Two students in each classification in each college are selected for recognition; the top student is recognized with the Gathright Scholar Award and the second with the Dean’s Excellence Award. Two additional students are selected for honorable mention. Gathright and Dean’s Excellence Awards recognize and celebrate outstanding first and second year students with exceptional promise in each college.
Ashwin Parameswaren and his team competed in the Elektrek Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) and American Solar Challenge (ASC) competitions this summer with their car, Duodecim. FSGP was a qualifier for ASC where the competition was narrowed from 42 entrants to 12 qualifiers. The ASC race was 1500 miles from Nashville, TN to Casper, WY.
Melody Yeh won 1st place (60+ student competitors) at the 10-week A&M Research Experience for Undergraduate Program Poster Presentation.
Her research focused on optimizing the speed and efficiency of a novel, affordable and tunable computational microscope for luminescence lifetime imaging, an important biomarker for understanding the molecular microenvironment in cells and tissues.
Luminescence imaging often requires high- cost microscopes. The microscope under development is small, low-cost and scalable, and is suited for clinical settings for real-time biomedical sensing and imaging applications.
Anish Easwaran, a senior Biomedical Engineering major, is a member of Engineering, Inc., the NSF I-CorpsSite program, Engineering Honors Executive Committee, Vice-President and Co-Founder of Aggies to Medicine, and TAMECT and a member of the Aggie Entrepreneurial Committee (his entrepreneurial efforts include StimuCalm, Aegis Armor, PillSafe and an app for pre-med students).
Anish Easwaran and his team won 1st place at
Aggie Pitch. His team created a specialized wearable band that detects real-time muscle contractions and stiffness in physical therapy patients. The band incorporates sensors that detect fluctuations in muscle tension to allow for precise analysis and mapping of motions during exercise.
He is the Co-President of the Brown Foundation Freshmen Leadership Organization, was one of the three group leaders of the inaugural MSC Brown Smith UK Honors Leadership trip, and is a past recipient of the Pi Kappa Phi Dean’s Excellence Award. Anish was selected as a member of the Clinton Global Initiative Fellowship, he is a Meloy Fellow at A&M, and a Co-Founder of Aegis Armor, an affordable snakebite protection intended for developing nations.
He is a Gathright Dean’s Excellence Award winner for the College of Engineering and has a cumulative 3.9 GPA.
Anish was admitted to EnMed using the E2EnMed EAP pathway.
Sarah Voon, a senior Biomedical Engineering major, received her Aggie ring and completed her undergraduate thesis as a sophomore.
She is the Co-President of the Brown Foundation Freshmen Leadership Organization and was one of the three group leaders of the inaugural MSC Brown-Smith UK Honors Leadership trip.
Sarah was inducted into Alpha Eta Mu Beta, the National Biomedical Engineering Honor Society, and is a member of TAMECT (BLS Certified). She is a research assistant in Dr. Feng Zhao Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Lab.
Sarah received the Outstanding Senior Undergraduate Award for the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Track from the Biomedical Engineering department.
She is the Dance Captain of the K-Pop Dance Association and taught ballet to kids during the summer of 2024.
She has a cumulative 4.0 GPA and took the MCAT a year early and scored 98%.
Sarah was admitted to EnMed using the E2EnMed EAP pathway.
Brown Scholar Theresa Tran won 1st place at the Houston Methodist MAPTA Summer Symposium Poster Presentation at the conclusion of the 10-week Houston Methodist Summer Undergraduate Research Internship competing against 75 interns.
Theresa’s research in the Horner Lab investigated the use of ventral spinal stimulation (VSS) in rats to improve motor function after spinal cord injury. Her research showed that the immediate gene Nr4a1 was expressed 5x more in the neuronal stimulated group vs. the control group which potentially means increased neuron plasticity and improvement in neuronal spinal cord pathways with increased susceptibility to regrowth after receiving VSS.
This promising and efficient therapy is intended for use in clinical care settings to advance the quality of life and independence of individuals with paralysis.
Howdy, my name is Neha Lakka! I’m a proud member of the Aggie Class of 2027, and I’m a Biomedical Sciences major. This summer I was honored to be a part of Dr. Wong’s lab in the Systems Medicine and Bioengineering Department in Houston Methodist Research Institute. Our lab investigates spatial and systems biology methods for drug and biomarker discovery in cancer treatment and prevention. My project focused on using spatial analysis technology in order to identify biomarkers of prediction in breast cancer patients. I performed whole RNA transcriptome assays and immuno-oncology protein assays on biopsies from patients with metastatic breast cancer to identify possible novel targets for treatments. My experience in Dr. Wong’s lab has been truly impactful, from the incredible people I worked with to the advanced skills I learned. I am immensely thankful to the Brown Foundation and the SURI program for this incredible opportunity, which gave me invaluable skills and expanded my knowledge of the pursuit of scientific discovery.
Samantha Lo was inducted into the prestigious Maroon Coats organization. Maroon Coats are student leaders across campus who enhance the Texas A&M Foundation’s impact through ambassadorship and selfless service to help build a culture of philanthropy at Texas A&M.
Sophomore Brown Scholar Athul Mohanram secured a prestigious 2024 Software Engineering Internship at Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control Division this summer. His team developed a missile launcher interface in collaboration with Lockheed’s Next-Gen Short Range Interceptor team.
Athul is the incoming President of Partners in Health Engage (PIH Engage), a public health organization that educates legislators and individuals about issues facing healthcare workers.
Athul is a research assistant in Dr. Feng Zhao’s Stem Cell and Engineering Lab at A&M. His research led to a novel stem cell therapy that promotes cell regrowth in severe wounds resulting in a $5K grant. He has received authorization to begin his undergraduate senior thesis.
He was admitted E2EnMed EAP
Brown Scholar Gowtham Kadiyala and his team won 1st place, Best Presentation and Best Prototype at Phantom Aggies Invent, a collaboration between TAMU and III Armored Corps. The team’s invention modified new-generation military vehicles carrying transport stretchers for injured soldiers during emergencies and heavy combat.
The team designed a versatile rack that slides onto an existing rail system at the back of a medical transport vehicle. The rack can be oriented in different ways providing secure attachment of up to three stretchers. This design improved upon the current method of medical transport with haphazard transport for only one stretcher.
