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Awards in the Natural and Computational Sciences
W&M Recipients
2025
Graduate Studies Advisory Board Award for Excellence
Jarred Loughran, PhysicsAdvisor: Dr. Saskia Mordijck
Using Synthetic Data to Compare Plasma Transport Study Methodology
Award for Excellence
Sam Dutilly, BiologyAdvisor: Dr. Doug DeBerry
Vascular Flora of Fones Cliffs, and Understanding Metapopulation Dynamics and Habitat Enhancement for Aeschynomene virginica
2024
William & Mary Interdisciplinary Award for Excellence
Amanda Mitchell, ChemistryAdvisor: Dr. William McNamara
Photochemistry and Infrared Activated Dynamics of Gas Phase Systems
Graduate Studies Advisory Board Award for Excellence
Nic DeStefano, PhysicsAdvisor: Dr. Irina Novikova
Charged Particle Beam Profiling with Coherent Atomic Magnetometry
Award for Excellence
Folly Folivi, Psychological SciencesAdvisor: Dr. Adrian Bravo
Need Frustration and E-cigarette Dependence Among College Students: The Mediating Role of Ruminative Thinking
2023
William & Mary Interdisciplinary Award for Excellence
Grace DeSalvo, ChemistryAdvisor: Dr. Kristin Wustholz
Environment and Power Dependence of Blinking-Based Multiplexing: Optimizing A New Tool for Multicolor Single-Molecule Imaging
Award for Excellence
Lyndi Kiple, ChemistryAdvisor: Dr. Tyler Meldrum
Watching Paint Dry: Probing the Molecular Behavior of Acrylic Paint via Single-Sided NMR
2020
Graduate Studies Advisory Board Award for Excellence
Eden Maness, Applied ScienceAdvisor: Dr. Josh Burk
The Antipsychotic Potential of Orexin Receptor Inhibitors for the Treatment of Schizophrenia
Award for Excellence
Heather Kenny, BiologyAdvisor: Dr. Dan Cristol
Investigating the Interaction Between Noise Pollution and Behavioral Traits in Eastern Bluebirds
Honorable Mention
Jessica Burns, BiologyAdvisor: Dr. Paul Heideman
Changes in Study Methods, Problem-solving, and Motivation after Instruction in Sketching in an Introductory Biology Course
Amy Hughes, Biology
Advisor: Dr. Joshua Puzey
A Falling Monarchy: Do Insecticides Hinder Flight Capabilities of the Monarch Butterfly?
2016
Northrop Grumman Corporation Award
Charles Fancher, PhysicsAdvisor: Dr. Seth Aubin
Experimental Observation of the AC Zeeman Effect
Award for Excellence
Rony G. Kalfarisi, PhysicsAdvisor: Dr. Gina Hoatson
Investigation of cation ordering in dielectric oxides microwave ceramics using 7Li and 93Nb solid-state NMR and first principle calculation
Honorable Mentions:
Xin Wang, PhysicsAdvisor: Dr. Sasha Mordijck
Role of Turbulence and Shear Flow in Determining Plasma Density Profiles in Tokamaks
Shanhe Yi, Computer Science
Advisor: Dr. Qun Li
HISE: Head Gesture Interface for Smart Eyewears
2015
Northrop Grumman Corporation Award
Vitek Jirinec, BiologyAdvisor: Dr. Matthias Leu
Wood Thrush microhabitat associations: implications for species persistence in human-modified landscapes
Award for Excellence
Elizabeth Radue, PhysicsAdvisor: Dr. Irina Novikova
Surface Plasmon Resonance and Insulator-Metal Transition in Gold and Vanadium Dioxide Bilayer Films
Honorable Mentions
Ed Novak,Computer ScienceAdvisor: Dr. Qun Li
A Study of the Effect of Deep UV (172nm) Irradiation on Polyimide Surfaces
Melissa Beebe, Physics
Advisor: Dr. R. Ale Lukaszew
Surface Plasmon Resonance Enhancement via Oblique Thin Film Deposition on Gratings
2014
Northrop Grumman Corporation Award
Yudistira Virgus, PhysicsAdvisor: Dr. Henry Krakauer
The Stability, Energetics, and Magnetic States of Cobalt Adatoms Adsorbed on Graphene
Award for Excellence
Yunhan Long, Applied ScienceAdvisor: Dr. Leah Shaw
Effect of communication on epidemic spreading in adaptive social networks with awareness
Yifan Zhang, Computer Science
Advisor: Dr. Qun Li
CacheKeeper: A System-wide Web Caching Service for Smartphones
Honorable Mentions
David Nguyen, Computer ScienceAdvisor: Dr. Gang Zhou
Smartphone Energy Savings through I/O Path Optimizations
Joshua Magee, Physics
Advisor: Dr. David Armstrong
The Qweak Experiment: Implications from the First Determination
2013
Northrop Grumman Corporation Award
Jessica Ebers, BiologyAdvisor: Dr. Daniel Cristol
The Effect of Methylmercury on Immune Response to a Common Parasite in Zebra Finches
Award for Excellence
William Roach, Applied Science
Advisor: Dr. R. Ale Lukaszew
Niobium Nitride Thin Films and Multilayers for Superconducting Radio Frequency Cavities
Yudistira Virgus, Physics
Advisor: Dr. Henry Krakauer
Ab initio many-body study of cobalt adatoms adsorbed on graphene
Honorable Mentions
Hao Han, Computer Science
Advisor: Dr. Qun Li
DozyAP: Power-Efficient Wi-Fi Tethering
Wei Wei, Computer Science
Advisor: Dr. Qun Li
LBSNSim: A Trace-driven Model for Online Location-based Social Networks
2012
Northrop Grumman Corporation Award
Matt Simons, PhysicsAdvisor: Dr. Irina Novikova
Bright squeezed light from a whispering-gallery mode resonator via second harmonic generation
Award for Excellence
Yudistira Virgus, Physics
Advisor: Dr. Henry Krakauer
Many-body effects in cobalt adatoms absorbed on graphene
Honorable Mentions
Kathleen Moorem, Computer Science
Advisor: Dr. Pieter Peers
The Effect of Translucency on Photometric Stereo
Wei Wei, Computer Science
Advisor: Dr. Qun Li
MobiShare: Flexible Privacy-Preserving Location Sharing in Mobile Online Social Networks
2011
Northrop Grumman Corporation Award
Wei Wei, Computer ScienceAdvisor: Dr. Qun Li
SybilDefender: Defend Against Sybil Attacks in Large Social Networks
Award for Excellence
Zhengrui Qin, Computer Science
Advisor: Dr. Qun Li
A Prototype System for Cardiac Telemetry
Honorable Mention
Travis S. Horrom, Physics
Advisor: Dr. Eugeniy Mikhailov
Polarization Self-Rotation in an Ultra-Cold Atomic Cloud
Fengyuan Xu, Computer Science
Advisor: Dr. Qun Li
IMDGuard: Securing Implantable Medical Devices with the External Wearable Guardian
2010
Incogen, Inc. Award
Sara Kampfe, ChemistryAdvisor: Dr. Deborah Bebout
Processing and Conversion of Algae to Bioethanol
Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute Award
Duy Le, Computer ScienceAdvisor: Dr. Haining Wang
Detecting Kernel Level Keyloggers Through Dynamic Taint Analysis
Award for Excellence
Lei Lu, Computer ScienceAdvisor: Dr. Evgenia Smirni
Blocking for Efficient Server Overload Management under Bursty Arrivals
Honorable Mentions
Shahla Nasserasr, Applied Science/MathematicsAdvisor: Dr. Charles Johnson
Conditions for a TP2-Completion
Kevin Smith, Physics
Advisor: Dr. Gunter Luepke
Optical Control of Ultrafast Spin-wave Relaxation by Magnetic Anisotropy in a Ferromagnet
2009
Incogen, Inc. Award
Erik Spahr, PhysicsAdvisor: Dr. Gunter Luepke
A New Look at Proton Conduction in Perovskite Oxides
Award for Excellence
Chuan Yue, Computer ScienceAdvisor: Dr. Haining Wang
Anti-Phishing in Offense and Defense
Honorable Mention
Ashley R. DeCarme, BiologyAdvisor: Dr. Eric Engstrom
Ethylene Production in Plants: Is the ACC Oxidase Enzyme at Work in Selaginella moellendorffii?
M. Louise Lammons, Biology
Advisors: Dr. S. Laurie Sanderson and Dr. Randy Chambers
Mud and Mucus: Feeding Selectivity in a Suspension-feeding Detritivorous Fish
2008
Incogen, Inc. Award
Ningfang Mi, Computer ScienceAdvisor: Dr. Evgenia Smirni
Performance Impacts of Autocorrelated Flows in Multi-tiered Systems
Award for Excellence
Jonathan Holley, BiologyAdvisor: Dr. Randolph M. Chambers
Water Quality in Headwater Streams: A Test of Best Management Practices
Honorable Mention
Mary Levillain, PsychologyAdvisor: Dr. Pamela S. Hunt
Can Nicotine Ameliorate Memory Deficits found in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?
Meghan Revelle, Computer Science
Advisor: Dr. David Coppit
How to Find a Needle in a Digital Haystack
2007
Award for Excellence
Andriy Fedorov, Computer ScienceAdvisor: Dr. Nikos Chrisochoides
Near-Real-Time Nonrigid Registration for Image Guided Neurosurgery Using Commodity and Grid Computing
Honorable Mentions
Alex Gunerson, Biology,
Advisor: Dr. John Swaddle
Resistance of Melanized Feathers to Bacterial Degradation: Is it Really so Black and White?
Caitlin Kight, Applied Science
Advisor: Dr. John Swaddle
Does Historical Exposure to Humans Affect Current Responses to Anthropogenic Disturbance? A Multispecies Comparison
Elise Larsen, Biology
Advisor: Dr. Bryan Watts
Do Birds Like McDonalds? How Diet Affects Bird Diversity in the City