Award

We are delighted to announce that four of our graduate students have been recognized with prestigious research grants from the Geological Society of America (GSA). 

Please join us in congratulating:

Congratulations to GES graduate student Poushalee Banerjee, who was awarded an honorable mention by the American Fisheries Society in their 2026 Student Writing Contest! 

This award acknowledges students who excel in communicating fishery-related research. Poushalee's article discusses her research on the Eastern Hellbender: "Ancient Giants and the Biological Bulldozer: How Can Mapping Help in Imperiled Eastern Hellbender Survival?"

Congratulations to graduate student Emeka Emordi on receiving an Elsevier Research Scholarship in Organic Geochemistry! Emeka’s achievement reflects the strength of his research and dedication to the field. He conducts his work under the guidance of faculty advisor Dr. Josef Werne.

Congratulations to Giannina Ramirez on being selected as a Carl Storm Opportunity Fellow at the Gordon Research Conference on Organic Geochemistry! This prestigious fellowship recognizes Giannina’s promise and contributions to the field. She conducts her research under the guidance of faculty advisor Dr. Josef Werne.

We are delighted to congratulate Dr. Josef Werne on his selection for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Global Scholar Award for the academic year 2026–2027! This prestigious honor recognizes Dr. Werne's outstanding leadership and contributions to his field, and reflects the exceptional scholarship taking place in our department.

Congratulations to William Schuck on receiving the Fall 2025 Chancellor's Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship for your proposal on Sustainable Teaching, Innovative Thinking and Environmental Excellence. The David C.

Taking Home the Bronze!

A video on Riversense, a Pittsburgh Water Collaboratory tool working on improving local access to clean rivers, received a bronze Telly Award in the non-broadcast/general sustainability category. The video was produced by Speed, Zetter and media producer Patrick Walsh. 

Congratulations to Poushalee Banerjee on being awarded the Arthur & Barbara Pape Endowment Award!

This award from the Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology (PLE), University of Pittsburgh, for her research proposal. This grant will help further my ongoing research work on Eastern Hellbenders. This vulnerable amphibian species has been a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since December 2024.

Nancy Tannery Grants for Open Educational Resources (OER)

The Office of the Provost provided Nancy Tannery Grant for Open Educational Resources (OER) funding to 11 projects during the spring 2025 term.

Congratulations to Jason Aguirre on his NSF GRFP Honorable Mention!