Awards Opportunities
The Texas A&M University Office of Graduate and Professional Studies annually presents four awards to graduate students who have excelled academically, as student leaders, and have a had a positive impact on the Texas A&M University Graduate Community. Click the links below to view nomination information and past award recipients.
Association of Former Students Distinguished Graduate Student Award
U.S. Senator Phil Gramm Doctoral Fellowship
Texas A&M Distinguished Dissertation Award
Graduate Student Research and Presentation Travel Award
The Graduate Student Research and Presentation Travel Award provides graduate students with educational and professional development opportunities through reimbursing up to $750 for travel expenses associated with academic conferences and research projects in the United States and abroad.
Spring 2022 Genetics Graduate Student Association Conference Award
2022 Texas Genetics Society (TGS)
College Station, TX
Michelle Jonika
Ph.D. Candidate and Student board member of TGS
Advisor: Dr. Heath Blackmon
Platform Talk Title: “The Role of Centromeres in Chromosome Number Evolution”
2022 International Symposium on the Biology of Actinomycetes (ISBA) – Toronto, Canada
Sandy LaBonte
Ph.D. Student – Advisor: Dr. Paul Straight
Poster title: “Identifying Streptomyces metabolites that mobilize a population of B. subtilis.”
2022 International Mammalian Genome Society Annual Meeting
Westin Bayshore, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Michael McGill
Ph.D. Candidate – Advisor: Dr. David Threadgill
Platform Talk Title: “A constitutionally EGFR-deficient model of CRC: compensatory mechanisms mediated by other ERBB family members.”
35th International Mammalian Genome Conference (IMGC 2022)
Westin Bayshore, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Aravindh Nagarajan
Ph.D. Candidate – Advisor: Dr. Helene Andrews-Polymenis
Platform Talk Title: “Multiple host genes are involved in the differential outcome to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) septic infections.”
2022 Plant Biology Conference sponsored by American Society of Plant Biologists, Worldwide Summit
Portland, Oregon
Khushboo Rastogi
Ph.D. Candidate – Advisor: Dr. Endang Septiningsih
Poster title: “Genome Editing to develop High Lysine in the US Rice Cultivar Presidio.”
2022 American Chemical Society (ACS)
San Diego, California
Benjamin Thomas
Ph.D. Student – Advisor: Dr. Zhilei Chen
Poster title: “Novel Protein DNA circuit for the detection of Shiga toxin.”
The Gordon Research Conference on Genetic Biocontrol
Four Points, Ventura, CA
Joseph Romanowski
Ph.D. Student – Advisor: Dr. Zach Adelman
Poster Title: “Effect of DNA double-strand break site location on CRISPR/CAs9-induced transgene elimination in Aedes aegypti.”
2022 U.S. Senator Phil Gramm Doctoral Fellowship Award

2022 Montgomery Award
2022 Texas Genetics Society Meeting Awards
Best Platform Talk Award
Role of Host Genetics in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection (F9)
Aravindh Nagarajan
Advisor: Dr. Helene Andrews-Polymenis
Best Poster Presentation Award
Identification of dysregulated small RNA in Angelman syndrome pig extracellular vesicles
Livia Schuller
Advisor: Dr. Scott Dindot
2022 Genetics and Genomics Recruitment Symposium Oral Presentations
A NOVEL TECHNOLOGY FOR ENGINEERING
BINDERS TO MEMBRANE PROTEINS
Benjamin Thomas
Advisor: Dr. Zhilei Chen
UNRAVELLING THE GENETIC BASIS FOR COLD TOLERANCE IN RICE SEEDLING USING GENOME WIDE ASSOCIATION PANEL
Khushboo Rastogi
Advisor: Dr. Endang M. Septiningsih
2022 Genetics and Genomics Graduate Student Awards
2022 Research Excellence Award
Michelle Jonika
Advisor: Dr. Heath Blackmon
2022 Research Excellence Award
Matthew Jevit
Advisor: Dr. Terje Raudsepp
2022 Clint Magill Outstanding GGSA Member Award
Serina Taluja
Advisor: Dr. David Stelly
2022 Clint Magill Outstanding GGSA Member Award
Khushboo Rastogi
Advisor: Dr. Endang Septiningsih
2022 Award for Teaching Excellence
Osiris K. Lopez Garcia
Advisor: Dr. Daniel Paredes-Sabja
2022 Student Choice Award for Teaching
Allie N. Denham
Advisor: Dr. Vladimir Vladimirov
2021 Genetics and Genomics Graduate Student Awards
2021 Award for Teaching Excellence
Andrew Harris
Advisor: Dr. Bill Murphy
2021 Student Choice Award for Teaching
Amanda Jons
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Bondos
2020 Genetics and Genomics Graduate Student Awards
2020 Award for Teaching Excellence
Brittni A. Ming-Whitfield
Advisor: Dr. David Threadgill
2020 Student Choice Award for Teaching
Aravindh Nagarajan
Advisor: Dr. Helene Andrews-Polymenis
2021 Genetics and Genomics Science Art Contest Awards
“The Giants of Genetics“
First Place
Image credit: Shelby Morton
Advisor: Dr. Gregory Reeves
“A Cotton Conundrum “
Second Place
Image credit: Serina Taluja
Advisor: Dr. David Stelly
“Trep Garden“
Third Place
Image credit: Sandy LaBonte
Advisor: Dr. Paul Straight