The International Student Awards Ceremony is celebrated each year in tandem with UF’s International Education Week and is sponsored by the UF International Center. The award recipients will be honored in a reception on November 14, 2017 at 5:30 pm in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom. The International Student Awards acknowledge the outstanding achievements of our international students. The Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering is the biggest home to UF’s international community and we want to thank you for bringing a positive effect to UF’s internationalization efforts. The awards recognizes outstanding contributions of international students to promote and foster continued involvement and outstanding achievement. This year, students were not just selected for outstanding academic achievements, but also for demonstrated contributions outside of the classroom. Click here for a list of all recipients.
Nik was received this prestigious award because he is an exceptionally talented student and a valuable member of the Schmidt Lab and the BME Department. Nik is intelligent, disciplined, has good analytical skills, and is committed to self-improvement. In addition, Nik is more than a researcher – he contributes immensely to the department, the university and to the community. Nik has successfully published a manuscript, “Localized and sustained release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor from injectable hydrogel/ microparticle composites fosters spinal learning after spinal cord injury” (J. Materials Chemistry B, 4:7560, 2016), based on his first project as part of his PhD dissertation and is currently involved in writing three additional manuscripts based on his research projects during both his master’s and ongoing PhD program. Beyond research, Nik’s work ethic and commitment to this community, as well as the department, drives him to succeed in every venture he embarks on. Such successes include his recent appointment as Chair of the Student Laboratory Safety Council for our department. As part of the safety council he works on identifying potential lab safety issues in the department and providing potential solutions to the problems. The council also releases monthly newsletters containing safety tips, identifying potential hazardous chemicals and trivia questions for increasing participation from fellow graduate and undergraduate students and faculty members. Nik has always shown interest in promoting safe laboratory practices and is currently working on being a certified safety engineer. Nik is also serving as the Chair of the BME Advancement Council where he is working alongside Paul Print (Assistant Director of Development) on projects which involve strengthening the BME community by building a strong network for current BME students with UF BME Alumni and local biomedical industry leaders. He is currently working on a project to organize BME’s first ever Industry Connect event where several local and national biomedical companies are visiting to provide mentorship and job opportunities to UF BME students. In addition Nik is an active member of the Graduate Student Council for the Biomedical Engineering Department and has served as Secretory (2014 – 2015) and Vice President (2016 – 2017) in the past.
Congratulations again Nik!!