Teja Teppala, a fifth-year graduate student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy was tapped into the Rollins Society Class of 2024 at the 97th Tap Day at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Rollins Society is one of the six secret honorary societies at Mizzou. During Mizzou Tap Day, the Rollins Society inducts 8 graduate and professional students whose record of service affirms the importance of the Society’s watchwords Officium (Duty), Fides (Faithfulness), and Ductus (Leadership).

He has also received the Sandra K. Abell Science Education Award and the Mary Elizabeth Gutermuth Award for Community Engagement from the Mizzou Graduate School at the 10th Annual Graduate and Postdoctoral Awards. 

The Sandra K. Abell Science Education Award recognizes the outstanding achievements of a graduate student pursuing PhD studies in any natural science discipline who has demonstrated a dual passion for research and teaching.

The Mary Elizabeth Gutermuth Award for Community Engagement supports a graduate student who has a history of and interest in community service through engaged scholarship. Community engagement, or engaged scholarship, represents a collaboration between higher education scholars and their community for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and/or resources in a framework that is cooperative and reciprocal. Scholars collaborate with practitioners in the public and/or private sectors to enrich their own scholarly and creative activities while addressing a critical societal issue or contributing to a community need or public good.

You can find more about the awards here:  https://gradschool.missouri.edu/graduate-awards-travel-scholarships/