Faculty Recognized for Outstanding Achievements and Contributions

Members of the Trinity College faculty were recognized for their outstanding achievements in scholarship, teaching, service, and leadership at the 2025 Faculty Excellence Awards.

President Daniel G. Lugo and Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs Sonia Cardenas welcomed the College community to the event, which was held on October 23 in Mather Hall’s Washington Room.

Along with the presentation of awards, the program included readings from recent publications by faculty members and a musical performance. Sarah Bilston, Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of English, read from The Lost Orchid: A Story of Victorian Plunder and Obsession; Kent D. Dunlap, Thomas S. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Biology, read from The Neck: A Natural and Cultural History; and Channon S. Miller ’11, assistant professor of American studies and history, read from Drowning in a Dead River: The Mothers of Charter Oak Terrace and Urban Resistance to Ecological Catastrophe. Jennifer M. Allen, coordinator of Trinity’s Lessons Program and lecturer in music, played the song “Fragile,” by Sting.

The ceremony and reception were hosted by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, which gave additional thanks to the members of the award selection committees and the Faculty Excellence Ceremony Planning Committee.

More photos from the ceremony follow the list of awards and recipients:

2025 Trinity College Faculty Excellence Awards

Teaching Innovation Prize

Recognizes a recent example of curricular or pedagogical innovation enhancing student engagement and learning

• Arianne A. Bazilio, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Chemistry
  For her innovative approach to teaching issues of environmental justice, including a Climate Action role-play game and web-based application.
• Timothy R. Landry, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Religious Studies
  For his course, “Western Occultism.” In this course, students read historical accounts and pair these readings with hands-on practice.

Teacher-Scholar

Recognizes research excellence and a promising project

• Daniel J. Mrozowski, Senior Lecturer in English
  For his current book project, The Last Generation: American Literary Realists Confront the Great War, which examines how established writers of the time confronted World War I.

Outstanding Scholar

Recognizes completion in the past year of significant scholarship impacting a field or public discourse, highlighting arts and humanities, social sciences, and STEM

• Ciaran M. Berry, Professor of English
  For States, his collection of poems.
• Belén Fernández Milmanda, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Studies
  For her book, Agrarian Elites and Democracy in Latin America.
• Lindsey A. Hanson, Associate Professor of Chemistry
  For three important journal articles this year, two of which were published with students.
• Kevin J. McMahon, John R. Reitemeyer Professor of Political Science
  For his book, A Supreme Court Unlike Any Other: The Deepening Divide Between the Justices and the People.

Mentoring Students Prize

Recognizes faculty who have successfully performed an exceptional number of mentoring-intensive activities

• Benjamin C. Carbonetti, Director of the Human Rights Studies Program and Senior Lecturer in Human Rights Studies
• Elizabeth D. Casserly, Associate Professor of Psychology
• Brian Chin, Assistant Professor of Psychology
• Christoph Geiss, Professor of Physics and Environmental Science
• Eric A. Galm, Professor of Music
• Jonathan R. Gourley, Principal Lecturer and Laboratory Coordinator in the Environmental Science Program
• Michael A. Grubb, Associate Professor of Psychology
• Brianna Halladay, Assistant Professor of Economics
• Alisha C. Holland, Lecturer and Coordinator of Introductory Psychology
• Maminur Islam, Assistant Professor of Computer Science
• Michelle Kovarik, Dr. Henry A. DePhillips, Jr. Professor of Chemistry
• Luis A. Martinez, Associate Professor of Neuroscience
• Seth M. Markle, Associate Professor of History and International Studies
• Garth A. Myers, Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of Urban International Studies and Director of the Center for Urban and Global Studies
• Amber L. Pitt, Associate Professor of Environmental Science
• Michael C. Puljung, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Chemistry
• Mary Sandoval, Seabury Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy
• Sally Bernardina Seraphin, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
• Madalene Spezialetti, Associate Professor of Computer Science
• Charles C. Swart, Principal Lecturer and Laboratory Coordinator in Neuroscience and Electron Microscopy Manager and Instrumentation Specialist

Academic Leadership Award

Recognizes faculty whose recent efforts on campus advanced the College’s mission and built inclusive community

• Eric A. Galm, Professor of Music
  For his longstanding work with the Center for Caribbean Studies, and his creation of and ongoing commitment to Samba Fest.

Professional Engagement Award

Recognized recent leadership in or contribution to one’s profession, elevating Trinity’s reputation

• Jonathan T. Ashby ’09, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
  For his work with the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers over the last 10 years.

Community Engagement Award

Recognizes a recent outstanding contribution that enhances the reciprocal and impactful exchange of knowledge with Hartford-area partners

• Amber L. Pitt, Associate Professor of Environmental Science
  For engaging hundreds of students in community-based biodiversity and conservation efforts in “Global Perspectives on Biodiversity and Conservation” and “Methods in Environmental Science” courses.

Mid-Career Research Award

Recognizes faculty with a strong record and planned trajectory to promotion to full professor

• Seth M. Markle, Associate Professor of History and International Studies
  For his work on a dual project including both a book of creative non-fiction and a website about the transnational history of Tanzanian hip hop.
• Katherine L. Bergren, Associate Professor of English
  For her work on a book, Viral Poems: Imitation and National Belonging in the Nineteenth-Century U.S.

Senior Faculty Mentoring Award

Recognizes exceptional contributions to mentoring faculty

• Dina Anselmi, Associate Professor of Psychology
  For her decades-long commitment to mentoring at Trinity, including New Faculty Orientation and the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Career Achievement Award

Recognizes recent leadership in or contributions to one’s profession, elevating Trinity’s reputation

• Pablo Delano, Charles A. Dana Professor of Fine Arts
  For his excellence as a teacher, scholar, and artist. He created the first photography program at the College and played instrumental roles in many global programs. His artistic work has included two photographic monographs, In Trinidad and Hartford Seen. In 2024, The Museum of the Old Colony was featured in the Venice Biennale Arte.