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 students won awards:
Outstanding Junior in Science
Abigayle Thompson
This award recognizes the best overall junior in the College of Science based on scholarship and character. Abigayle Thompson is a member of Clemson Honors College and is majoring in physics with a minor in electrical engineering.
Thompson has been deeply involved in Clemson’s participation in NASA-affiliated student sounding rocket programs, including the GHOST mission,” where she helped design, develop and test an experiment to determine total electron content in the ionosphere. The rocket launched successfully in November, and the data collected is now being analyzed.
She is also part of the 2026 RockSat mission, where she is working with other physics and engineering students to develop an experiment for a NASA sounding rocket scheduled to launch from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia in June. That payload includes a radiation spectrometer and a VHF radio receiver system.
In addition to her rocket work, she has worked in Stephen Kaeppler’s lab on software-defined radio research related to ionospheric radar studies. She also conducted nanophotonics research with the Ryckman Group at the Duke Energy Innovation Center and presented summer research connected to photonic integrated circuit testing at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
She serves as vice president of the Society of Physics Students and has worked as a teaching assistant in the School of Computing and as a tutor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Her campus involvement also includes Clemson University Women in Physics and the American Nuclear Society.
Thompson has had multiple internships at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, where she contributed to photonic integrated circuit testing and electronic warfare-related systems.
Looking ahead, Thompson plans to pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering and is considering a long-term career with the Applied Physics Laboratory.
Outstanding Senior in Science
Janhavi Deshpande
This award recognizes the best overall graduating senior in the College of Science based on scholarship and character. Janhavi Deshpande is majoring in mathematical sciences and economics and minoring in financial management. She is a member of the Clemson Honors College.
At Clemson, Deshpande is conducting interdisciplinary honors thesis research on how macroeconomic variables influence traffic fatalities. Collaborating with faculty in mathematics and economics, she applies econometrics, optimization and machine learning to develop predictive models. Her work has already produced models capable of estimating fatal accident rates using economic indicators.
She has also contributed to machine learning projects on cybersecurity in water systems, optimization studies to enhance model efficiency and disease-spreading modeling initiatives shared with hospitals to help mitigate infection rates.
In addition, as a Dixon Fellow, she developed a data-driven system to improve campus parking efficiency, integrating sensor-based vacancy detection into a mobile app. Clemson has implemented the app idea to increase parking efficiency on campus.
As a research intern at Stanford, she advanced statistical modeling and biostatistics research aimed at predicting disease dynamics.
Deshpande serves as president of the Clemson Association for Women in Mathematics, helped organize a mathematics conference, served as an Honors College peer mentor and led UNICEF fundraising initiatives on campus. Outside of the classroom, she served as president of the Clemson Dholna Bollywood Fusion Dance team and participated in the Minority Business Student Association and the Artificial Intelligence Club. She was also treasurer of TedX Clemson.
She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in either mathematical and computational engineering, operations research or econometrics.
Outstanding Undergraduate in Discovery Award
Ryan Mehlem
This award is given to a graduating senior who has performed outstanding original research in the sciences. Ryan Mehlem is a biochemistry major with minors in cluster engineering and business administration. He is a member of the Clemson Honors College.
At Clemson, Mehlem has built an outstanding research record across multiple labs. In the Sourabh Dhingra lab, he has spent more than four years studying thermal adaptation, azole tolerance and gene expression in Aspergillus fumigatus. His work has been presented at Cellular Biology of Eukaryotic Pathogens conferences and the Southeastern Medical Scientists Symposium.
In the Renee Cottle lab, he has focused on translational gene-editing research. For his honors thesis, he designed an ex vivo editing approach using adeno-associated viruses. The research was supported by a Departmental Honors Research Grant he received. He presented his findings at several symposia.
Mehlem also spent last summer as an Amgen Scholar in the McCown lab at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where he worked on AAV capsid engineering. He presented his findings at the GENESIS Research Symposium and the Amgen Scholars North America Symposium.
Outside of research, Mehlem serves as president and CEO of Advancing Rural Communities through STEM Education, Inc., or ARCS-Ed, a nonprofit he helped form after winning the Pay it Forward Challenge. He has also served as the College of Science representative for CHANGE, the student ethics committee of the Rutland Institute for Ethics, and a member of the Honors Student Advisory Board. He’s also a materials officer for MedLife.
Mehlem is a Dixon Fellow and an MCAT tutor.
After graduation, he plans to enter an M.D./Ph.D. program. As a physician scientist, he plans to devote his career to making groundbreaking gene and cell therapies, providing top-notch care to patients, and educating the next generation of physician-scientists.
Blue Key Academic and Leadership Award
Katie Barfield
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. Kathleen Barfield is a genetics and sociology major with a minor in gender, sexuality and women’s studies.
Barfield has worked in Miriam Konkel’s lab on projects examining structural differences in human STAG1 cluster genes and the effects of mutations and mobile elements on medically relevant genes.
She has also participated in research at Johns Hopkins University where she worked on an independent project characterizing compounds from a previous small molecule screen for atherogenic lipoprotein reducing agents. She presented her findings at conferences and poster contests.
At the Institute of Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture in Malaga, Spain, Barfield conducted a greenhouse assay with approximately 250 melon plants to study the impact of combining dsRNA and surfactants with fungicides on powdery mildew resistance.
In addition to her research, Barfield served as the director of the Clemson University Student Government Sexuality and Gender Engagement Committee, served as the assistant technical director for Tigerama and was secretary of the Sexuality and Gender Alliance. She served on the Women in Leadership Conference organizing committee and was a member of the College of Science Student Advisory Board.
She participated in the Dixon Global Policy Scholars program.
Barfield enjoys curating Spotify playlists, watching films and spending time with friends and family. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in genetics or developmental biology. She hopes to work at an R1 institution as a genetics professor while conducting research on the intersections of genetics, health and social circumstances.
Phi Kappa Phi Certificate of Merit
Mercy Crapps
This award recognizes a graduating senior with a GPA of 3.4 or above who has made noteworthy contributions in areas such as leadership, service and creative endeavors to their department, college and Clemson. Mercy Crapps is majoring in biological sciences and is a member of the Clemson Honors College.
Crapps’s research career started in Ethan Kung’s laboratory as a Eureka! participant during the summer before her first year at Clemson evaluating stroke risk among patients through computational fluid dynamics analyses. While a Clemson student, her work has spanned multiple disciplines and institutions, including ovarian cancer and bioengineering. She participated in Delphine Dean’s Creative Inquiry course for three years where she worked on building a portable electrocardiogram and instructional manual.
She has presented her work at national and University forums, including the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists and Clemson’s Focus on Creative Inquiry and Eureka! poster sessions.
Crapps co-founded the ARCS-Ed nonprofit focused on bringing hands-on STEM education to underserved rural middle schools, where she leads outreach, develops programming and writes grants. She also serves as president of PERIOD @ Clemson, advocating for menstrual equity, and as a member of the university’s Judicial Board. In addition, she has worked as a teaching assistant for Calculus II, supporting student learning through instruction and review sessions.
She contributes regularly to the Paw Pantry and volunteers with hospice care. She is also a National Scholars peer mentor.
Outstanding Graduate in Engagement
Jared Kettinger
This award honors a graduate student who has excelled in strengthening and engaging with the community outside of the University.
Jared Kettinger is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. His research focuses on commutative algebra and algebraic number theory, with an emphasis on factorization theory under the guidance of Jim Coykendall.
Kettinger has developed and taught mathematics and economics courses at the Greenville Detention Center, helping to advance prisoner education and partnering with initiatives to expand credit-bearing educational programs throughout South Carolina’s correctional facilities.
In addition, he has mentored high school students through the MIT PRIMES program, guiding them in original mathematical research and academic writing. This year, his group won a bronze medal for the S.-T. Yau High School Science Award.
On campus, he has organized and led a philosophy of mathematics reading group, coordinated graduate student seminars and contributed to multiple student organizations, including serving as American Mathematical Society chapter president and as a board member of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.
He also further contributed to the broader academic community by refereeing for multiple mathematics journals, judging academic competitions and supporting departmental teaching development.
In addition, Kettinger has served as a graduate teacher of record since 2022.
Outstanding Graduate in Learning
Abigail McNamee
The Outstanding Graduate in Learning Award honors two graduates who have been exemplary in undergraduate science teaching, particularly because of their sincere interest in and concern for undergrads.
Since joining Clemson in 2020, Abigail McNamee, a Ph.D. student in chemistry, has served as a general chemistry teaching assistant, supporting well over 300 undergraduate students across multiple semesters. Her teaching is characterized by clarity, preparedness and an ability to adapt explanations to students with widely varying academic backgrounds.
McNamee served as a teaching assistant peer mentor for first-year graduate TAs. In that role, she met regularly with new instructors to discuss grading, classroom management, instructional challenges, student communication and practical teaching strategies.
Most recently, she worked as a general chemistry lab assistant, helping prepare instructional materials, communicating learning objectives, assisting with TA training and holding office hours. She also supervised students on research projects and helped them develop laboratory and scientific communication skills.
McNamee participated in outreach programs that introduced high school students to chemistry through laboratory activities.
She has won several awards, including the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award, the Graduate Faculty Award in Chemistry and the Mandel Fellowship.
Outstanding Graduate in Learning
Rose Serradimigni
Rose Serradimigni is a master’s student in environmental toxicology. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences in December 2020. She also minored in psychology.
Her teaching experience spans multiple roles, including undergraduate lab assistant, tutor and post-baccalaureate teaching assistant. She has taught numerous sections of anatomy and physiology labs and regularly supports large numbers of students through lectures, office hours and one-on-one mentoring.
She currently serves as a lead graduate teaching assistant, helping coordinate lab instruction and prepare other teaching assistants.
Faculty describe her as highly effective at explaining complex material and supporting students who are struggling. They say she improves both student performance and confidence by focusing on clear communication and individualized support. Students noted her accessibility and responsiveness.
In addition to teaching, Serradimigni is active in research, contributing to multiple publications and conference presentations in environmental toxicology. She leads independent projects and mentors other students in laboratory techniques and experiment design.
Outstanding Graduate in Discovery
Jerry (Rui) Che
This award honors two doctoral students in the College of Science who have made distinctive and discernable contributions to their field.
Jerry (Rui) Che is a Ph.D. candidate in genetics. During his graduate studies, Che helped create a new research method that made it possible to study how certain molecules inside cells are controlled. Using that approach, he identified important pathways involved in how cells process nuclear RNA, a type of genetic material that controls cell function.
He also discovered two human genes, which he named RMP24 and RMP64, that are now part of the gene nomenclature of human genetics and RNA biology. In another project, he helped identify a new pathway involved in RNA control and showed how changes in a gene called SSX59 may be linked to a rare genetic disorder known as Oral-Facial-Digital syndrome.
Che’s research has also uncovered two previously unknown subunits involved in a long-studied RNA complex. He 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.
His work has been published in major scientific journals, including Nature Communications and Cell Reports. He also gave a plenary talk at the 2025 RNA Society meeting, one of the largest gatherings in his field.
Before his Ph.D. work, Che studied plant genetics and biotechnology, and his work produced published papers and conference presentations.
Outstanding Graduate in Discovery
Ben Martinez
Ben Martinez, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, studies how space weather and lower-atmosphere conditions shape the day-to-day and seasonal variability of the ionosphere-thermosphere region. He works with numerical models, machine learning and satellite observatories to improve short-term forecasting capabilities of the upper atmosphere.
His research has already produced several peer-reviewed papers, including three on which he was first author. He is co-author on several others. His research has been cited frequently.
One of his key findings shows how changes in the thermosphere are linked to weather lower in the atmosphere, including the polar vortex. Another paper examined wave patterns in the ionosphere and found that a tide called DE3 is strongly tied to a wave pattern known as WN4, while WN3 is influenced by a broader mix of factors.
Martinez’s work has also shown that certain atmospheric events, including sudden stratospheric warmings, can improve the predictability of space weather. He developed methods to connect weather models with upper-atmosphere models and used them to test forecasts across multiple warming events.
His research has earned wider recognition through invited talks, conference presentations and a second place finish in the 2024 CEDAR student poster competition. He also received the NCAR Newkirk Graduate Student Fellowship.
SciSAB Outstanding Board Member
Ava McKee received the Science Student Advisory Board Outstanding Board Member Award.
McKee has been a member of SciSAB for three years. She most recently served 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. Through her efforts, applications increased by 91%, and she helped award $6,200 in funding. She also helped ensure board-hosted events such as Denim and Dialogue and SciWeek ran smoothly. As vice president for outreach next year, she plans to increase volunteering opportunities and strengthen the partnership with the Science Outreach Center.Outside of SciSAB, McKee is an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Jessica Larsen in the chemical and bioengineering department. She is a College of Science Junior Scholars mentor, an Honors College peer mentor and a member of the Honors Student Advisory Board. She’s active in the Society of Women Engineers and the Fellowship of Christian