13 students receive Provost's Academic Achievement Award
Thirteen students received the 2013 Provost's Student Academic Achievement Award for their outstanding contributions to Miami University's intellectual environment.
The recipients were selected based on nominations from Miami faculty. The award is given annually to 10-15 students who have completed their third year at Miami (a minimum of 75 credit hours) and achieved academic excellence while making sustained and significant contributions to the intellectual climate of a department, an academic division or the campus. Students are awarded a $1,000 scholarship and certificate of recognition.
The 2013 recipients recognized are:
The 2013 Provost's Student Academic Acheivement Award Winners.
Victoria Azzi, history of art and architecture major, ceramics minor from Ashley. She received an Undergraduate Summer Scholar award in 2013 with faculty mentor Pepper Stetler, assistant professor of art, for a project on art of the Cold War. She is editor-in-chief of studio submissions for Effusions, the biannual art journal at Miami produced in association with the Art and Architectural History Association. She is a student ambassador for the College of Creative Arts and a member of the College of Creative Arts Dean's Advisory Board. She studied abroad through the "Development in Ukraine" workshop and at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand, in fall 2012. She is also a member of the Miami chapter of Best Buddies.
Colin Brand, anthropology, botany and zoology triple major and co-major in environmental science from Dublin. He received an Undergraduate Research Award for research on the sexual-social behavior of captive bonobos at the Cincinnati and Columbus zoos, which he presented at the Midwest Primate Interest Group annual meetings and at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. He was selected for the Cambridge Junior Visiting Fellows Program in the Division of Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, U.K., spring 2013. He is vice president of the primatology club, a College of Arts and Science ambassador and has been an undergraduate associate for three anthropology courses. He is also a resident assistant and a Miami tour guide.
John Burjek, finance and entrepreneurship double major and marketing and international business double minor from Downers Grove, Ill. He was selected as a Social Entrepreneurship Corps Guatemala Social Impact Intern in summer 2012 and participated in the Farmer School of Business China Study Abroad program. He was first place winner in the 2012 Deloitte Consulting Battle of Ohio Case Competition. He is a member of the university honors program and a Sports Talk Radio Host for WMSR.
James Cox, mass communication and English/creative writing double major and digital game design minor from Silver Spring, Md. He is a research assistant in the AIMS Persuasive Play Lab where he applies creative writing to video game narratives. He received an undergraduate summer scholar award in 2012 with faculty mentor Lindsay Grace, Armstrong Professor of Fine Arts in interactive media studies, for a project analyzing metafiction in games. Games he has designed have won first place in Miami's Global Game Jam; received a runner-up Peoples Choice Award at the 2012 Meaningful Play Conference; and reached the sixth ranking game on GameJolt.com. He was part of a team in Miami's 2011 Global Game Jam that designed a game that went on to win Most Fun Game at the University of Wisconsin's Play Expo creative gaming contest. He is a member of the university honors program and was the editor of Inklings in 2012.
Nicole Dusthimer, psychology major and German and marketing double minor from Powell. Dusthimer has worked with faculty mentor Carrie Hall, lecturer in psychology, in Hall's Behavior Mimicry Lab since her first year at Miami. She will be lab manager this year. She received an Undergraduate Summer Scholar award in 2013 with Hall for a project on the absence of mimicry and the overestimation of time. She has received two Undergraduate Research Awards, an Undergraduate Presentation Award and an Employee Service Leadership Award. She is a tutor at the Rinella Learning Center, was an undergraduate teaching fellow in psychology, is a College of Arts and Science ambassador and is a member of the university honors program.
Youxuan "Lucy" Jiang, computer science and psychology double major from Nanjing, China. She is an undergraduate assistant with Eric Bachmann, associate professor of computer science and software engineering, and involved in a research project in the HIVE (Huge Immersive Virtual Environment). She presented a poster about her research at the HIVE at the Ohio Celebration of Women in Computing Conference in spring 2013. She has been webmaster for Miami's Engineers Without Borders chapter since 2011 and was a webmaster for the Myaamia Project in 2012. She has been an undergraduate teaching assistant in computer science and a member of the student advisory council for the department of computer science and software engineering and is a student manager at the AIMS Cave facility.
Krysten Kasting, bioengineering major from Copley. She has worked with faculty mentor Jessica Sparks, associate professor of paper, chemical and bioengineering, since last semester on a project related to understanding mechanical properties of synthetic materials that may find applications in the biomedical area. She is a tutor at the Rinella Learning Center and has been an undergraduate teaching assistant for the paper, chemical and bioengineering department and also for the mechanical and manufacturing engineering department. She is a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Society of Women Engineers and the American Medical Student Association. She is also an active member of Miami's equestrian team.
Andrew Kleshinski, finance and accountancy double major from Mansfield. He was named an "Ernst & Young Undergraduate Scholar" in spring 2012 and worked on two research papers with Timothy Eaton, associate professor of accountancy. He has received top honors in several case competitions including first place at the Cleveland Research Company Stock Pitch Competition in 2013 and first place in the Deloitte Battle of Ohio Case Competition in 2012. His team also placed fourth nationally in the KPMG International Case Competition. He has participated in the Farmer School of Business Pacific Rim study abroad program. He is a student employee at Miami's Center for Business Excellence, a member of the investment banking club and a member of the university honors program.
Eric Lee, mechanical engineering and manufacturing engineering double major from Fairfield. He has worked with faculty mentor Kumar Singh, associate professor of mechanical and manufacturing engineering, since fall 2012 on vibration research and has been involved in development of a Computational-Experiment (ComEx) learning module. He is the founding member and president of the Miami University Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) club, established to design, build and race a "formula" car in the intercollegiate competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers. He has been an undergraduate assistant in the vibrations lab and is a member of the mechanical and manufacturing engineering student advisory council. He is a member of the university honors program and a member of the Lockheed Martin Leadership Institute.
Michelle McVicker, individualized studies major (social policy and educational reform) and Spanish minor from Chicago, Ill. She has worked with bilingualism in secondary school students and is a member of the Student Activists for Language and Culture Exchange (SALCE) – leading a group that seeks to embrace bilingualism in Hispanic children and their mothers in the city of Oxford. She has served as a tutor of English language for Hispanic children enrolled in Talawanda schools. She was selected to participate in Miami's Urban Leadership Internship Program in Chicago in 2012, and in summer 2013 she participated in Northwestern University's Summer Research Opportunity Program. She studied abroad through Miami's Universidad de Oviedo in Spain and through a London Study Abroad workshop. She is a member of the university honors program, is a participant in the Scholar Leader program and works as a student staff member in the department of theatre's costume shop.
Teresa Schwendler, nutrition major from Medina. She has been a research assistant since fall 2012 for mentor Rose Marie Ward, associate professor of kinesiology and health, for research on college student alcohol consumption. She has been a HAWKS peer health educator since 2011 and has worked with Miami's sports nutrition program. She is also a member of the Student Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at Miami. She worked at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute in summer 2012. She studied abroad through Miami's Luxembourg program and was a resident assistant last year.
Evan Swhear, marketing and supply chain and operations management double major and rhetoric/writing minor from Indianapolis, Ind. He is the president of Miami's Forensics Society and has received top honors in forensics competitions including 2013 state champion, oral interpretation; 2011 national novice champion, prose interpretation; and 2012 national semifinalist, informative speaking. He was an undergraduate assistant for the oral interpretation course and worked as an analyst intern for dunnhumby in summer 2013. He is a member of the university honors program and director of recruitment for the professional business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi.
Elizabeth Young, interactive media studies major from Cincinnati. She received an Undergraduate Summer Scholar award in 2012 for a project on participatory, new media documentary, "The Couch Project," with mentor Jason Palmeri, assistant professor of English and affiliate in interactive media studies. She was a cartoonist for the Miami Student 2009-2011 and is active in the sport of rock climbing, for which she received a silver medal in Miami's expert rock climbing competition. She works as a sandwich artist/cashier at Oxford's La Bodega Delicatessen.
Written by Susan Meikle, university news and communications, meiklesb@MiamiOH.edu
