ORISE announces winners of its 2024 Future of Science Awards

Rebekah Shields—Undergraduate Student and Post-Baccalaureate Award

Rebekah Shields participated in the ORISE JUMP into STEM internship program during the summer of 2024. Throughout this experience, Shields collaborated with the Thermal Energy Storage group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where she focused on thermally characterizing a range of materials using differential scanning calorimetry. Currently, Shields is a senior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, pursuing a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in materials and mechanical engineering. Shields has a strong emphasis on fluid dynamics and heat transfer in her studies and is actively part of a team that is developing a thermal energy storage system for their senior capstone project. Looking ahead, Shields aims to further her career in the thermal energy storage sector, contributing to the development of environmentally sustainable heating and cooling solutions.

Susana Najera—Graduate Student and Post-Master’s Award

Susana Najera is an ORISE fellow in the Office of Therapeutic Products under the Gene Therapy and Immunogenicity Branch at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. During her ORISE fellowship at the FDA, Najera has collaborated on three independent research projects aimed at developing safer and more efficacious therapies for patients. Najera’s research focuses on identifying immunogenic epitopes found on viral vectors and transgenes, developing novel biopotency assays for AAV, and characterizing 3D cultures for viral gene delivery. Najera holds a dual master's degree in science in regenerative medicine and stem cells and molecular targets and drug discovery from Johns Hopkins University. Susana serves as an active member of the Board of Directors at Mansfield Kaseman Health Clinic and Mooddai International Bank.

Najera was nominated by her mentor at the FDA, Ronit Mazor, Ph.D.

Keo Corak, Ph.D.—Postdoctoral Award

Keo Corak is currently a computational biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, working in the Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Unit after completing an ORISE postdoctoral fellowship in the same unit. At the USDA, Corak contributes to the modernization of sugarcane breeding through the integration of genomic, phenomic and big data analytics. Corak holds a Ph.D. in plant breeding and plant genetics and an M.S. in agroecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Corak’s research focuses on quantitative genomics, high-throughput technologies and computational models to enhance breeding efficiency in commodity and specialty crops.

Corak was nominated for the award by Amanda Hulse-Kemp, Ph.D., U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Gerardo Ruiz-Mercado, Ph.D.—Mentor Award

Gerardo J. Ruiz-Mercado is a research chemical engineer with the Office of Research and Development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ruiz-Mercado leads projects on decision support tools, techniques, economics and planning for the sustainable management of end-of-life materials. Gerardo holds a Ph.D. from the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez and a B.S. from Universidad del Atlántico - Colombia. Ruiz-Mercado volunteers as an adjunct professor at the Universidad del Atlántico, journal assistant editor, and an executive member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Ruiz-Mercado’s publications and presentations include over 75 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, a book and more than 175 talks at technical conferences and meetings. Ruiz-Mercado is also a peer reviewer for 55 indexed journals and a mentor for Ph.D., MSc and B.S. students. Ruiz-Mercado was nominated by former ORISE participant David Perez of Florida A&M University.