Dr. Esther Ngumbi has been chosen by LAS Honors as the LAS James Scholar Honors Program Faculty Mentor of the Year for 2021-2022. This award recognizes a faculty member who exemplifies the Honors mission and who has inspired, supported, and challenged their students to develop as an Honors student and as an individual. 

This award is particularly special because the students nominate the faculty members who have made a difference in their lives. Dr. Ngumbi was nominated by a mentee who shared how profoundly she impacted their learning experience. This is what the nominee shared: 

"Dr. Ngumbi has provided invaluable one-on-one support and guidance, and has pushed me to present at many regional and national conferences. I have had the unique opportunity to perform my own research projects, and have hands-on experience throughout all stages of experiments and data analysis. We are in the process of final edits on two manuscripts for upcoming publication. She really breaks down the barriers to engaging in meaningful scientific work, and encourages me to be involved in leadership and scientific communication. I have had the opportunity to mentor 4 undergraduate students and perform numerous outreach events with her. She is so kind, encouraging and motivating, and I absolutely love coming to the lab!"

Dr. Ngumbi will receive the award at the Honors Graduation Celebration held Sunday, May 1, 2022.