Dottie Welch Student Enrichment Award
Lisa Altman Receives Dottie Welch Student Enrichment Award
A staff member from the Goergen Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence who was praised by students for her willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty is being recognized with the Hajim School’s annual award celebrating student enrichment. Lisa Altman, the graduate program coordinator for GIDS-AI, received the 2026 Dottie Welch Student Enrichment Award, which recognizes a Hajim School staff member “whose performance and dedication enriches the student experience in the tradition exemplified by Dottie Welch.”
Altman supports data science graduate students throughout their academic journey, and master’s student Yarong Xiao recalls her being a steadying and welcoming presence right from the start when Xiao was a prospective student. “Her advice gave me clarity and direction during a very stressful time,” says Xiao. “I am now fortunate to have been admitted to a program I truly wanted, and I am deeply grateful for her support. Lisa has consistently gone above and beyond to support students, not only academically but also personally. Her dedication, care, and insight have made a lasting impact on my experience at Rochester.”
Undergraduate students including Aabha Pandit ’26 applaud Altman for the support she provides beyond academics. “She has also been incredibly helpful to Women and Minorities in Computing, a club that I have been on the executive board for two years now, currently as president,” says Pandit. “I found out about this club's events via Lisa's weekly emails and joined the executive board with encouragement from her. She has been kind enough to let us use the GIDS-AI room to host our general member meetings and also helped connect us with female GIDS-AI alumni for speaker events.”
Caelan Clayton ’26 notes that Altman “goes to every single data science event and always makes an effort to talk to and interact with students. Her weekly emails make you feel like you are part of the data science family. She lays out everything for the week and even includes fun recommendations for things to do around Rochester. Lisa Altman is truly the heart of GIDS-AI and the most deserving person for this award.”