Stellar students earn Lipscomb’s top academic honors this spring
Archaeology, history, English, chemistry and biology students named as winners of the 2026 Fulbright, Ward, Langford-Yates and Parker awards.
From Staff Reports |
Spring is time for Lipscomb to celebrate its students’ academic achievements, and in 2026 students in archeology, English, history, chemistry and biology earned the university’s top honors in academic research and scholarship.
Click on the links below to read more about these stellar students:
- Claire Edmonson, an archaeology master’s student, received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistant Award from the U.S. Department of State;
- Ellie Heslon, English major with minors in art and Spanish, was named a semi-finalist for a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistant;
- Ten students in biology and chemistry were named as Ward Society Summer Research Fellows;
- Kaela Abbate, history major, became the inaugural recipient of the Parker Humanities Research Award funding travel related to conferences or research; and
- Four students were named as Langford-Yates Summer Research Fellows.
2026 J.S. Ward Society Honorees
Each year, Lipscomb’s top pre-health students are awarded its most prestigious research fellowships.
Funded by donors and the J.S. Ward Society, a group of committed donors and advocates working to connect Lipscomb science alumni to today’s students, these fellowships allow students to conduct undergraduate research in the summer both on- and off-campus to gain skills needed to thrive in graduate and professional programs and the health science workplace.
Ward Summer Fellowships
This fellowship allows pre-health students to conduct undergraduate research in the summer. This research is a high-impact educational practice that is transformative. Students gain skills that prepare them for success in their current and future programs.
- Divid Abdelshahid, biology major, Summer Research Lab: Meharry Medical College
- Beaman Adel, bioscience and philosophy major, Summer Research Lab: Meharry Medical College, SuRP**
- Saja Al-shaweily, neurobiology major, Summer Research Lab: Meharry Medical College
- Emerald Cole, molecular biology major, Vanderbilt University, UCRIP*
- Katherine Kidd, bioscience and philosophy major, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Bryson Lovorn, molecular biology major, Vanderbilt University UCRIP*
- Kiomi Tanakura, biochemistry major, Vanderbilt University, UCRIP*
Herman G. Lavelle Research Grants
This program honors the life and legacy of Dr. Herman G. LaVelle, who was the first member of his family to attend college and medical school. In doing so, he paved the way for generations of his family to have hope and a future.
The Herman LaVelle Student Research Fund provides stipends for qualified pre-health profession students who demonstrate financial need and participate in university-sponsored or -directed scientific research. Preference is given to first-generation college students who exhibit exceptional academic achievement and strong potential for a career in medicine.
- Daniel Domyan, biology major, Summer Research Lab: Lipscomb University, Biology
- Ivana Huffines, molecular biology major, Summer Research Lab: Lipscomb University, Biology
Mitchell Scholarship
The Mitchell Family Scholar Endowment is provided by Dr. Raye Mitchell (‘85) and Elise Mitchell. This scholarship supports the summer research stipend for one student each year to conduct research at Lipscomb.
- Emma Bolz, molecular biology major, Summer Research Lab: Campbell Clinic Summer Orthopedic Internship
Langford-Yates Summer Fellowship
The Langford-Yates Fellowship for the Advancement of Science is a summer research fellowship program established in 2007 by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences that provides students with mentorship opportunities, hands-on experiences and funding to pursue their research endeavors.
- Lydia Waldrop, Lipscomb with Dr. Josh Owens (BS ’16)
- Cathrine Youssef, Lipscomb with Owens
- Isabelle Riera, Lipscomb with Morghan Morris
- Thomas Manaye, Lipscomb with Owens
*Vanderbilt Undergraduate Clinical Research Internship Program
**Meharry Cancer Summer Research Program