Dr. Chikina was nominated by Madeline Ohl: “Maria’s efforts to welcome and include me in her research group helped me feel like an integral part of the scientific process and gave me a unique understanding of computational research. Her dedication to creating an approachable research setting transformed my REU experience and has played a key role in my desire to pursue computational biology research in graduate school.” We congratulate Dr. Chikina and thank her for being a strong mentor for TECBio students.