2025 CAS Awards

John Celenza, Associate Professor of Biology and Director of the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Program, was awarded a 2025 Undergraduate Academic Advising Award.

Lauren Consalvo, Department Administrator of the Department of Earth & Environment, was awarded the 2025 John S. Perkins Award.

Ana Villarreal, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology

Professor Villareal’s courses, including her popular seminar on Urban Inequalities in the Americas, are rigorous, intellectually rich, and deeply engaging. Students praise Professor Villareal for making complex theories accessible and relevant, often noting how she connects abstract ideas to real-world applications and social justice issues. Students also deeply appreciate her compassion and inclusivity. Her classroom is a space where students—especially those from marginalized backgrounds—feel valued and empowered. As one student put it, “Ana makes topics come alive, and she makes her students feel important and valued and special.” Her passion, rigor, and deep humanity exemplify the very best of teaching at Boston University.

J. Keith Vincent, Associate Professor, Department of World Languages & Literatures

Professor Vincent connects his students to the voices of others across languages, space, and time. What’s more, he inspires students to find their own voices. In his quest to deepen students’ love of literature, Professor Vincent’s pedagogical style blends the traditional with the experimental. His legendary The Tale of Genji database, for example, evolved from student-led translation comparisons into a robust digital humanities project. His students “adore” him and describe his classes as “transformative.” As one student wrote, “He didn’t just want us to write an excellent paper—he wanted the novel to resonate with us as it resonated with him.” His colleagues note that connecting with students is what matters most deeply to him; he is genuinely delighted and inspired by his students.

Carolyn Hodges-Simeon, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology

Professor Hodges-Simeon is a profoundly impactful teacher and mentor. After earning tenure, she expanded her teaching in an extraordinary way, launching several large-enrollment courses, such as Introduction to Evolutionary Medicine, that have become mainstays of the department’s interdisciplinary major in Anthropology, Health and Medicine. Her course Evolutionary Psychology, which integrates pages of original material, interactive modules, and videos, has become one of BU’s largest summer courses. Her students share how she changed their perspectives on scientific research and society at large. One student remarked, “This class has been a very good example of how STEM courses can be conscious of bias in the material.” Another student wrote that Professor Hodges-Simeon helped them to look at the world “with more wonder and curiosity.” 

The Distinction in First Year Undergraduate Education, reflects the crucial importance of supporting our students’ transitions from high school, and enabling them to lay strong academic foundations for deeply engaged learning and high achievement throughout their college careers.

Courtney Pina Miller, Lecturer in the Writing Program

A talented and dedicated teacher, a compassionate mentor, a generous citizen of the program, and a passionate advocate for first-generation and underrepresented students, Courtney Pina Miller has established herself as one of the CAS Writing Program’s most respected and beloved faculty members. Students prize their seats in her courses, and she has earned a well-deserved reputation for offering inclusive, engaging, and intellectually rigorous courses that help first-year students transition confidently into college life. Beyond the Writing Program, Miller also serves as a mentor through programs such as the Newbury Center, Terrier Firsts, and IDEA Scholars, providing consistent guidance and advocacy for students learning to navigate college life.

With the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Education, we recognize a member of our faculty whose commitment and contributions to graduate teaching, mentoring and/or program development have significantly raised the quality and impact of post-baccalaureate training in their disciplinary or interdisciplinary fields.

Jennifer Cazenave, Associate Professor, Department of Romance Studies

Because of her passion for her subjects and her wholehearted support of her students as both academics and human beings, Jennifer Cazenave’s graduate students gain much more from her than specialized academic knowledge. They also develop research, communication, and critical thinking skills that are vital to their professional and personal growth and, more profoundly, cultivate an appreciation for the import and significance of humanistic scholarship at the highest levels. One of her students wrote, “Most of all, this course taught me how to think… how to watch, listen, connect, consider, and debate.” Another student shared that “she has reinvigorated my love and passion for film.”

With the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Part-Time Teaching, we honor the very important contributions of a part-time colleague to the educational mission of the College.

Jill Walsh, Part-Time Lecturer, Department of Sociology

Jill Walsh is deeply committed to connecting classroom learning to the world beyond Boston University. In her course “Boston’s People and Neighborhoods”, for example, students explore Boston’s neighborhoods firsthand to deepen their understanding of urban sociology and local culture. Her students praise her courses as “eye-opening”, saying that their critical thinking and writing skills improved thanks to Walsh’s rigorous and engaging curriculum. Walsh is an exemplary teacher who helps students recognize that the study of sociology offers not just an understanding of society, but also the power to improve it.

Abby Lutton, Department Manager, Department of Mathematics & Statistics

Our nominator writes that Abby has proven herself to be an absolutely integral part of our department, from all of the large-scale operations to all of the nitty-gritty details. She helps us all do our jobs better—making us better researchers, educators, and mentors—by anticipating and supporting the needs of everyone in our department. Abby carefully listens to ideas of students and faculty and has been the backbone of implementing new initiatives, like a Department-wide Colloquium series. Abby effortlessly builds community: organizing department-wide lunches and enriching our yearly Pi Day celebration and start-and end-of-semester departmental parties. Abby further fosters connections between our department and the broader university, including the likes of Computer Science, the Hariri Institute, Data Science, Sponsored Research Program, and the International Students & Scholars Office. Abby does it all, and we could not imagine our department without Abby!

Erin Reynolds, Assistant Director, Center for Space Physics and the Institute for Astrophysics Research

Our nominators note that Erin spearheads the coordination of well over 100 federal funding proposals per year by over 50 PIs, the management of over 150 active grants and contracts with over $10M in annual expenditure, and the employment of over 70 students and 50 researchers. She supervises twice as many colleagues as she did just one year ago. Erin also organizes community- strengthening events like summer schools, workshops, and celebrations. Her contributions are cherished and valued by all in the BU astronomical community. Erin is greatly appreciated across CAS. She has been heavily involved in supporting the newly-created Office of Research Administration and serves on its advisory groups. She works tirelessly to ensure that all three of her research entities interfaces smoothly with the academic Department of Astronomy. And she is consistently willing to provide support, share her knowledge, and offer training across the College. She is a great asset and contributor to the College, and it is a privilege to partner with her and recognize her among her peers.

Elise St. Esprit, Department Administrator, Department of Sociology

Our nominators state that Elise is incredibly organized, innovative, supportive of her colleagues and of our students and faculty, energetic, and brings a tremendous skillset to every facet of her job. She is an excellent planner, a skilled writer, and navigates delicate situations with unflagging sensitivity and thoughtfulness. This year has been an exceptionally challenging one and yet Elise routinely goes above and beyond, carefully supervising staff and student workers, and ensuring a seamless transition for our leadership. She has coordinated the hiring of new faculty and overseen several tenure and promotion cases. Having a person like Elise in an academic department is game-changing for faculty and students. She is always willing to go the extra mile to research the answer to difficult questions, whether pertaining to a graduate student’s funding status, a faculty member’s summer salary, or details regarding personnel issues such as hiring new faculty. She brings joy and good spirits into everything she does. She has been nothing short of phenomenal. In sum, Elise is an incredible asset, not just for Sociology, but for the College and the University.

Liz Zoraian, Financial Analyst, CAS Business Office

Several nominators came forward to share that Liz is always very helpful and responsive to departmental needs while maintaining the financial controls that are essential to the success of CAS and all of its departments and centers. However, what distinguishes her this year is the amount of responsibility that suddenly landed in her lap when BU unleashed JobX on an unsuspecting and unprepared University community. As Fiscal Year 2025 was commencing, she became the sole supervisor for all graduate and undergraduate students within CAS/GRS in this new system. Because people’s paychecks were involved, the consequences for students—especially grad students—were tremendous, and the pain caused by empty bank accounts was enormous. Liz found herself at the center of it all. Yet, she handled all the chaos and upheaval with patience and grace. Without her competence and support, things would have been much, much worse, and we are deeply grateful to have her collaborating with us to find solutions and help our students.

The Templeton Awards showcase CAS advising at its best. Steve Jarvi’s annual call for nominations from graduating seniors helps identify what students need, what they value, and how skilled and dedicated faculty advisors have made a positive difference in their lives. Recognizing that effective “advising” is not limited to just the formal role of an academic advisor, the College emphasized the value of mentorship when soliciting nominations for the advising awards from the class of 2023.

Marcus Walton, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science

One of Marcus’ nominators described him as “an incredible mentor supportive in my plans for post-grad, aiding in connecting me with past students and faculty members related to my research interests and career aspirations. We share various ideas about past, present, and future political conditions, contributing to my continuous exploration and questioning of political theories and policy.” That nominator went on to add “his teaching style is one that I think all professors of academia should follow: he is quite involved with his students and wants to see them do the best they can at all times.” Well, if this group is any indication of our faculty in CAS, and I think that it is, that student has nothing to worry about. 

Alexis Courtney, Lecturer, Department of Chemistry

A theme from Alexis’ nominations was the clear connection between her teaching and her advising and mentoring. She encouraged one of her nominators to be an undergraduate teaching assistant and the result, well according to the student and I quote, “When Professor Courtney asked me to be an undergraduate teaching assistant for organic chemistry, that instantly turned my life around. I went from being the most introverted, closed off student on campus to the most extroverted, and confident student all because she believed in me.” Another student commented that “I have heard numerous testimonies from students who have changed their career paths as a result of her mentorship—myself included. Her innovative teaching techniques and openness to student feedback shift the focus from assigning grades to prioritizing student learning.”

Kyna Hamill, Master Lecturer and Director of the CAS Core Curriculum

Kyna consistently recruits outstanding instructors from across CAS to teach in Core, many of whom request to come back and teach Core courses regularly. Students find community in her many initiatives and events, from the annual experiential learning trip to Florence to her legendary weekly tea. Core alumni remain highly engaged with the program, and Core staff describe Kyna’s nurturing mentorship as “transformative”. This welcoming and supportive environment does not happen by chance. Rather, it is a result of what Kyna’s nominators describe as her “commitment to the beating heart of the Core mission: our sense of fellowship.”

Lauren Delp, PhD candidate in Biostatistics

Lauren is a “double Terrier” and a first-gen college student who goes out of her way to make others feel included and understood. While navigating the demands of a rigorous doctoral program, she also actively engages with the BU chapter of the American Statistical Association, the SPH Doctoral Student Organization, and the Biostatistics Student Association, connecting and energizing her peers. In addition, she has transformed the environment of her first-year cohort into one of warmth, collaborative learning, and both personal and academic support.

Erin Salius, the Director of the CAS Experiential Learning Connector

As the inaugural director of the EL Connector, Erin has created and empowered an increasingly complex community of students, staff, and faculty. She has designed programming that removes obstacles to experiential learning, such as securing financial support for students with unpaid internships and facilitating work authorization pathways for international students. Erin is also dedicated to staff and faculty community and growth, leading projects with the CAS Staff Institute and the Experiential Learning Practitioners Group. Erin’s students and colleagues alike are thankful for her compassion, energy, and genuine care for those around her.

Bontu Ankit Patro (CAS’25), Economics & Mathematics, International Relations

Wade Campbell, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology

Allison McCarthy, doctoral student in Astronomy

A few examples of Allison’s advocacy include developing custom ASL signs for scientific concepts and coding languages, which have been incorporated into an ASL dictionary for broader use; multiple invitations to discuss Astronomical occurrences and host Open Nights by the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and UVA, among others; and co-authoring a paper highlighting efforts to integrate the DHH community into astronomy in the Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society.

Undergraduate Senior in Anthropology, Ruofei Shang

Anthropology — Katrina Adriene Tronco

Archaeology — Hallie Baker

Astronomy — Yi-Ting Chen

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology — Elena Green

Biology — Carly Shea McDermott

Chemistry — Longxiao Wei

Cinema & Media Studies Program — Xinting Chen

Classical Studies — John Griffin

Computer Science — Truc Duong

Earth & Environment — Kelly Schisa

Economics — Sofia Padilla Sousa Neves

English — Katherine Emily Bourlakas

History — Kaitlin Danielle Howlett

History of Art & Architecture — Megan Caroline Hinckley

Linguistics — Grace Louise Rohde

Marine Program — Matthew Benjamin Giess

Mathematics & Statistics — Caiwei Zhang

Medical Science — Rohith Kameshwara Ryali

Neuroscience— Adora SaroPhilosophy — Ryan Xavier Servaites

Physics — Robert Vincent Vitale II

Political Science — Ryan Xavier Servaites

Psychological & Brain Sciences — Eve Olivia Kleiber

Religion — Jonah Michael Causin

Romance Studies — Elias Poretta DiMatties

Sociology — Ramona Leung

World Languages and Literatures — Lila Baltaxe

Award for Writing Excellence in the Humanities in Honor of Robert E. Charm

Author: Jonah Michael Causin

Gregory Hudson Award for Writing Excellence in the Humanities

Author: Giovanna Rose Rudis

Michael A. Sassano III and Christopher M. Sassano Award for Writing Excellence in the Social Sciences

Author: Tia Sky Perkins

Francis Bacon Award for Writing Excellence in the Natural Sciences

Author: Jana Al-Husayni

Alumni Award for Writing Excellence in Mathematical & Computational Sciences

Author: Hunter Jackson Golemon