President Joe Biden honored three University of Connecticut faculty members during his final week in office.
Researchers include Jill Wegrzyn, associate professor of evolutionary biology, and Arash E. Zaghi, professor of civil engineering, both of whom were honored with the most prestigious award the federal government can give to researchers in the early phases of their careers, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
Dr. Linda Barry, professor and mentor for the Departments of Surgery and Health Sciences, was honored with the Presidential Award for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM), the most prestigious honor the federal government can award for someone in her position.
Zaghi and Wegrzyn were two of only 300 recipients Biden awarded the honor to.
Barry was one of 336 recipients to receive the PAESMEM.
Professor Zaghi’s research focuses on promoting a “strengths-based approach to neurodiverse learning,” according to UConn Today.
Zaghi’s ideas were considered to be very radical which made securing funding for his research difficult. He did eventually receive the necessary funding which led to his award winning discoveries.
“I think that’s a great story of how bold research pays off,” Zaghi said to UConn Today. “The NSF (National Science Foundation) is there to support high-risk, high-payoff research, and they supported ‘that crazy idea.’ Now, here we are – with the amount of visibility, I think we have substantially contributed to changing the narrative from a deficit perspective to a strengths-based one.”
Wegrzyn’s research centered around biodiversity and conservation genomics research.
Through her software, Wegrzyn hopes to answer questions in evolution and target different conservation programs due to the struggling climate.
“Receiving this prestigious award in the midst of climate change elevates the importance of this work and also inspires the students and trainees who contribute to its success,” Wegrzyn said to UConn Today.
For UConn’s honoree mentor, Linda Barry, this has been a long time coming as she has been mentoring for over three decades.
Through her mentoring, Berry has inspired more than 300 students to pursue science careers.
She has also mentored more than 400 women who demonstrated an interest in a surgical career through her Women in Surgery Interest Group.
Barry gave credit to the UConn School of Medicine, telling UConn Today, “It is a profound acknowledgment of the time and effort we invest in our mentees to succeed, often without the expectation of recognition.”
This recognition that UConn garnered through two up-and-coming researchers and one experienced mentor is something to have pride about, retaining their reputation as one of the top research universities in the United States.
