A large audience and a panel of experts at Gravitational Waves event.

CMNS employee award recipients standing and smiling in front of a branded backdrop
Group of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science colleagues in front of CMNS branded backdrop
Brantley Hall and Amitabh Varshney holding a plaque in front of a CMNS branded backdrop
Andy Harris, Marvin Jones Jr. and Amitabh Varshney in front of a CMNS branded backdrop
Paul Keen and Amitabh Varshney holding plaque in front of a CMNS branded backdrop
Lawrence Washington shaking hands with Amitabh Varshney in front of CMNS branded backdrop
Amitabh Varshney, Christopher Metzler and Jeffrey Mechanick in front of CMNS branded backdrop
Dorothea O'Toole and Amitabh Varshney holding plaque in front of CMNS branded backdrop
Anisha Campbell and Terrapin Teachers team in front of CMNS branded backdrop
Mengting Chao shaking hands with Amitabh Varshney in front of CMNS branded backdrop
Abby Robinson and Amitabh Varshney holding plaque in front of CMNS branded backdrop
Sean Gruber shaking hands with Amitabh Varshney in front of CMNS branded backdrop
Amitabh Varshney, Brandon Kolstoe and Jeffrey Mechanick in front of CMNS branded backdrop
Gregory Moille and Amitabh Varshney holding plaque in front of CMNS branded backdrop
Physical Sciences Complex lobby full of people for the CMNS Employee Awards ceremony

College Announces 2025 Employee Award Recipients

/ 4 April 2025 /

The University of Maryland's College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) celebrated its 2025 employee award recipients at an awards ceremony on April 3, 2025. This year's awardees were selected from a pool of more than 650 nominations from the CMNS community. Congratulations to all! 

CMNS Board of Visitors Distinguished Faculty Award

Russell Dickerson, Professor, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
Honors a faculty member actively involved in a solid research program that has gained significant national and international attention.

CMNS Board of Visitors Junior Faculty Award 

Christopher Metzler, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science
Honors an assistant professor who has not yet been granted tenure and has shown exceptional accomplishment in teaching and/or research, thus clearly establishing themselves as excellent faculty members.

CMNS Board of Visitors Creative Educator Award

Lawrence Washington, Professor, Department of Mathematics
Honors a faculty member for cross-disciplinary education, collaboration with corporations and institutions outside the university, innovative approaches to education, enrichment of students' educational experience outside the classroom, and the embedding of entrepreneurship as an integral part of students' academic experience.

CMNS Board of Visitors Outstanding Graduate Student Award

Brandon Kolstoe, Department of Mathematics
Honors a CMNS doctoral graduate student who has advanced to candidacy and demonstrated scholarly and research excellence.

Dean’s Distinguished Research Scientist Award

Gregory Moille, Associate Research Scientist, Department of Physics
Recognizes the vital role played by research scientists in advancing the mission of the college. Honors research excellence evidenced by the discovery of new knowledge as demonstrated by published work in books, journals and leading conferences; invited talks, prizes, inventions, patents and other recognitions; and, as appropriate, the track record of their competitive research funding.

Dean’s Staff Awards

Anisha Campbell, Associate Director, Terrapin Teachers
Paul Keen, Program Administrative Specialist, Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics
Dorothea O'Toole, Facilities Manager, Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics
Abby Robinson, Assistant Dean of Communications, CMNS Dean's Office
Recognizes employee dedication to the well-being and operation of the college and its administrative units. Awardees exemplify strong capability, commitment and service to both CMNS and the greater university community.

Norma M. Allewell Prize in Entrepreneurship

Brantley Hall, Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics
Recognizes faculty members for their innovation and energy directed toward cutting-edge research, technology development and entrepreneurship in the biological sciences. The prize honors Dr. Norma M. Allewell and was established by Henry N. Wixon (B.S. '76, M.S. '80, zoology) and other Board of Visitors and faculty members of the former College of Chemical and Life Sciences at the University of Maryland. Dr. Allewell served as Dean of the College of Chemical and Life Sciences at the University of Maryland from September 2000 until June 2010.

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

Mercedes Taylor, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Nominated by students, this award honors a tenured or tenure-track faculty member.

Dean’s Outstanding Lecturer Award

Sean Gruber, Lecturer, Department of Mathematics
Nominated by students, this award honors a lecturer or instructor.

Thelma M. Williams Advisor of the Year Award

Marvin Jones Jr., Lecturer and Undergraduate Advisor, Department of Astronomy
Nominated by students, this award honors a faculty or staff member who performs the service of advising undergraduate students in the college.

Dean’s Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award

Mengting Chao, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation, Department of Mathematics
Nominated by students, this award honors an undergraduate or a graduate student who is performing the role of teaching assistant for a course being taught by CMNS.

About the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 10,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college's 10 departments and nine interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $250 million.