Karlem Riess Memorial Award
The Karlem Riess Memorial Award is a $500 cash award given to an outstanding Alpha of Louisiana inductee who has demonstrated a breadth of experience in the liberal arts and sciences. The award is named for Dr. Karlem “Ducky” Riess, who served as a member and officer of the Alpha of Louisiana chapter for more than half a century. Dr. Riess received his undergraduate degree from Tulane, and he returned to Tulane as a faculty member in physics after graduate study.
The eighteenth annual recipient of the Karlem Riess Memorial Award is Eshan Damle. One of Eshan’s professors writes, several semesters after having taught him, that “I remember him as a dynamic student who contributed regularly to class discussions… he really did stand out in that course.” Eshan’s ability to stand out is a theme that encompasses his studies at Tulane. He graduates with a 4.0 GPA, having a double major in neuroscience and cell and molecular biology as well as minors in psychology and philosophy. The breadth of his studies across the liberal arts and sciences curriculum, to include natural sciences, behavioral sciences, and the humanities, impressed many members of the award committee. Beyond the classroom Eshan has been active in research in both biomedical engineering and neuroscience, the former of which led to him publishing in a peer reviewed journal and the latter resulting in an honors thesis on the impact of the Covid virus on immune cells in the central nervous system. Following graduation Eshan plans to attend medical school at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
