UROP Celebrates the 2025 Mentor Award Recipients

Timothy O'Neil — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 05:25:00 +0000

UROP Celebrates the 2025 Mentor Award Recipients Timothy O'Neil Thu, 04/24/2025 - 23:25

UROP's Mentor Award recognizes campus individuals supporting undergraduates on research and creative projects. We invite you to celebrate these inspiring mentors with us and read excerpts from the students' thoughtful nominations.

Mentor Awards

Recipients have the option to award an Assistantship to an eligible undergraduate of their choosing in the next academic year. Tenured/tenure-track research faculty, teaching faculty, postdocs and graduate students at the 91�� and Anschutz Medical Campus are eligible for UROP's Mentor Award. Students are invited to nominate their mentors regardless of program funding, and we welcome submissions from early-stage researchers and creative practitioners. Learn more about UROP's Mentor Awards.

2025 Mentor Awards

Thomas Chaney, Material Science & Engineering

Nominated by Megan Davis

Elizabeth Trower, Geological Sciences

Nominated by Ryan Flat

Manuela Garay Sarmiento, Chemical & Biological Engineering

Nominated by Bianca Meurer-Zeman & Stella Rydahl-Kim

Allison Hilger, Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences

Nominated by Karis Lowe

Alta Howells, Geological Sciences

Nominated by Ashley Askins

Kevin Mahan, Geological Sciences

Nominated by Christina Lipper, Julia Patacsil, & Holly McCrory Scott

Kathryn Materna, Geological Sciences

Nominated by Elizabeth Bissell & Lapit Lapinee

Matt Olm, Integrative Physiology

Nominated by Soren Maret

Hannah Padgette, Chemical and Biological Engineering

Nominated by Anna Broerman

Caroline Conzelman, Environment & Natural Sciences RAP

Nominated by Abigail Baldwin, Clementine Clyker, & Graciela Horstman

Nomination Excerpts

Edited for length.

As students who did not have all the theoretical knowledge of bioengineering and chemistry, Dr. Garay taught us with patience and kindness, enforcing repetition and hands-on work. She tailors her training to individual needs, which has allowed each of us to master techniques like rheology and photopolymerization, ensuring practical progress to my scientific career. Her “inquiry-based” approach, asking questions rather than dictating solutions, has honed our critical thinking and problem-solving skills. She builds a collaborative lab culture with her students where we succeed and fail together to ensure no student struggles in silence. She masters a perfect balance between guidance and autonomy. Manuela continues to demonstrate her passion for educational mentorship through her unwavering support for her students and her sincere investment in their success. Her dedication to both scientific achievement and student development speaks to her character and leadership. Her mentorship extends beyond technical skills and she actively invests in her students’ professional growth by encouraging attendance at conferences and workshops, reviewing CVs, and connecting students with collaborators. We are confident that she will continue to make lasting contributions to the research field and to every student who has the privilege of learning from her.

Bianca Meurer-Zeman & Manuela Garay Sarmiento

To be a student of Dr. Mahan is to experience what it is like to be challenged, encouraged, and truly believed in. He takes his students where they are and accompanies them as they develop. His mentorship extends beyond the laboratory—he shapes thoughtful, able, and confident individuals. The secret to Dr. Mahan's mentorship is that he believes undergraduate students must be in intense scientific surroundings. He always includes undergraduates at our bi-weekly Mahan Research Group meetings, in which we discuss research with graduate students, post-docs, faculty, and more. The most impressive aspect of Dr. Mahan is how he gives feedback. He has a wonderful ability to give honest, constructive feedback and yet remains fiercely supportive. His feedback never disheartens but is driven out of deep concern and a desire to see us develop.

Christina Lipper & Julia Patacsil

Alta Howells is an exceptional mentor who has played a pivotal role in shaping my growth as a student, researcher, and aspiring scientist. Under her mentorship, I have gone from doubting my abilities in chemistry to actively preparing applications for PhD programs in geochemistry. Her mentorship has been thoughtful, strategic, and deeply supportive across all areas—training, professional development, ongoing support, feedback, and long-term impact. Thanks to her guidance, I feel well-prepared to step into more advanced research settings. Alta has gone out of her way to foster my professional development. She consistently encourages me to think long-term about my goals and has helped me identify potential research paths aligned with my interests. She has also introduced me to researchers and faculty members within the department, giving me opportunities to build a network and learn how to advocate for myself professionally. One of the most meaningful opportunities Alta is giving me is the chance to present my research progress to others in the department. I believe this will help me develop my science communication skills and build visibility as an emerging scientist. She treats me not just as a student, but as a developing colleague, and this respect has been invaluable in building my confidence and professional identity.

Ashley Askins

If I had to describe Tom Chaney in one word, it would be inspirational. The amazing thing about Tom is that every time I interact with him or see him interact with the other people at the lab, he is the first person to step up and help every time. If I mention his name, immediately people's first responses are about how Tom has helped them in one way or another. What he has done for me in the past 10 months will stick with me for a lifetime and I am so fortunate to have him as my mentor. He helped me with so much more than just my project. He made helped me find and apply to several different internships. He made sure that I would be set up with a new mentor once he graduated that would align with my research interests. There was not a single presentation, paper, or application that Tom did not offer to read over for me first. I owe so much of my success and my growth as a student to him and the passion he showed for his research and for helping others.

Megan Davis

Before this project, I often second-guessed my work and hesitated to share it. Dr. Materna’s feedback changed that. She created a space where I felt safe asking questions, making mistakes, and trying again. Her feedback was never just about what was “right” or “wrong”—it was about helping me understand how to think more critically and communicate more clearly. I’ve grown a lot in how I approach both technical problems and scientific writing because of the guidance she gave me along the way.

Elizabeth Bissell

Working with Dr. Materna has been one of the most impactful experiences of my academic life. Her mentorship is grounded in clarity, patience, and a genuine investment in her students’ long-term success. Through her mentorship, I began to engage more deeply with the broader geophysics community. My work with her led me to study papers by key researchers and allowed me to meet with leaders in my field, whose work directly shaped the foundation of my project. Dr. Materna helped me understand what academic research looks like. She helped me see the importance of building a network in science, where solving problems requires collaboration, connection, and openness. Writing has always been challenging for an international student whose first language is not English. But Dr. Materna helped me work through that step by step. She shared writing examples, gave me detailed feedback, and even guided me on formatting figures to meet professional standards. With her support, I began to feel more confident sharing my ideas, in both writing and presentations, and I now integrate this skill into my daily life.

Lapit Lapinee

Lizzy Trower has been an exceedingly helpful, supportive, and overall fantastic mentor through my honors thesis research. From the classes I have taken with her to her role as my research advisor, she is one of the smartest, kindest, and most dedicated professors I have had the pleasure of working with, and I am grateful to have this opportunity to recognize her for her achievements and profound impact on my education. One of my favorite parts of working with her was that she was always willing to have in-depth, meaningful conversations about my interests and goals in order to tailor my research efforts towards an exciting project that was best suited to my learning and development as a geologist. Throughout the project, every time I ran into a roadblock I knew that I had an available and enthusiastic advisor who was great at helping me generate creative new ideas and bring clarity to my next steps.

Ryan Flat

I have taken dozens of classes at the 91��, and dozens of professors have guided me on my academic journey. While all were very knowledgeable in their fields and supportive of my academic endeavors, none have left quite the mark that Dr. Caroline Conzelman has. She is not only an incredible professor, but an inspiring individual. Her unconditional motivation and support have allowed me to thrive in my academic and professional endeavors. Dr. Conzelman’s teaching style combined the freedom to explore our individual interests, and the accountability of academic rigor to ensure that we would be successful in pursuing these interests. The compassion in her soul was evident when individuals who had faced tremendous hardships shared their stories with us. She also has a way about her that makes community-building seem so simple. Dr. Conzelman was the glue that held our now tight-knit cohort together. I feel more ready for my professional career than ever. She embodies the type of woman I hope to become.

Clementine Clyker

Dr. Hilger exemplifies what it means to be an outstanding mentor: an experienced, trusted advisor who leads with both professionalism and authenticity. Choosing to work under her leadership has been one of the most impactful decisions of my academic journey. Under her mentorship I successfully completed an honors thesis, participated in the Scholar’s Transforming through Research program (STR) in Washington, D.C., and was accepted into my first-choice graduate school program: 91��. Dr. Hilger has been pivotal in my professional development in helping me develop a strong CV, prepare for graduate school, and translate our research into meaningful academic and clinical experiences. Her mentorship is defined by ongoing support and clear, thoughtful communication. In every aspect of her mentorship, training, emotional support, professional development, and long-term investment, Dr. Hilger demonstrates what it means to truly mentor with purpose.

Karis Lowe

Dr. Conzelman’s support never wavered. While I was conducting fieldwork in Bolivia, she stayed in regular contact with me, checking in to offer guidance and emotional support. When there was political unrest in La Paz just days before I was scheduled to arrive via an attempted coup, she calmly helped me evaluate my options, confirmed my safety with her local contacts, and advised me on a contingency plan. Her support extended beyond academic mentorship—she truly cared about my well-being. Dr. Carol Conzelman exemplifies the highest standards of training, professional development, ongoing support, evaluative feedback, and impact on learning. I’ve learned how to bridge theory and practice, how to approach complex topics with humility and rigor, and how to work toward a future rooted in sustainability and justice.

Graciela Horstman

Matt is an enthusiastic and compassionate scientist who invests deeply in his students’ development—both individually and as a research community. His expectations are clear and his goals are challenging yet deeply rewarding. Through his mentorship, I’ve explored incredible ideas, both by engaging with primary literature and by learning practical research methods. When I joined his lab, I had just transferred to CU and was unsure about continuing in research due to a previous negative lab experience. Thanks to Matt, I quickly rediscovered my passion for science and exploration. I now feel fully supported in pursuing my interests, always met with enthusiasm and encouragement. Matt has been central to my growth as a scientist and a young professional. His lab has provided a uniquely inspiring and supportive environment—one that is intellectually rigorous yet warm and welcoming. I often say that I felt like a ball perched at the top of a hill, just waiting for a push. Matt and the Olm Lab were that push, and the momentum I’ve gained is something I’ll always carry with me.

Soren Maret

Kevin Mahan is an excellent mentor and teacher. I have been working with Kevin since the spring of 2024 and have learned so much from him. His gentle teaching style, as well as his infectious enthusiasm for the research he conducts and his obvious interest in guiding young minds, proves that he is one of the best mentors at 91��. Kevin not only recognizes raw talent in his mentees but also pushes them to expand their skills and knowledge far beyond what any of us thought was possible. I expected that my burgeoning skills might not be useful to his work, and I worried that I would just get in the way in his lab. Kevin showed me time and time again that he truly appreciated everything I brought to the table and that my skills could be improved to further both his research and my own professional and future career goals. Kevin has a fantastic way of making sure that all his students are successful without being overbearing or conversely uninvolved or detached. He lets his students take the lead and encourages them to follow their interests and step outside their comfort zone to reach their maximum potential. My skills and knowledge have increased exponentially since I started working with Kevin, and I look forward to using what I have learned as I enter the workforce after graduation. My confidence in my own science skills has skyrocketed too, and it’s all thanks to Kevin Mahan!

Holly McCrory Scott

I currently work in Dr. Sprenger’s lab under the mentorship of Hannah Padgette. I have worked in three different labs during my undergraduate career, and I can confidently say that Hannah is the most organized, motivated, and efficient graduate student I have ever worked with. After my initial training period, Hannah implemented a highly sustainable and effective support system. Together, we brainstormed a project idea, and now we meet weekly to track my progress. I’m expected to prepare a meeting agenda document before each meeting, which I’ve found invaluable, not just for organizing the meetings themselves, but for summarizing, documenting, and conceptualizing my work. I want to emphasize how available and responsive Hannah is when I need help. She is consistently flexible with her time and willing to answer questions or meet as needed, which has minimized the time I spend stuck on technical problems and has accelerated my progress. Her mentorship has had a lasting impact on my development as a student and researcher.

Anna Broerman

Issue: 2025 Summer & 2025-26 Academic Year UROP Grants

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

UROP offers flexible funding options (grants) for undergraduates and faculty to form partnerships for projects in all majors, fields of study and professional practice; hosts engaging events for students, staff and faculty to connect and grow; celebrates and enables mentorship; supports student-led campus publications; collaborates broadly throughout campus; and works with national and global partners to advance best practices.

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UROP represents an opportunity to enable student-centered education that makes the most of 91��’s global leadership in research and creative production. With well-documented benefits from persistence to postgraduate success, engagement in the research and creative life of the university can clarify career paths and prepare students for the future of work. Donations support empowering opportunities in all fields of study. Give Now.

UROP's Mentor Award recognizes campus individuals supporting undergraduates on research and creative projects. We invite you to celebrate with us and read excerpts from the students' nominations.

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2025 Summer & 2025-26 Academic Year UROP Grants

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