Top 2024-25 College of Science students honored

The Clemson University College of Science recognized some of its most outstanding undergraduate and graduate students during an awards ceremony on April 10.

“We honor the best and brightest in the College of Science. I am amazed by the accomplishments of our outstanding students,” said Joan Marler, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and chair of the Scholarship and Awards Committee.

The following students won awards:

Outstanding Junior in Science

Brooke Dillingham

This award recognizes the best overall junior in the College of Science based on scholarship and character. Brooke Dillingham is a member of the Clemson Honors College and is majoring in genetics with a minor in biochemistry.

Dillingham started her research in Michael Sehorn’s laboratory as a Eureka! participant during the summer before her first year at Clemson. Her work involves evaluating DNA repair and genome stability through investigation of the BRCA2 novel binding sites. She has received research grants during her first and sophomore years.

The summer after her first year at Clemson, she participated in a cultural exchange in Germany.

When she is not doing science, she is helping to promote it through writing articles for the Clemson News page and as a member of the Science Student Advisory Board. She is a mentor with the ClemsonLIFE program and a member of the Pre-Law Society. She enjoys fostering and training dogs from shelters, learning new recipes, reading, traveling and, of course, Clemson Football.

Dillingham plans to attend law school and work an as attorney in either health care, intellectual property or biotechnology.

Sehorn writes, “One of her strongest attributes is her passion and focus. These are attributes that demonstrate personal growth and maturity.”

Outstanding Senior in Science

Elizabeth Caldwell

This award recognizes the best overall graduating senior in the College of Science based on scholarship and character. Elizabeth Caldwell is majoring in genetics with a minor in biochemistry.

Caldwell is an active researcher in Sehorn’s lab, where she estimates she’s spent over 1,000 hours since arriving at Clemson. She is also one of 15 students chosen to participate in a special research project at Prisma Health that studied the role of surgical approach on cholecystectomy outcomes.

She received one of four National Scholars Program scholarships at Clemson and, as a part of this elite program, studied abroad in South Africa. Alison Starr-Moss said of Caldwell, “She truly embodies the spirit of the Outstanding Senior, with demonstrable impact in every activity she pursues.”

She is the co-founder and president of Tigers for Accessibility, which serves to address accessibility barriers at Clemson. She is also the student representative of the University’s Accessibility Commission. She served as an Academic Success Center peer tutor for biology, genetics and organic chemistry classes. She serves as the Inclusion Chair for the Phi Delta Epsilon South Carolina Beta Club. This fall alone, she has given four public presentations, including a TEDx Clemson talk. She recently became a Truman Scholar.

Caldwell volunteers her time at the Clemson Free Clinic and as a hospice volunteer. In her free time, she enjoys hiking the national parks. She has visited 58 out of 63 of them. She also likes writing, baking new gluten-free recipes and watching science fiction.

After spending this summer as an intern in Washington, D.C., as part of the Truman Summer Institute program, she will pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in public health, which she will use to continue to bridge the gap between patient care, disability advocacy and scientific discovery. 

Outstanding Undergraduate in Discovery Award

Adam Gatch

This award is given to a graduating senior who has performed outstanding original research in the sciences. Adam Gatch is a biochemistry major with minors in physics and chemistry with a 4.0 GPA over 158 earned credits.

Gatch has been involved in the research group of Feng Ding, where he uses methods from computational physics to study molecular interactions between proteins relevant to Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

He has five peer-reviewed publications, including two first-author publications, and five poster presentations.

“What sets Adam apart is his growing ability to independently formulate new research problems — an essential trait for a future scientist,” Ding said.

Gatch has also performed summer research at the Medical University of South Carolina using neuroimaging analysis to find predictive markers of response to drug therapy in Parkinson’s disease.

His body of work has already been recognized outside of Clemson. He is a Goldwater Scholarship recipient and recently became Clemson’s third Churchill Scholar and one of 16 nationally.

Outside of the lab, Adam serves as a tutor at the Academic Success Center, is a member of the debate team, works as an emergency medical technician and volunteers at the Paw Pantry.

After graduation, Gatch will complete a master’s in philosophy at the University of Cambridge before returning to the United States to complete an M.D./Ph.D. 

Blue Key Academic and Leadership Award

Mallory Murphy

The Blue Key Academic and Leadership Award recognizes one student in each of the seven colleges at Clemson who has distinguished themselves in academic scholarship and campus leadership. Mallory Murphy is a microbiology major with a psychology minor.

Murphy has been an active research team member in the lab of Stephen Dolan.

“From her first semester in the lab, Mallory demonstrated advanced proficiency in laboratory techniques and a conceptual understanding of experiments that rivaled graduate students,” Dolan said.

The research is focused on investigating the RTA1-like protein family. These proteins may provide new therapeutic targets against pathogens. Murphy has presented her research at two prestigious conferences and is co-author on a forthcoming publication.

Murphy has already started to pay it forward by mentoring two first-year medical students in a gene deletion experiment as part of the EPIC MEnTOR program. She serves as the chair of the Honors Student Advisory Board, a delegate on the Honors College Curriculum Committee and a peer mentor for first-year Honors College students. She is also a Chapman Leader Scholar and a volunteer at the Clemson Free Clinic.

In her free time, she enjoys baking, painting, going on walks, reading and playing mahjong with friends. After her time at Clemson, she intends to attend medical school and pursue a career as a physician.

Phi Kappa Phi Certificate of Merit

Maggie Marte

This award 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 their department, college and Clemson. Maggie Marte is majoring in physics and minoring in mathematical sciences.

While maintaining a 4.0 GPA, Marte has been involved in research in the laboratory of Kasra Sardashti and, more recently, Chad Sosolik studying the properties of piezoelectric materials for development in quantum devices.

She received the Best Engineering Oral Presentation award at the 2023 South Carolina Academy of Science meeting. Her work has already contributed to one accepted publication from the group.

“She is arguably the best student I have ever worked with, not only at Clemson, but throughout my research career,” Sardashti said. 

Marte has served as a teaching assistant for an on-campus Research Experiences for Undergraduates program and spent last summer participating in an REU experience at Vanderbilt.

Her accomplishments have been recognized nationally with her being named a Goldwater Scholar and an Astronaut Scholar.

Outside the lab, Marte serves as vice president for the Society of Physics Students and was an active member of the organizing committee for the Conference for Women in Physics, which hosted more than 100 undergraduate students. She is a member of the College of Science Student Ambassadors and serves as a residential community member. She also is a member of the Clemson club gymnastics team.

In her free time, she enjoys stippling artwork, rock climbing, reading and working on puzzles.

She will pursue a Ph.D. at MIT in the fall, studying quantum systems, and continue a career in research. 

Outstanding Graduate in Engagement

Sumit Banerjee

This award honors a graduate student who has excelled in strengthening and engaging with the community outside of the University.

Sumit Banerjee is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. His project involves modeling the 1.8 MeV gamma ray emission from A1-26 decay in the Milky Way galaxy with Mark Leising.

Banerjee developed and participated in a public library summer reading program. He and senior lecturer David Connick were given the task of developing a program relating to the theme of pirates, including the history of sea navigation, crafts and instruction with the mobile planetarium.

Banerjee also takes an active role in STEM engagement on campus as a planetarium guide for more than 40 shows to date. He helped host a solar eclipse viewing event and volunteered at the Clemson Women in Physics meeting. He’s also a teaching assistant.

Outstanding Graduate in Learning

Jared Kettinger

The Outstanding Graduate in Learning Award honors two graduates who have been exemplary in undergraduate science teaching, particularly because of their sincere interest in and concern for undergrads.

The first honoree is Jared Kettinger, a Ph.D. candidate from the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. He works with Jim Coykendall in the field of commutative algebra and algebraic number theory.

Not only does Kettinger show excellence in his assigned section, but he has also twice filled in for extended time for other teaching assistants who have been unable to complete their assignments. 

A student wrote, “Jared is probably the best professor I’ve ever had here at Clemson… We also shared a love of Harry Potter, and he would make sure to incorporate something from the movies in our work to either lighten the mood and take a break, or to help me further understand the topic.”

Kettinger serves as a mentor to the MIT PRIMES-USA program where he mentors high school students in advanced topics. 

 A second student wrote, “Most importantly, Jared was patient as I explored this new world,” and continues, “when I started the program, research seemed intimidating. After Jared’s mentorship, research seems more like an adventure to be enjoyed.”

Outstanding Graduate in Learning

Madison Vicente

Madison Vicente is a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry who is working with Julia Brumaghim on three different related projects on assay developments, one of which has resulted in the first-ever screening tool to determine radiolytic stability of complexants used in nuclear separations.

Vicente also has been an excellent teacher in the laboratory for top research students, including previous College of Science Outstanding Undergraduate in Discovery Award and Phi Kappa Phi winners.

A student said, “She is not only a remarkable scientist, but also a transformative mentor, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from her.”

Another student who had Vicente for a class said, “I was extremely nervous going into it, and understandably so, after hearing various ‘horror stories’ about how difficult and isolating the experience could be. But my experience in chemistry lab with Madison Vicente couldn’t have been more different from that… Overall, Madison made my first college semester easier and less intimidating.”

Outstanding Graduates in Discovery

This award honors two doctoral students in the College of Science who have made distinctive and discernable contributions to their field — one in experimental science and one in theoretical or computational science.

Experimental

Samuel Kwain

Samuel Kwain will receive his Ph.D. in chemistry this year for work completed in the lab of Daniel Whitehead. His main research is in development of new small molecules capable of arresting the polysaccharide metabolism of prominent gut microbes.

“Sam is capable of managing all aspects of this multi-disciplinary project from the computational aspect to the synthetic chemistry to the biological evaluation of the materials with gut bacteria,” Whitehead said.

Kwain is the winner of the Dr. Frederick Mandel Award and the Boatload ‘O Data Award. He has published seven papers on his research with four more first-author papers in preparation. In addition, he serves as a leader and mentor in the group to other students.

“Samuel is, simply put, one of the most talented graduate students that I have encountered in my career at Clemson,” Whitehead said.

Theoretical/computational

Amy de Castro

Amy de Castro will complete her dissertation entitled, “Numerical modeling for thin film polymers and domain decomposition for coupled systems of fluid-structure interaction,” with Hyesuk Lee. She has also done research as a graduate intern at the Sandia National Laboratory.

“Amy is an exceptionally bright, independent and highly motivated student. Her insight and maturity in tackling new mathematical challenges are well beyond her peers,” Hyesuk said.

Her work has resulted in four first-author publications and two first-author Sandia technical reports with three more on the way.

Professor Margaret Wiecek said, “She combines superb training in a broad spectrum of topic areas and methodologies, mature research creativity, an impeccable work ethic and remarkable research productivity. These talents and skills are combined with a deep interest in and understanding of complex questions and excellent presentation and interpersonal skills. Considering the totality of the portfolio skills required to be a successful researcher, I cannot think of any category that Amy would not excel.”

Other awards

Sophie Waugh received the Science Student Advisory Board Outstanding Board Member Award.

Anvita Pudipeddi was recognized for her leadership of SciSAB.