2019-2020 Graduate Fellowships
- Ashwini Ramesh
- Kayleigh Hood
- Melissa (Misty) Proffitt
The CISAB Exemplar Award recognizes the careers of scientists who set outstanding examples of integrating different perspectives in the study of Animal Behavior. The list of CISAB Exemplars is impressive and includes some of IU’s own outstanding animal behaviorists as well as leaders in the field of animal behavior from around the country.
Dr. Hofmann completed his PhD research at Leipzig University and the Max-Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology, Seewiesen. He completed postdoctoral training with Russ Fernald at Stanford and has spent his career as a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. While there, he has been integrally involved in a variety of Centers on the Austin campus, including serving as co-director of the Center for Brain, Behavior, and Evolution at UT Austin, and founding the recently established Center for Biomedical research support there. He has also taught in and co-directed the prestigious Neural Systems and Behavior summer course at Woods Hole and is a frequent speaker at a variety of other workshops, summer courses, and speaker series. A behavioral neuroscientist, Dr. Hofmann incorporates cutting-edge molecular techniques with classic comparative neuroethological approaches to study social behavior in a naturalistic and organismal context. His work in cichlid fishes addresses the evolution of physiological mechanisms underlying complex social behaviors. To date, Dr. Hofmann has published 115 primary research articles, reviews, and book chapters on this work. A committed mentor, he has trained a dozen graduate students, a dozen postdocs, and myriad undergraduates.
2002 - Ellen Ketterson and William D. Timberlake
2003 - Marlene Zuk
2004 - Dale R. Sengelaub
2005 - Carl D. Hopkins
2006 - Sarah W. Bottjer
2007 - Michael J. Ryan
2008 - Meredith J. West
2009 - Darcy B. Kelley
2010 - Roy Caldwell
2011 - Jeffery R. Alberts
2012 - John C. Wingfield
2013 - Emilia Martins
2014 - Mark S. Blumberg
2015 - David Crews and James L. Goodson
2016 - Gregory E. Demas
2017 - Elizabeth Adkins-Regan
2018 - Frans B. M. de Waal
2019 - Hans Hofmann
CISAB founding member William J. Rowland was devoted to the study of animal behavior, and a strong advocate for mentoring and training undergraduates in research, particularly undergraduates who were in one way or another disadvantaged in their opportunities to get research experience. The Bill Rowland Mentoring Award was established in Bill’s memory to recognize graduate students who have served as outstanding research mentors to undergraduates.
Misty is a CISAB member and a graduate student in Biology, studying how species variation in sexual dimorphism of communication signals is related to hormone-related gene expression in the brains of electric fish. Misty has mentored three summer REU students, and also served as the graduate student coordinator for the program. In that role, she served as a role model and academic counselor for many of the interns, and also made a lasting contribution to the REU by developing new presentations that continue to be used in the program. Misty’s mentoring is not limited to the summer: she has also mentored a visiting masters’ student from Germany and has co-supervising an undergraduate’s honors thesis research. Misty’s professionalism is notable, as is the example she sets in her approach to her own research, and her dedication to promoting the success of others. She takes time to make sure the students understand the literature and rationale behind their research and works with each to ensure they are proficient in the techniques they use in their experiments and understand how to interpret and analyze their data. Misty is skilled at giving students a sense of the importance of attention to detail that yields confidence in the data they generate. She is adept at assessing students’ strengths and weaknesses and adapting her mentoring style accordingly. Misty is also supportive of her students, encouraging them when things do not go perfectly with their projects. In all, Misty epitomizes the commitment to undergraduate mentoring that the Rowland Award is meant to highlight.
Misty receives 2019 Rowland Mentoring Award
2005 - Teresa L. Dzieweczynski and Richard M. Granquist
2006 - Eduardo J. Fernandez
2007 - Bronwyn Heather Bleakley
2008 - Antino R. Allen
2009 - Johanna "Hanna" Kolodziejski
2010 - Jonathan Atwell
2011 - Winnie Ho and Harald Parzer
2012 - Brandon Hill and Dustin Reichard
2013 - Elizabeth Carlton and David Civitello
2014 - Alejandra Rossi
2015 - Sarah Keesom
2016 - Nikki Rendon
2017 - Mikus Abolins-Abols
2018 - Abigail Kimmitt
2019 - Misty Proffitt
Established in memory of Hanna Kolodziejski, a remarkable graduate student in CISAB and the Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior program in Biology, this fellowship is an annual award for a graduate student who, like Hanna, shows academic talent in both research and teaching, and who demonstrates a commitment to the community through service or outreach programs. The fellowship is open to all CISAB and Biology graduate students, with a preference given to members of CISAB and Evolution, Ecology & Behavior (EEB) students.
Savannah is pursuing a PhD in Biology, while also completing a minor and certificate in college pedagogy through the School of Education. Savannah’s research focuses on how herbivores and plant-soil-microbe interactions affect the balance between native and invasive plant species in the woodlands. Savannah’s commitment to service manifests in both mentoring and outreach. For instance, she teaches pedagogy skills to math instructors for the PASS program, and mentors undergraduates underrepresented in STEM fields. In addition, for three years, Savannah has been heavily involved in the Bloomington Urban Woodlands Project, a campus-community initiative dedicated to restoring biodiversity to urban woodlands while reconnecting people with nature and its benefits. She has organized restoration events in Dunn’s Woods, at which Bloomington residents and IU students pull invasive plants, plant native wildflowers, and remove litter. Every year, Savannah and her volunteers have removed hundreds of pounds of invasive plants and trash and planted hundreds of native plants, increasing the diversity of wildflowers that are both attractive to people and beneficial to wildlife. Savannah complements this work by mentoring service-learning students, teaching ecology lessons at local schools, preparing outreach literature, and producing a diverse and creative array of outreach activities at events such as IU Science Fest and the Indiana Native Plant Society Annual Meeting. An example of this creativity is her Woodland Yoga Tour for children.
Savannah receives 2019 Hanna Kolodziejski Fellowship
2011 - Emily Chester
2012 - Harald Parzer
2013 - Liz Carlton
2014 - Aubrey Kelly
2015 - Daniel Schwab and Leah Wilson
2016 - Jessica Hite
2017 - Briana Whitaker
2018 - Kristyn Sylvia
2019 - Savannah Bennett
Dr. Jim Goodson was a vibrant member of the CISAB community. In addition to being a consummate neuroscientist and critical thinker, Jim was also extraordinarily gifted at capturing the beauty of his science via images, of both his study subjects and his histological material. The Goodson Prize for Art in Science recognizes outstanding research images from CISAB members that are not just scientifically meaningful but are also beautiful. Winning images are showcased both in the CISAB house and on our website.