Joey Jabbour, a graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named recipient of the 2014 George W. Kunze Prize.
Jabbour was selected for the award based on her superior academic achievement and her publications in a refereed journal of national or international stature. As an honoree of the Kunze Prize, Jabbour also has demonstrated good Residentship through contributions to the university and community.
Jabbour, who is advised by Assistant Professor Kristen Maitland, received a $1,000 cash award and was formally recognized at the Graduate Student Council Banquet.
During her time as a graduate student at Texas A&M, Jabbour has designed, built and tested an in vivo confocal microscope to provide high-resolution images of tissue in the oral cavity to detect cancer in its earliest stages. Her research involves the development and characterization of the instrument and preclinical and clinical testing of the device. To date, she has six peer-reviewed publications.
“Joey is highly productive and creative in her approach to problem solving, and she is passionate about research and teaching,” Maitland said.
George W. Kunze was long-time dean of the Graduate College at Texas A&M. At the time of his retirement, university faculty and friends generously contributed an endowment in honor of Kunze to provide an annual $1,000 award for a doctoral student nearing completion of the degree program. The Kunze Prize is sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies.