The Clemson University College of Science recognized some of its most outstanding undergraduate and graduate students during an awards ceremony on April 9.
The following G&B students were recognized.
Ryan Mehlem: Outstanding Undergraduate in Discovery Award
Ryan Mehlem, an Honors College student with a biochemistry major with minors in cluster engineering and business administration, has built an outstanding research record across multiple labs, spending more than four years studying thermal adaptation, azole tolerance and gene expression in Aspergillus fumigatus.
This award is given to a graduating senior who has performed outstanding original research in the sciences.
Katie Barfield: Blue Key Academic and Leadership Award
A genetics and sociology major with a minor in gender, sexuality and women’s studies, Katie Barfield has worked in Miriam Konkel’s lab, participated in research at Johns Hopkins University and has conducted a greenhouse assay at the Institute of Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture in Malaga, Spain.
The Blue Key Academic and Leadership Award recognizes one student in each of the colleges at Clemson who has distinguished themselves in academic scholarship and campus leadership.
Jerry (Rui) Che: Outstanding Graduate in Discovery
Jerry (Rui) Che is a Ph.D. candidate in genetics and during his graduate studies, Che helped create a new research method that made it possible to study how certain molecules inside cells are controlled, leading to the identification of important pathways involved in how cells process nuclear RNA. He also discovered two human genes, which he named RMP24 and RMP64 and helped develop an E.-coli-free cloning method and a way to build much larger DNA libraries for genetic research. The new cloning method was patented.
This award honors doctoral students in the College of Science who have made distinctive and discernable contributions to their field.
Ava McKee: SciSAB Outstanding Board Member
Ava McKee has been a member of Science Student Advisory Board for three years, most recently serving as grant officer and will step into the role of vice president for outreach next year. As grant officer, she led the coordination of SciSAB’s grant in aid of research award program, applications increasing by 91%, and helping award $6,200 in funding. Her plans as vice president for outreach next year are to increase volunteering opportunities and strengthen the partnership with the Science Outreach Center.
Senior Katie Barfield and alum Søren Spina were recognized by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), a highly competitive award that supports outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Katie, a genetics and sociology double major and Breakthrough Scholar studies the questions at the intersection of genetics, genomics and human health. Her research has explored transposable elements and translational regulation while also examining how science can better serve diverse communities. Søren is studying at Ohio State University.
The GRFP recognizes early-career scientists and engineers who demonstrate exceptional promises for leadership and innovation and provides three years of financial support over five years, including a $37,000 annual stipend and a $16,000 cost-of-education allowance to the institution.
It will be strange not to see Gabbie Gardiner around the teaching labs in Poole anymore. Gabbie is graduating this May with dual degrees in genetics and biochemistry, along with a minor in Spanish, after serving as a student laboratory assistant.
“I have worked as a student laboratory assistant for the G&B [Poole] teaching labs for the past four years.”
Gabbie Gardiner has always kept busy, whether serving as an academic mentor and Assistant VP of Intellectual Development for the Theta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega, acting as a Health Professions Advising Ambassador, or leading as Community Outreach Chair for The Period Project on campus. She has also been involved in organizations ranging from Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society to the Spanish Club and Hablemos Club.
Some of Gabbie’s extracurriculars were academic in nature as well, having worked in research labs aside from the teaching labs.
“I was a part of Dr. Métris’ Creative Inquiry exploring environmental DNA and RNA and Dr. Boccuto’s Health Genetics lab exploring Phelan-McDermid Syndrome.”
Gabbie has made many memories during her tenure at Clemson. However, when asked what her favorites are, a few come to mind.
“When we made it to the Elite 8 last year in basketball. I prefer watching basketball over football (sorry). An honorable mention for another favorite memory was winning Cribb Floor 5’s Resident of the Month for October 2022.”
Gabbie has gained a confidence over the last four years and has learned not to be afraid to speak up and talk to your peers and professors.
“Many of my opportunities have come from simply asking and not being afraid of being denied.”
After graduation, Gabbie plans to take the MCAT and work as a medical assistant until she moves to Spain to teach English in October as a gap year.
Dr. Shahid Mukktar at the American Society of Plant Biologists meeting.
Dr. Shahid Mukhtar was invited for three events:
Chaired a plenary session on “single cell and spatial biology” and presented in that plenary session at American Society of Plant Biologists, held in Madison, Wisconsin
Chaired a concurrent session on “single cell genomics” and presented in that session at The International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR), held in Ghent, Belgium
Invited to give a talk on “single cell genomics in guard cells” at the International Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, held in Cologne, Germany
Dr. Robert Anholt is planning the 2026 SC INBRE Career Development Workshop titled “Dazzle ’Em With Style: The Art of Oral Scientific Presentation (Presentation Skills)” for the USC School of Medicine, Columbia, SC. In addition Dr. Anholt is the organizer for three events:
Symposium on “Translational Models for Substance Use Disorders” at the 2026 Annual meeting of the American Society for Human Genetics, Montreal, Canada. (October 2026)
Clemson University Ecology and Evolution Symposium, Clemson, SC. (March 2026)
Institute for Human Genetics Summer Symposium “Shining Light on the Dark Genome, Greenwood, SC.” (May 2026)
Stephen Dolan, an assistant professor in the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry.
Dr. Stephen Dolan has joined forces with molecular biologist Gustavo Goldman at the University of São Paulo in Brazil to understand how dangerous fungi survive their own poisons and how that could be turned into a new antifungal drug.
Dr. Robert Anholt is part of a new initiative at Clemson aimed at bringing researchers together across disciplines to study how life changes and persists in a rapidly shifting world. The ecology and evolution initiative, led by faculty from multiple departments and colleges, seeks to connect scientists who have historically worked in separate spaces despite overlapping interests.
EPIC, which is one of Clemson’s largest research centers, has joined with partners from around the world to form EPICON, the Eukaryotic Pathogens International Consortium. The consortium founding members include the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in Brazil, the University of Ghana and Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador (PUCE), which complement and supplement the research done by EPIC’s 24 faculty members, who represent three colleges and eight departments.
Clemson University senior double majoring in biochemistry and psychology Yashvi Patel spent the past summer at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida completing a clinical research internship focused on stroke treatment, analyzing how soon patients can begin physical movement such as sitting on the edge of the bed, standing or walking after having a stroke and receiving a certain drug.
Aging leaves a chemical signature on DNA, statistical models known as epigenetic clocks estimating a person’s age with relatively high accuracy. However, new research by assistant professor and member of the Institute of Human Genetics Dr. Shyamalika Gopalan and collaborators from France show many of these clocks do not tell time well for some populations.
Students Alayna Khoja, genetics major, and Kristen Evans, biochemistry major, have been inducted into the new Honors College initiative, the Action Scholars Program. This new program brings together a group of first- and second-year Honors students to research, build and implement plans to address community needs or challenges.
The Microbiology Society, together with the British Mycological Society recently announced that Dr. Stephen Dolan and graduate student Shafi Mondal as the joint winners of the 2026 Tony Trinci Award. The award is given annually to a researcher deemed to be presenting the best mycological science at one of each Society’s main scientific meetings.
Dr. Meredith Morris has been awarded a Fulbright Specialist grant to strengthen international research and training partnerships between the Institute of Parasitology in the Czech Republic and the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC) at Clemson University. This project brings together two globally recognized centers focused on understanding parasites that impact human and animal health.
Graduate student John McCoy presented at the South Carolina Academy of Science Meeting and won an award for first place for best graduate student presentation. John’s poster presentation was titled “Investigation of Endogenous Retrovirus in Connective Tissue Disorders.”
