Aug 01, 2025

HGSAC co-chairs recognized for symposium success

The outgoing co-chairs of the Huck Graduate Student Advisory Committee, the body representing graduate students in the six Huck-run degree programs, were recognized for their service at a recent meeting of the Huck Executive Committee.

Junyao Yuan, a student in the Integrative and Biomedical Physiology program studying under Donna Korzick, and Avery Sicher, a recent awardee of a doctorate from the Neuroscience program working in Nikki Crowley’s lab, were awarded plaques and thanked by senior Huck leadership. The recent 2025 edition of the Life Sciences Symposium—organized annually by HGSAC—was a particularly mentioned highlight, having attracted the largest turnout in the event’s history.

“I am so impressed with Avery and Junyao's leadership,” said Christina Grozinger, director of the Huck Institutes and Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology. “They and the rest of the student committee organized an incredibly successful Life Sciences Symposium, which highlighted the interdisciplinary and collaborative research our students are doing across the university. We are so fortunate to be able to work with such creative and dedicated students in the Huck Institutes.”

Yuan said that her time as chair had been one of the most fulfilling experiences of her time as a doctoral trainee.

“As a fourth-year PhD student, I was nervous at first about balancing my research and the responsibilities that come with this leadership role,” she said. “I’m grateful that I didn’t have to do it alone. Avery, who had already served as co-chair the year before, was such a great mentor and helped make the transition a lot smoother. I also want to thank our treasurer, Jessica Walnut. She was co-chair last year too and kept everything organized and on track with the budget for this year. I feel lucky to have worked with such a passionate, creative, and collaborative group of committee members and graduate students this year. Everyone brought their energy and ideas to the table, and together we pulled off some awesome events for the Huck community.”

Praveena Prasad, a graduate student in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences, and Jiajing Teng, from the Integrative and Biomedical Physiology program, are set to take over as co-chairs for the 2025-26 academic year.

Huck students interested in joining HGSAC, or simply learning more, are encouraged to email psu.hgsac@gmail.com. HGSAC holds meetings that are open to all students, and information on those is available in the group’s weekly email.