Good eggs, breakfast served up at awards ceremony

 

Good eggs, breakfast served up at awards ceremony

Submitted by Lydia Anderson
Phone: (907) 474-7037

04/23/04

Nearly six dozen students will be honored at the University of Alaska Fairbanks during the annual student awards breakfast Saturday, April 24, 2004 at 9:30 a.m. in the Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom. Each spring UAF honors students who have distinguished themselves during their academic careers.

Biology and wildlife major Ryan Long will receive the Joel Wiegert Award recognizing the outstanding senior man. Long has made the most of undergraduate research opportunities in Alaska’s wilderness while at UAF, spending much of his time at Toolik Field Station 370 miles from Fairbanks. He’s been active in the Wildlife Society and the American Society of Mammalogists. Long received a chancellor’s scholarship and was recognized as the outstanding wildlife student in 2003. After graduation he plans to work toward a master’s degree in wildlife ecology at the University of Idaho.

For the first time ever there are two recipients of the Marion Frances Boswell Memorial Award to recognize the outstanding senior woman. Electrical engineering major Isabel Cardona and social work major Rachel Narow both earned this year’s award.

Cardona is a non-traditional student who, after 20 years as an electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, returned to school in 1999 to earn a bachelor’s degree. She has consistently been named to the chancellor’s list recognizing her 4.0 grade point average. She is an intern with Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., commutes between Fairbanks and Delta and is an active member in Phi Kappa Phi, the student chapter of the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers. After graduation, Cardona hopes to work as an engineer in Alaska.

Narow is a graduate of Lathrop High School and received the chancellor’s scholarship, the Usibelli tuition scholarship and the Anne Luke memorial scholarship. She will graduate with a 4.0 grade point average and will receive this year’s Honors Program Outstanding Graduating Senior Award. Narow is a member of the Organization of Student Social Workers, Student Drama Association, Golden Key National Honor Society and Phi Kappa Phi. She volunteers with the Sexual Abuse Response Team in Fairbanks and has coordinated special events to bring awareness to the issue of domestic violence. Narow plans to work toward a master’s degree in social work and a law degree with a focus on social policy.

Social work major LaVerne Demientieff will receive this year’s Gray Tilly Memorial Award for the graduating senior whose education has been interrupted by family responsibilities. As a single parent and primary caregiver of her mother, Demientieff has faced daily challenges in balancing the demands of her home life with the obligations of her education. She is a member of the Organization of Student Social Workers and the president of the Alaska Native Social Workers Association. She is learning the Athabascan language of Deg Hit’an, while working with Native elders to keep the language alive. She’s planning to begin work toward her master’s in social work this fall.

Two UAF employees will also be recognized for continued student advocacy. The Outstanding Faculty Award will be presented to Jim Ranney from the School of Management economics department, and Sue McHenry, Rural Student Services, will receive the Outstanding Staff Member Award.

Outstanding student athletes being recognized are Paul Austin from the hockey team and Sigrid Aas from the cross-country running and skiing team. Austin was a four-year contributor to the Nanooks and is graduating with a cumulative grade point average of 3.89 in mechanical engineering. Aas has maintained a 4.0 grade point average, earning her bachelor’s degree in journalism. In March she won two national titles while competing in the NCAA cross-country ski championship in California.

After the university achievement awards are presented, deans and directors will recognize students by colleges and professional schools.

In the School of Education, Jennifer Schneider and Nellie Schaeffer will be recognized in elementary education.

In the School of Mineral Engineering, Sarah Schlichting will be recognized for geological engineering, Preston Miller for mining engineering and Phillip Tsunemori for petroleum engineering.

In the School of Management, Laurie Gieck will be recognized for accounting, Jeremiah Atkisson for business administration and James Chappelow for economics.

In the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, Cody Burgess will be recognized for work in forest sciences; Karen Tilton for geography; Cody Peterson for plant, animal and soil sciences; and Curtis Knight in natural resources management.

The School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences will recognize Sean Bob Kelly in fisheries.

UAF’s College of Rural Alaska will recognize Christopher John Diaz from the Bristol Bay Campus, Mary Viveiros from the Chukchi Campus, Brenda Wilson from the Interior-Aleutians Campus, Janice Agwiak from the Kuskokwim Campus, Emma Olanna from the Northwest Campus and Stacey Stasenko from rural development. From the Tanana Valley Campus, department recognition will go to Teresa Curran in applied accounting, Audrey Rae Fitzgerald in applied business, Megan Everson in dental assisting, Christopher McBride in medical assisting, Eleanor Richter in pre-nursing and Courtney Mitchell in culinary arts. R. Michael Frederick will receive recognition in early childhood education and Justin Boddy in emergency services.

TVC will also recognize Ivie Hayes from information technology systems, Renee Pike in office management and technology and developmental education and Kiya Smith in paralegal studies.

The College of Science, Engineering and Mathematics will recognize Raena Fites in chemistry and biochemistry, Curtis Nordin in civil and environmental engineering and Joshua Kuglar in computer science.

Other outstanding CSEM students include Shelley Hicks in geology and geophysics, Jedediah Kallen-Brown in mathematics and physics, Paul Austin in mechanical engineering, Jared Inghram in statistics and Ryan Wilson in wildlife biology.

In the College of Liberal Arts, Melanie Geiss will be recognized in Alaska Native studies. CLA will also recognize Raymond Jay Flaming in anthropology, Campbell Kristenson in art, Christen Van Haastert in communication, David Phillips in history and Sharice Walker in journalism.

Also recognized by CLA are Jeffrey May in justice, Jamie Cook in military science, Suzanne McBride in music, Louie Flora in northern studies, Tom Dillon in philosophy, Melissa King in psychology, LaVerne Demientieff in social work, Laura Seeger in sociology, Margaret Bonnell in theater and Robert Jordan in women’s studies.

The Nanook Honors Celebration, a separate awards program to recognize students for their achievements and community service outside the classroom, took place in the Wood Center multilevel lounge April 23. A number of students there were recognized for graduating with leadership honors.

Note: If a student or department is not listed, it may be that the outstanding student for that department has a confidential hold on their academic record.

CONTACT: Lydia Anderson, Wood Center director at (907) 474-7037 for more information.