During April 2023, the following Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium awards presentation and recognition ceremony celebrated a variety of students, faculty, and community partners who participated in the high impact learning programs across Loyola University Chicago.
A list of our 2022 Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium Awards recipients.
Community Engagement Awards
Loyola University Chicago and the Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, & Scholarship awards Community Engagement Awards to undergraduate students or group of students who participated in either a Service-Learning or Academic Internship Engaged Learning course during the 2022-2023 academic year. Student who are good candidates for this award would have demonstrated some of the following during their engaged learning courses:
- A dedication to social justice in their work
- A lasting impact with a community agency through their engagement
- Demonstrated a deep concern for the environment or local community
Faculty, staff, and community organization representatives are asked to submit nominations here by Sunday, March 19th, 2023 at 11:59 pm CT. These awards will be announced during the Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium (URES) Awards Ceremony on April 22, 2023. Students receive a $500 award. Please fill out this form to nominate students.
Community Partner Award
The Loyola University Community Partner Award for Coeducation is given to a non-profit community organization who hosted one or more undergraduate Engaged Learning students since spring 2022 and who best exemplifies the role of a community partner who co-educates and supports our Loyola students. As a coeducator, the partner creates space for learning through collaboration with their organization.
The Community Partner Award for Coeducation exists to recognize and celebrate partner organizations who not only are doing great work for their community, but are also undertaking additional effort to serve as partners in education working with Loyola students at their organization.
Faculty, staff, and community organization representatives (self-nominations are welcome) are asked to submit nominations by Sunday, March 19th, 2023 at 11:59 pm CT. These awards will be announced during the Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium (URES) Awards Ceremony on April 22, 2023.
Please fill out this form to nominate an organization.
Learning Portfolio Awards
A learning portfolio (ePortfolio) is a digital collection that demonstrate a student’s work over time, featuring skills, abilities, values, experiences and reflections. The Learning Portfolio Award will be given to a student or group of students who cultivated and curated a portfolio throughout a program or academic course at Loyola University Chicago during the academic year. Nominations are submitted by student, faculty, and staff.
Each portfolio will be reviewed and evaluated based on the four learning outcomes below as well as the overlapping award categories
Portfolio Learning Outcomes:
- Synthesize learning from experience through reflection, applying outside the classroom learning with inside the classroom learning.
- Critically reflect upon intellectual, personal, professional, and civic learning within the context of the student experience at Loyola.
- Demonstrate knowledge, skills, and values acquired through reflecting on their experiences.
- Articulate connections to Social Justice and the Jesuit Mission of Loyola
Faculty, staff, and students are asked to submit nominations by Sunday, March 19th, 2023 at 11:59 pm CT. These awards will be announced during the Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium (URES) Awards Ceremony on April 22, 2023. Students receive a $500 award.
Please fill out this form to nominate a student.
Research Awards
Graduate Student Mentor Award
The Graduate Student Mentor award has been established to recognize and reward the exceptional work of Loyola's graduate student mentors in the area of mentoring undergraduate researchers. Nominees must be current Loyola Graduate Students. Nominations can come from current undergraduate students only.
Submit nominations by Sunday, March 19th, 2023 at 11:59 pm CT. These awards will be announced during the Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium (URES) Awards Ceromony on April 22, 2023.
Please fill out this form to nominate a graduate student.
Langerbeck Award for Undergraduate Student Mentoring
This award recognizes and rewards exceptional work of Loyola's faculty in the area of undergraduate research. Mentors must be employed at Loyola University Chicago. Only undergraduate students of Loyola may nominate faculty.
Submit nominations by Sunday, March 19th, 2023 at 11:59 pm CT. These awards will be announced during the Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium (URES) Awards Ceromony on April 22, 2023.
Please fill out this form to nominate a faculty member.
Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award
The Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award has been established to honor Loyola undergraduates who conduct exceptional research, articulate their research to others, and enhance Loyola’s reputation as a quality research university by integrating research into their academic learning experience. Nominees must be Loyola undergraduates who conducted research during the 2022-2023 academic year. The multiple winners will receive $500.
Submit nominations by Sunday, March 19th, 2023 at 11:59 pm CT. These awards will be announced during the Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium (URES) Awards Ceromony on April 22, 2023.
Please fill out this form to nominate a student.
Teaching Award
Adolfo Nicolas SJ Excellence in Engaged Learning and Teaching Award
This award recognizes an instructor who brings imagination and dedication to an Engaged Learning course in the spirit of former Superior of the Jesuits Adolfo Nicolas SJ's quote "Depth of thought and imagination in the Ignatian tradition involves a profound engagement with the real, a refusal to let go until one goes beneath the surface." Nomination Form
- The instructor must have taught an Engaged Learning course during the previous or current school year. Engaged Learning categories include:
- Academic Internship
- Public Performance
- Fieldwork
- Service-Learning
- Undergraduate Research
- Award nominees will have shown excellence in incorporating and centering the Engaged Learning experiences in the curriculum and leveraging it to impact student learning.
- This award is open to all LUC instructors (tenure track, non-tenure track, and adjunct)
- Nominations can be submitted by students, staff, community partners, or faculty colleagues. There are no self nominations. To nominate someone, use this form. Nominations will be accepted until March 19th, 2023 and the winner will be announced at the Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium.
- Nominees will be asked to submit their CV, teaching statement, response to award prompt, and the name of one additional reference to their engaged learning teaching.
Previous Year's Recipients
Additional information on each of the recipients and their nominators can be found on this slideshow: 2022 Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium Awards
Community Engagement Awards
- Sahaj Vanani - Service Learning - Advocate Aurora Healthcare
- Hayle Zanfardino - Service Learning - Advocate Aurora Healthcare
- Elizabeth Rovengo - Academic Internship - Step Up for Mental Health
- Madonna Salto - Academic Internship - KidSafe Foundation
- Lillian Baca - Service Learning - Helix Chicago
- Alan Huang - Academic Internship - Office of Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky
- Idiake Irumundomon - Academic Intership - Evanston Township High School Health Clinic Affiliate of Northshore Hospital
Community Partner Awards
- Rainbows for All Children
- Helix Chicago
Learning Portfolio Awards
- Katie Nowak - Theatre Major
- Brody Melia - Theatre Major
- Alysha Grancorvitz - Performing Arts Major
Research Awards
- Outstanding Undergraduate Research Awards
- Andrea Melarango
- Arielle McKeever
- Brennan McDonald
- Topher Petit
- Emma Simmons
- Madeline Moran
- Maya Roytman
- Mikaela Lies
- Samantha Chipman
- Sarah Strom
- Sydney Samoska
- Thomas Stanila
- Graduate Student Mentor Award
- Sabrina Mende-Escobar - Psychology
- Langerbeck Award for Undergraduate Research Mentoring
- Dr. Jennifer Mierish - Biology
- Dr. Jennifer Parks - Philosophy
Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy
Teaching Award Descriptions
By clicking on this link you will find the descriptions of the University-wide Teaching Awards presented by the Office of the Provost and the Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy.