Congratulations to Caitlin Banks and Hanna Koster, both Ph.D. Candidates in the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group, on their selection for the College of Engineering 2022 Graduate Student Excellence Awards.

Excellence in Graduate Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award

Caitlin Banks, biomedical engineering

This award recognizes a graduate student who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in promoting equity, diversity and inclusion.

Caitlin Banks is a Ph.D. candidate in the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group (BMEGG). Her research focuses on walking and leg function in people with stroke. She currently serves on the Biomedical Engineering Health, Equity and Wellness committee, where she is helping to improve equity and inclusion for students in the graduate group. Outside of UC Davis, she is the Allyship & Inclusivity Director of the International Women in Biomechanics group and a member of the Black Biomechanists Association Organizing Committee. Caitlin identifies as a half-black woman with a disability, and she is passionate about improving the graduate student and early career experience for everyone, especially those from underrepresented or marginalized groups.

Learn more about Caitlin.

Excellence in Graduate Student Service and Leadership Award

Hanna Koster, biomedical engineering

This award recognizes a graduate student who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in service to their community.

Hanna Koster is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group (BMEGG). She holds a B.A. in physics and biochemistry from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In her current role, she researches novel nanomaterials for targeted cancer diagnostics using extracellular vesicles and Raman spectroscopy. She is the president of the Biomedical Engineering Student Association (BESA) and sits on multiple committees, including the COE Graduate Student Advisory Board and the BMEGG Executive Committee.

Announcement originally published by the UC Davis College of Engineering.