The Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award was created by the UMCES’ Graduate Student Council to recognized faculty for their commitment to students beyond the classroom and recognize advisors that go above and beyond to mentor students.
2022
Eric Schott
Eric Schott received the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award for his dedication to both science and his students. Students say he is dedicated to improving diversity, equality, and inclusion in his lab. He has mentored numerous undergraduates and interns in his lab, and for many years has been involved in the IMET Summer Internship program that connects students with scientists to conduct their own research. He is currently the UMCES Project Director of the Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center that provides support for graduate students from underrepresented groups in marine and environmental science, preparing them for careers in research, management, and policy that support the sustainable use and conservation of marine resources.
2021
Jeremy Testa
Since his arrival as a faculty member at Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in 2013, he has mentored more than 15 students and positively impacted the lives of many more. Testa is an exemplary member of UMCES who actively serves on numerous panels, search committees, and research advisory committees, all while balancing his research, family, and students’ needs. His students note that he cares about their own personal growth as much as their development as scientists.
2020
Matt Fitzpatrick
During his time at UMCES, Matt has made a clear mark as a mentor, making mentoring a priority within his lab and throughout the broader community. He often adopts “orphaned” students when their original advisors have had to leave UMCES, and he has also worked with and mentored students from neighboring Frostburg State University. He is broadly known around the Appalachian Laboratory to have an open- door policy for anyone on campus to discuss both science, as well as outside interests like astronomy and photography. He guides, while also allowing students to develop their own paths, supporting them “unreservedly in whatever their goals may be.”
2019
Laura Lapham
Dr. Lapham made mentoring a top priority in her program, and has employed unique opportunities to mentor both within UMCES and externally by bringing various aged students into the UMCES community. During her eight years at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, she has made mentoring a top priority in her program, including mentoring two high school interns, seven National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program students, two undergraduate interns, and three community college students.
2018
Tsetso Bachvaroff
Tsetso Bachvaroff received the inaugural award for going above and beyond to assist his graduate students. His door is always open, he created a community among his students and he consistently takes time to guide or reassure students in their work. Although he is the official advisor to only a few students, Tsetso spends a lot of time mentoring other students at IMET. His office is always open and is a popular place for students to meet.