The awards recognize faculty members at Georgia Tech who have demonstrated sustained achievement in mentoring undergraduates in research activities. For Mitchell, that started when she was a research engineer in Coulter BME and continued after she became a tenure-track faculty member.

“This award is such an honor, because undergraduate research is a true passion of mine, both personally and professionally,” said Mitchell, assistant professor in the Coulter Department. “Receiving this award also illustrates that my mentoring and unique undergraduate research program is of great value to Georgia Tech.”

Mitchell said she often has dozens of undergrad students working in her lab, and like Desai’s group, they often secure positions in industry and prestigious graduate programs after they’ve worked in her lab.

“I often say that, while I do not have biological children of my own, I have an extraordinary number of scientific offspring. And my students, both graduate and undergraduate, are like family to me,” Mitchell said. “When I see them publish or get awards, I am like a parent hollering loudly from the stands.”