Joshua Mitchell, a PhD candidate in the Integrated Program in Biochemistry (IPiB) and a member of BMC’s Deane Mosher Lab, was among the first recipients of the UW-Madison Graduate School’s Graduate Student Service Scholarships announced this week.
Earlier this year, the Dean of the Graduate School announced the creation of these scholarships to recognize and honor exceptional students who go beyond their academic pursuits to make a difference on campus. Nominations were accepted from across campus, and priority was given to students providing service in multiple or especially impactful areas. In their announcement of the 2021 awardees, the Graduate School detailed Josh’s exceptional service:
Josh has been a long-standing member of the Graduate Leadership and Development Committee in the Integrated Program in Biochemistry (IPiB), first as an outreach chair and then serving as the chair of the committee. As one of the outreach chairs, Josh designed and hosted biochemical science experiments to demonstrate the incredible science around us, from biofuels to cryoprotectants. As chair, Josh worked to build a strong and resilient community to help support graduate student mental and emotional health. During the pandemic, Josh facilitated and hosted the StoryPiB seminar series, which was designed to foster deep, rich relations amongst the faculty, staff, and students by inviting members of the IPiB community to talk about their life. He also served on the IPiB admissions committee, helping recruit a diverse and talented group of new graduate students to the program. Josh has served as a graduate student representative on the Council on Academic Advising for the past three years. He wants to thank the incredible IPiB graduate students who have supported all this work, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In recognition of their extensive service efforts, Josh and the other honorees have been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. To read more, see the full story from the UW-Madison Graduate School here: https://grad.wisc.edu/diversity/graduate-student-service-scholarships/