Graduate students to be honored for research and teaching

Contact: Tonya Durlach

KALAMAZOO--Western Michigan University will honor 80 of its most outstanding graduate students during an awards program from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, in the Bernhard Center's South Ballroom.

The annual reception is open to the public free of charge and will include student presentations as well as awards. Light refreshments will be served.

The students being honored are recipients of the Graduate Research and Creative Scholar and Graduate Teaching Effectiveness Awards for 2011–12. Eleven students will receive the further distinction of being named All-University Graduate Research and Creative Scholars, and 10 will be honored as All-University recipients of the Graduate Teaching Effectiveness Awards.

The Graduate Research and Creative Scholar Awards were given for the first time in 1985 by the Graduate College and the Graduate Studies Council to honor outstanding achievement by graduate students in research and creative activity. In 1998, the Graduate Teaching Effectiveness Awards program was implemented to honor outstanding teaching effectiveness by graduate students.

For more information, visit wmich.edu/grad or contact Dr. Julie Nemire in the WMU Graduate College at julie.nemire@wmich.edu or (269) 387-8208.

Graduate Research and Creative Scholar Awards for 2011-12

All-University Scholars

  • Michelle Barger, geosciences
  • Timothy Edwards, psychology
  • Ali Eshkeiti, electrical and computer engineering
  • Isurika Fernando, chemistry
  • Angela Marotta Garrison, counselor education and counseling psychology
  • Dustin Hoffman, English
  • Taylor Paskin, biological sciences
  • Ryan Sibert, geosciences
  • Stephen Spates, communication
  • Anthony Squiers, political science
  • Lydia Walker, comparative religion

Department Scholars

  • Mark Steven Barajas, counselor education and counseling psychology
  • Sara Bijani, history
  • Gerardo Bohorquez Gonzalez, Spanish
  • Caitlin Callahan, Mallinson Institute for Science Education
  • Ting Chen, paper engineering, chemical engineering and imaging
  • Mary Sajini Devadas, chemistry
  • Brian Doane, counselor education and counseling psychology
  • Katherine Ellison, history
  • Leticia Espinoza, Spanish
  • Nicole Fonger, mathematics
  • Tamrat Gashaw, economics
  • Brenna Halpin, music
  • Kristin Hobson, interdisciplinary evaluation
  • David Johnson, English
  • Lucas Kanclerz, geography
  • Ian Kerr, anthropology
  • Maxwell Kirchhoff, political science
  • Nicole Klutz, speech pathology and audiology
  • Sooman Lim, paper engineering, chemical engineering and imaging
  • Scott Marley, physics
  • Daniel Rubio, philosophy
  • Raed M. Salih, computer science
  • Christina Sheerin, psychology
  • Benjamin Slager, biological sciences
  • Christine Strayer, educational leadership, research and technology
  • Michelle A. Suarez, interdisciplinary health sciences
  • Cynthia Visscher, sociology
  • Matthew Wittbrodt, human performance and health education
  • Jiangang Xia, educational leadership, research and technology
  • Jaime Zinsmaster, nursing

Graduate Teaching Effectiveness Awards for 2011-12

All-University Graduate Teachers

  • Ellizar Abalos, music
  • Matthew Arsenault, political science
  • Skylar Bre'z, history and gender and women's studies
  • Colleen Cullinan, psychology
  • Kevin Douglass, chemistry
  • Krystal Howard, English
  • Kathryn Kestner, psychology
  • Kate Rowbotham, Mallinson Institute for Science Education
  • Marc Schaffer, economics
  • Kristin Sovis, English

Department Graduate Teachers

  • Clara Adams, chemistry
  • Ahmed Tausif Aijazi, paper engineering, chemical engineering and imaging
  • David Barry, sociology
  • Emily Beard, communication
  • Garrett Brookmyer, counselor education and counseling psychology
  • Erica D'Elia, anthropology
  • Sean Derrick, industrial and manufacturing engineering
  • Holly DeVrou, Spanish
  • Jeremy Doornbos, computer science
  • Racha El Kadiri, geosciences
  • Melinda Gevaart, nursing
  • Subash Gokanakonda, mechanical and aeronautical engineering
  • Carolina Gonzalo Llera, Spanish
  • Alexandra Haase, biological sciences
  • Justin Hanig, economics
  • Kara Krebs, political science
  • Kathleen Kroll, interdisciplinary health sciences
  • Daniel Kueh, biological sciences
  • Lalith Prasad Narasimhan, electrical and computer engineering
  • Bryan Phinezy, mathematics
  • Buddhi Rai, physics
  • Daniel Serfas, geography
  • Raymond Sheets, counselor education and counseling psychology
  • Kelly Sparks, Mallinson Institute for Science Education
  • Jason Thueme, philosophy
  • Kathryn Titus, geosciences
  • Thomas Tran, paper engineering, chemical engineering and imaging
  • Scott Watson, comparative religion
  • Adam Wolfe, history