The University of Maryland Eastern Shore recognized top students for their achievements at what would have been its annual Honors Convocation. An overall Award of Excellence winner was selected from each of the university’s four academic schools along with an honoree from each of the departments within the schools. Students who made the dean’s list and other special awards were also honored.
Yasmin Roye was the recipient of the Award of Excellence for the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences along with being named the recipient for the Department of Natural Sciences. Roye graduated May 15 with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from UMES. The Prince George’s County native has been accepted to Duke University’s biomedical engineering Ph.D. program as a William M. “Monty” Reichter Fellow and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow.
During her academic career at UMES, Roye was a participant of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program where she received guidance from Dr. Tracy Bell, published her first research project with Dr. Uche Udeochu in the Journal of Spectroscopy, explored microfluidic fabrication and the application of nanomaterials in Dr. Kausik Das’ lab and researched the causes of neutrophil accumulation in the lung with Dr. Jennifer Bobenko.
Roye’s work with Bobenko earned her a first place award at the UMES Undergraduate Research Symposium for her poster titled, “Investigation of Neutrophil Sequestration Using a Lung Capillary Constriction Device.” The research was undergone during a summer 2019 Leadership Alliance internship at Brown University conducting surgical and immunology research.
Wade Wilkins, a senior majoring in general agricultural studies, received the award for the Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences. Wilkins is from Berlin, Maryland, where he lives on his third generation family farm. He is set to become the first in his family to receive a college degree.
Wilkins has been involved in the community volunteering with the Wicomico County Young Farmers, Stephen Decatur High School and serving on the board of directors of the Wicomico County Fair. At UMES, he is a member of the FED challenge team and attended the UMES Advocacy Day in Annapolis. Wilkins’ research with Dr. Sadanand Dhekney is focused on hemp and organic mass production.
Gabrielle Pinto received the award for the Department of Human Ecology. Pinto recently graduated this spring from UMES with a bachelor’s in human ecology with a concentration in child development. She calls White Plains, New York home and is a member of Alpha Omicron Nu and The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi at UMES.
