2024 DOSA Recipients
2024 DOSA Recipients
2024 Dean's Outstanding Senior Awards
Katelynn Albanese
Biological & Biomedical Sciences
Katelynn Albanese is a Biological Sciences major and Bantivoglio Leadership and Service Training Mentor in the Honors College, with minors in Chemistry and Business Administration. In her time at Rowan she proved to be an exemplary student, leader, and researcher, while also holding animal hospital and zoo internships. She was a key member in Dr. Hough's seaside sparrow research lab, where she analyzed 10 years of songbird data and documented the permanence of song dialects across three different locations in southern New Jersey and presented her group's findings at Rowan’s Research Day and the National Meeting of the Animal Behavior Society. Katelynn is truly an outstanding student who has been accepted into several competitive DVM programs. She will make a compassionate and skilled veterinarian.
Izhar Ali
Computer Science
Izhar Ali is a dual major in Computer Science and Mathematics along with a Bantivoglio Honors Concentration. His strong leadership skills serve him well in his roles as President of Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE) Honor Society as well as a Community Assistant for Residential Living. For the past 5 semesters, he has contributed to the Rowan-Bristol Myers Squibb research team with Dr. Vasil Hnatyshin working on Natural Language Processing. In the fall, Izhar will continue his graduate studies in the CS Accelerated Dual Degree (ADD) program in Data Science and plans a career as a Software or Machine Learning Engineer.
Rachel Bruno
Mathematics
Rachel Bruno, a standout in the 4+1 math and education program, has earned the 2022 Fithian Legacy and 2023 John Sooy scholarships. With a recent Praxis 2 exam success, she's eager to start student teaching. Beyond academics, Rachel is a valued student worker, tutor, and Math Team treasurer, representing the student body at math department functions. As she completes her master's next year and embarks on her journey as a future high/middle school teacher, we're confident that students will be in excellent hands. Rachel's passion for education and dedication to her peers make her a deserving recipient of the Dean's Outstanding Award.
Jenna Doran
Chemistry & Biochemistry
As an undergraduate student at Rowan, Jenna was a member of the Honors College. Her leadership activities were vast and included: Service at coed fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, where she served as both secretary then later vice president of service activities. She organized visits to hospitalized children, service for veterans, and volunteer service trips to the Salem County Animal Shelter. She also regularly participated in the Rowan weekly Fresh-For-All fruit and vegetable distribution program for people in need. Jenna also helped Alpha Phi Omega collaborate with the Rowan-based Circle K organization to plan further service projects.
Ninelle Edenne
Psychology
Ninelle “Nell” Edenne is a psychology major with a CUGS in Publishing and Writing for the Public. She has continually excelled in the classroom, where her attention to detail is unmatched. Nell has extensive research experience in the ROAD (Research on Anxiety and Depression) lab where she currently serves as the lab coordinator overseeing multiple research assistants. Nell also works with individuals on the autism spectrum as a Registered Behavior Technician (Amazing Transformations, LLC), serves as a Crisis Counselor (Crisis Text Line), and interns as a Peer Support Facilitator (Step Up for Mental Health). Nell has applied to several Clinical Psychology (PhD) programs.
Yesenia Flores
Biological & Biomedical Sciences
Yesenia Flores is graduating with her B.A. in Biological Science with a minor in Psychology. Yesenia has been a dedicated and talented student researcher since beginning her undergraduate career at Rowan University. As an inaugural fellow of the U-RISE at Rowan University NIH training program she has made tremendous contributions to a multitude of research projects in the Carone research laboratory. Yesenia has presented her findings at local and international meetings such as at the ASBMB conference in Seattle and completed a prestigious REU program at the University of Chicago. Yesenia’s passion for science is inspiring and is looking towards pursuing a doctoral degree in molecular biology where she will undoubtedly make significant contributions.
Miles Fort
Biological & Biomedical Sciences
Miles Fort transferred to Rowan University during his junior year from Rowan College of South Jersey and graduated in December with a Bachelors of Arts in Biology and a minor in technical and professional writing. During his time at Rowan, he developed a passion for scientific communication and completed a semester-long research internship with Dr. Vilceanu examining how podcasts are used in public health initiatives. He is currently working as a laboratory technician at National Refrigerants, Inc., and he is continuing research involving manufactured scientific controversies within nonfiction publishing. He plans to pursue a graduate degree in scientific communication.
Christian Gee
Chemistry & Biochemistry
Christian Gee is a determined and passionate individual who has an unconditional love for the sciences. He is graduating with a BS in Chemistry and has left his mark in the classroom as well as the laboratory. He worked in the Jonnalagadda Research Laboratory on the development of novel small molecules as potential anti-cancer agents. In addition to being a scholar, Christian is an active member of the club lacrosse team at Rowan University. He is excited for what the future holds as he plans to return to Rowan upon graduation to join the graduate program in pharmaceutical chemistry.
Waverly Pross
Psychology
Waverly graduated in December with a major in Psychological Science and a minor in Law and Justice. Waverly consistently excelled in the classroom, with her exceptional writing skills and insightful reflections setting her apart from her peers. Waverly served as a research assistant in the HABIT (Health and Behavioral Integrated Treatments) lab where she worked on a smoking cessation project using a smartphone-based intervention. Waverly has also worked as a direct support professional and has served as a learning assistant for Statistics in Psychology and Research Methods in Psychology. She's currently applying to master's programs with the goal of becoming a board certified behavior analyst.
Yekaterina Saburova
Computer Science
Yekaterina (Kat) Saburova is completing her BS in Computer Science with a Bantivoglio Honors Concentration. She has served in numerous leadership positions including Vice President of ACM, Secretary of UPE, National Liaison for ACM-W, and Public Relations for WINGS. Her co-authored work from a computer graphics final project earned her team Best Graphics in the ACM Game Jam competition. She has also interned at BioDome Inc. and worked with the CS GenCyber camps. Kat will be returning in the fall as part of the CS Accelerated Dual Degree (ADD) program and plans to work as a Software Engineer after graduation.
Joseph Talucci
Physics & Astronomy
Joe Talucci serves as an officer in the Physics and Astronomy Club. They spent a summer at a Caltech REU program studying gravitational waves with LIGO. They have been an exemplary learning assistant and have initiated a peer mentoring program to ensure that students have more resources to navigate the challenges of both school and life. It seems only natural that Joe has accepted a teaching position after graduation, but they have not ruled out attending graduate school in physics at a later date.
