Each year, graduate students are nominated for the Joanne Westin Distinguished Graduate Teaching Award, presented to students in the Department of Biology who have demonstrated excellence in undergraduate teaching.

In 2010, the Department of Biology formally established the Joanne Westin Distinguished Graduate Student Teaching Award. The Westin Award is presented annually to a graduate student in the Department of Biology who has demonstrated excellence in undergraduate teaching.

The award is established in honor of Dr. Joanne Westin, a distinguished member of the faculty in the Department of Biology from 1977 to 2008.  During her tenure at CWRU, Dr. Westin taught a variety of Biology courses as well as served as a mentor for numerous graduate student teaching assistants.  Over the years, her skillful teaching and supervision has touched the lives of many in the Case Western Reserve Community.

The Westin Award signifies how much we in The Department of Biology truly value the hard work and effort our graduate student instructors dedicate to their teaching assignments.

The Outstanding Paper Award is presented annually to students in the department of Biology who demonstrate excellence in research through a published work.

Outstanding Paper Award

Winner: Jin Li

Paper: “Comparative Analysis of 84 Chloroplast Genomes of Tylosema esculentum Reveals Two Distinct Cytotypes”

Joanne Westin Graduate Teaching Award

Winner: Shivansh Dave

Joanne Westin Distinguished Graduate Student Teaching Award

Graduate Dean’s Instructional Excellence Award

Lenore A. Kola Graduate Student Community Service Award

Winner: Ellyn Evans

Outstanding Paper Award

Winner: Russell Engleman

J. Paul Vissher Award of the Cleveland Audubon Society

Winner: Will Huffmyer

Eva L. Pancoast Memorial Fellowship

Winner: Jacqui Yarman

Winner: Angie Lenard

Unsung Champion International Student Award

Winner: Swara Yadav

A list of awards given prior to 2022 can be found here.