, Microbiology and BioChemistry. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Zhicheng Dou
- Benjamin Camper, Biological Sciences. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sharon Bewick
Outstanding Senior: Recognizes the best senior on the basis of scholarship and character.
- Jillian Walton, Microbiology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Krista Rudolph
Outstanding Junior: Recognizes the best overall junior on the basis of scholarship and character.
- Chiara Micchelli, Microbiology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Zhicheng Dou
- Shaoni Dasgupta, Biological Sciences. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kerry Smith. Shaoni also won this award at the College level and was 2020 Goldwater Scholarship winner as well as a 2019 Beckman Scholar.