The award includes a trip to Los Angeles
to attend the official ceremony
Dr. Davida Smyth, a professor in the Department of Natural Sciences, has been selected to receive the 2025 ASM Carski Award for Undergraduate Education, one of the most prestigious awards in higher education.
The award is being presented by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). Established in 1899, the society’s 32,000 members partner with global organizations to solve the world’s most pressing challenges, ranging from climate change to antimicrobial resistance. The annual ASM Carski Award for Undergraduate Education recognizes an educator for outstanding teaching of microbiology to undergraduate students and for encouraging them to subsequent achievement.
“This is an amazing honor, and I’m truly humbled that the ASM is recognizing my contributions to the field of microbial sciences, ” said Smyth. “As part of my work and research, I’m privileged to have the opportunity to help educate undergraduates, as well as mentor other faculty members and get students involved via civic engagement.”
Awardee benefits include a one-time waiver to publish an article without charge in 1 of ASM Journals, and a cash prize of $1,400 to help cover travel expenses to the 2025 ASM Microbe meeting, to be held in June in Los Angeles, California. As an ASM Award recipient, Smyth may also be invited to speak at the event.
In addition to this most recent award, Smyth was also awarded funds from NSF to support community college faculty development in teaching through issues of water. In July, it was announced that Smyth’s ongoing project to detect and research new and potentially threatening contaminants in the region’s water secured approval from the U.S. House Appropriations Committee for $1 million.
About Texas A&M University-San Antonio
Established as a stand-alone university in 2009, Texas A&M University-San Antonio is a comprehensive four-year public university that reflects the culturally diverse, heritage-rich community it serves. Situated on nearly 700 acres in South San Antonio, the University offers 39 undergraduate degrees and 23 graduate degrees to about 7,620 students. A&M-San Antonio is home to the Henry G. Cisneros Institute for Emerging Leaders and the Cyber Engineering Technology/Cyber Security Research Center. The University holds the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designation and is one of 39 higher education institutions in the U.S. to have received the Seal of Excelencia certification from Excelencia in Education for its support of Latino student success. More than 77 percent of A&M-SA students identify as Hispanic, and approximately 72 percent are the first in their families to attend college. A&M-San Antonio is a military-embracing institution; the University was recently awarded the 2023 Gold Veteran Education Excellence Recognition Award (VEERA) from the Texas Veterans Commission. Visit tamusa.edu for more information. #onamission
