Congratulations to all of our 2025 Undergraduate Student Award recipients! The Department of Earth and Planetary Science is celebrating its many talented students. We are super proud of all of their accomplishments, and are excited to announce this year’s award winners.
Mike Di Maio has been awarded the William & Grace Sparks Graduate Student Research Award. This award is given to a U.S. 2nd or 3rd year graduate student in recognition of excellence in teaching and mentoring of undergraduate students. Mike received multiple nominations praising him for his work as a Teaching Assistant in various courses, his dedication in the laboratory, and his novel research, and his overall support within the department.
The George Rowe Award for Research in Mineralogy was awarded to David Tibbetts, Zak Jibrin, and Kate Hendrickson. This award is given to students who exhibit excellence in research in the field of mineralogy and petrology. David was acknowledged for his significant mineralogy research and educational initiatives, including spearheading Mesozoic rock calibrations for the Colorado Plateau and participating in field projects, notably in Petrified Forest National Park. Zak’s interdisciplinary research in mineralogy, planetary science, and prebiotic chemistry aligns with the award's mission to support mineralogy and petrology research, specifically by examining guanine crystallization signatures and their preservation in the geologic record. Kate received the award for her work in mineralogy and planetary science focusing on the crystal chemistry and formation conditions of Martian minerals.
The George Cook Award for outstanding department service was presented to Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. James Eguchi and undergraduate Vidushi Dhaka. Vidushi, a 3rd-year Honors College student, served as the Geology Club president, volunteered frequently with the department, co-authored a paper with Dr. Luju Ojha, and participated in research on the Geology Museum's historic archives. Dr. Ben Black nominated James for co-developing and leading a seminar on graduate student training and skills. His efforts as a conscientious and enthusiastic teacher were well noted among all who participated in this class.
Annie Mailloux received the Excellence in Teaching Award. This award is given to graduate students who have been recognized for their outstanding efforts in undergraduate teaching. Annie demonstrated outstanding efforts this year in teaching Introductory Geology, in training and advising undergraduate students, and in course development.
The Richard K. Olsson Award is given to advanced graduate students in recognition of “excellence in research” as determined by overall scholastic achievement and first-authored research publication. This year’s winners were Lev Parsons and Roberto Masis Arce who both published their first primary author papers this past year.
Lilian Pendergrass and Matt San Miguel were awarded the Vinton Gwinn Award. This recognition is given to 3rd or 4th year undergraduate Earth and Planetary Sciences Majors in recognition of independent research and overall scholastic achievement. This is the highest honor the department bestows on undergraduate students. Lilian’s project focused on a Java Speleothem record, spanning ~85,000 to 70,000 years ago.. Matt has conducted and participated in research on 3D visualization techniques, large igneous provinces, lake sediment cores, and historic archival documents and records.
Four different awards are given to undergraduate students to help offset the cost of attending field camp. Awards are given based on academic merit, financial need, and the strength of students' written personal statement.
The George O. Scott Scholarship was awarded to Maia Klarin, who attended a Field Paleontology course at Colorado Northwestern Community College, and Gillian Gallaudet-Urban, who attended camp in Scotland at the University of St. Andrews Geology Field Camp.
The Larry and Norma Gordon Award was presented to Matt San Miguel, who attended the Lehigh University field camp that traveled to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.
The William & Grace Sparks Undergraduate Field Award was presented to Em Mai, who attended a Field Paleontology course at Colorado Northwestern Community College.
The Steven K. Fox Award was awarded to Jonathan Ridley, who attended Iowa State Field Camp in Wyoming, and Allyson Mejia, who attended the South Dakota School of Mines field camp in Hawaii.
We are so proud of the countless achievements made by the students of EPS, and can’t wait to follow your future endeavors. Congratulations to our 2025 Undergraduate Award winners!
