The Stokes Award for Outstanding Service to the IINSPIRE Alliance was presented to Latricia Hylton, University of Northern Iowa, for service at an exemplary level, in pursuit, of the alliance’s primary goal to increase the participation of URM students in STEM fields.

Outstanding IINSPIRE LSAMP Alumni Award

 Sonyta Ung, Iowa State University, Kirkwood Community College Alumni

 Jocelyn Jackson, University of Michigan, Iowa State University Alumni

Excellence in Mentoring Awards

Outstanding Mentor Award for Faculty or Staff

Nigel George, Professor of Mathematics and Physics, Upper Iowa University

Antentor Hinton, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Iowa

Outstanding Student Mentor Awards

Andres Mora, Doane University

Anthony Onyia, Wartburg College

Student Presentation Session

Students with the top three posters in two categories, Research and Experiential, were awarded cash prizes. In addition, students with the top three oral presentations were awarded a cash prize. The top prize in each category received $300.00, second place received $200.00, and third place $100.00. Faculty and students attending the event also voted for their favorite poster. The winner of the People’s Choice Award for posters received a cash prize of $250.00. The winners of each category are as follows:

Oral Presentations

1st Place
Morganne Borsh, University of Northern Iowa

Implications of Purple Sea Urchin Population Dynamics on Giant Kelp Ecosystems in Central California

2nd Place
Abigayle Elaine Moser, Iowa State University

Wind Energy Production Over Complex Terrains

3rd Place 
Haley Montgomery, Iowa State University

3D Nanostructure Printing With Graphene Ink

Poster Presentations

1st Place
Han Le, Nebraska Wesleyan University

Insulin Stimulation Affects OPA-1 Mediated Mercs in Human and Murine Skeletal Muscle Cells

2nd Place
Aubrey Schatz, Doane University

Screening For Mammalian Proteins With Insulator Properties In Saccharomyces cerevisiae

3rd Place
Tatiana Castillo, University of Iowa

Investigating the Role of ULK1 in Regulating Lipid Metabolism

People’s Choice Award

Madison Anae, University of Iowa

Understanding Magma Ascension using Major Element Diffusion in Olivine

Ryan Wooten, Upper Iowa University

PoBrook Trout Restoration Project