News Brief: Professor Eugene Mitacek Funds Excellence in Life Sciences

For close to 50 years Eugene J. Mitacek, Ph.D., professor of life sciences, has been a member of the NYIT community. He felt it was important to recognize the exceptional work by students and faculty members with two $20,000 donations that fund the Eugene J. Mitacek Award for Excellence in Chemistry and the E.J. Mitacek Prize Fund.

The Eugene J. Mitacek Award for Excellence in Chemistry is given to a student(s) who has achieved an A in General Chemistry I and II, Organic Chemistry I and II, and Biochemistry. The $1,000 award is conferred at graduation. The award encourages students to work harder in their classes and puts them on a path to success. In May 2018, four students were chosen to receive the honor: Priya Shah (B.S. ’18), Sarah Jawadi (B.S. ’18), Simran Polce (B.S. ’18), and Gabriela Alvim De Paula (B.S. ’18). Since the award’s inception in 2008, most of the 23 recipients have gone on to medical school.

Mitacek also wants to recognize his fellow faculty members for their outstanding research. The E.J. Mitacek Prize Fund is given to professors yearly in the Department of Life Sciences who had a research article published in a high impact journal (those considered to be highly influential) between January 1 and December 23. The prize money will be allocated as follows:

• First author: $1,000
• Second author: $500
• Third author: $300
• Senior author: $600