Three CEC-affiliated students win PSAAA awards
Zachary Abrahms, Noah Emmert, and Chanakya Pandya are the CEC-affiliated student winners of the 2024 Provost's Student Academic Achievement Award (PSAAA).
Three CEC-affiliated students win PSAAA awards
The Provost's Student Academic Achievement Award, or PSAAA, is awarded to students who have made outstanding contributions to their field or discipline beyond the typical course and major requirements. This year, three students affiliated with CEC were awarded this prestigious honor: Zachary Abrahms, Noah Emmert, and Chanakya Pandya. These three students are either enrolled in a CEC major course of study or work closely with CEC faculty on cross-disciplinary research. Learn more about each one below!
Zachary Abrahms
Zachary Abrahms is a Biology major with a Premedical Studies co-major who has been working closely on research in the Jones Lab with CEC associate professor of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering Andrew Jones. Zachary was a , which is among the most significant merit-based, monetary scholarships awarded to undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) juniors and seniors who intend to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their final degree. Throughout his time at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú so far, Zachary has worked extensively with CEC associate professor Jones on research related to metabolic engineering — taking DNA from nature and bringing it into the lab to develop new strategies for the treatment of mental health disorders.
Noah Emmert
Noah Emmert is a Computer Science major with a co-major in Premedical and Pre-Health Studies. A recipient of the Presidential Fellowship, Noah has focused his academic pursuits at the intersection between computer science and health and medicine, including taking part in undergraduate research alongside CEC assistant professor Shijie Zhou of the department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering. Noah has supported Zhou’s research on a new type of electrophysiological imaging technique, which combines computer science and biomedical engineering to accurately pinpoint the site of origin of ventricular arrhythmias. “There's a lot of computer science applications that you can find in various applied fields like biomedical engineering,” said Noah. “There's a lot of untapped potential that we can use to make a difference in the world.”
Chanakya Pandya
Chanakya Pandya is a Physics, Computer Science, and Mathematics triple major who was recently named a 2024 Goldwater Scholar. Chanakya has participated in undergraduate research since his first year at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, collaborating closely with Samir Bali, professor of Physics, in Bali’s cold atom and optical lattices lab in the College of Arts and Sciences. Chanakya said it was his experience doing research in high school which helped him understand how helpful a computer science background would be for an advanced understanding of physics, which is why he combined his physics major with courses at CEC’s department of Computer Science and Software Engineering. Chanakya’s third major in math supports him in describing the physical phenomena he observes and works with in the lab.
About the PSAAA
The Provost's Student Academic Achievement Award (PSAAA) is given annually to students who have achieved an outstanding record of academic excellence. The selection committee reviews nominations and awards 10–15 returning students with a $1,000 scholarship and certificate of recognition.
In order to be nominated, a student must be of Junior status (minimum of 75 credit hours) with an outstanding record of academic achievement and sustained and significant contributions to the intellectual climate of a department, an academic division, or the campus broadly. Ten student honorees from across ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University were announced at the PSAAA Award Ceremony on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.