News

 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Graduate School awarded prestigious scholarships to graduate students who have made exceptional contributions to teaching and research at the annual Awards Reception on October 24.

Master’s-level students who received the Competitive Graduate Award and Graduate Scholar Award for the 2023-2024 academic year were honored for their outstanding academic achievements. The scholarship recipients represent graduate programs from a wide variety of academic disciplines across all of SIUE’s colleges and schools.

Alexandria Wilson received the 2023 Outstanding Thesis Award for her thesis “The Role of Stat 92E Signaling in Response to Repeated Alcohol Exposures in Drosophila Melanogaster.” Alexandria’s thesis project resulted in poster presentations at multiple academic conferences as well as a published manuscript in the Journal of Neuroscience Insights. She was nominated by her thesis advisor, Dr. Emily Petruccelli, and received significant accolades for her talent and commitment that made her high quality and novel research possible. Alexandria completed her MS in biological sciences in May 2023 and is currently employed at Thermo Fisher in St. Louis.

A recent graduate of the MS program in chemistry, Navid Ahmed Sadman, received the 2023 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award at the master’s level. Navid served as a teaching assistant for a variety of undergraduate chemistry courses during his graduate program and received consistent praise for his dedication to student learning and commitment to successful course outcomes. Navid’s commitment to teaching excellence was also evident in his own research, and he led multiple research projects during his master’s studies aimed at advancing pedagogical practices in chemistry education. After completing his MS in August 2023, Navid began pursuing his PhD in chemical education at the University of Northern Colorado.

Marissa Schuette, current Doctor of Nursing Practice student, was recognized as the 2023 recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award at the doctoral level. Marissa’s primary responsibilities as a teaching assistant have been to lead nursing skills stations in the Foundations of Nursing Simulation Lab, where she is seen as a compassionate and innovative leader. Dr. Amy Reed, director of the Simulation Lab, said that Marissa stands out amongst her peers for her emotional maturity, leadership qualities, and pedagogical effectiveness. Nursing faculty praise Marissa’s commitment to creating an atmosphere of safety for all learners and accommodating diverse learning styles in the lab setting. Marissa expects to graduate from the DNP program in May 2024 and currently is employed in the Labor and Delivery Unit at Barnes Jewish Hospital. She also recently returned from a trip to Guatemala to implement her doctoral project, where she is working with other clinicians to establish routine supplementation for childbearing people in an underserved community.

PHOTOS: Outstanding Thesis Award presented to MS in Biological Sciences graduate Alexandria Wilson. (left to right) Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Dr. Jerry Weinberg, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Dr. Emily Petruccelli, Alexandria Wilson, and Associate Provost Dr. Elza Ibroscheva.

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award presented to DNP student Marissa Schuette.  (left to right) Associate Provost for Research & Dean of the Graduate School Dr. Jerry Weinberg, Marissa Schuette, Assistant Professor of Family Health & Community Nursing Dr. Amy Reed, and Associate Provost Dr. Elza Ibroscheva.