The 2014 Provost's Academic Achievement Award winners, from left to right:  Sam Korach, Daniel Ferriell, Kirsten Melling, Nicole Fisher, Interim Provost Ray Gorman, Asia Ameigh, Carly Mungovan, Anissa Khan and Mathew Giffin (photo by Scott Kissell).
The 2014 Provost's Academic Achievement Award winners, from left to right: Sam Korach, Daniel Ferriell, Kirsten Melling, Nicole Fisher, Interim Provost Ray Gorman, Asia Ameigh, Carly Mungovan, Anissa Khan and Mathew Giffin (photo by Scott Kissell).

Eight students receive Provost's Academic Achievement Award

Eight students received the 2014 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 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 2014 recipients recognized are:

Asia Ameigh, psychology major, sociology minor from Marblehead. She has conducted research with faculty mentor Carrie Hall and is now lab manager in Hall's Behavior Mimicry lab. She has received an Undergraduate Summer Scholars award and an Undergraduate Research Award. She completed an internship with the Firelands Counseling and Recovery Services and currently works with the Butler County Success Program for elementary school students. She is the chair of the board of COMPASS, a student research journal, and is vice president and choreographer for the Miami Vision Dance Company. Ameigh was nominated by Carrie Hall of psychology, Amity Noltemeyer of educational psychology and Len Mark, psychology emeritus.

Daniel Ferriell, chemical engineering major, mathematics and paper engineering minor from Eaton. He has conducted research in tissue engineering with faculty mentor Amy Yousefi, Spooner Schallek Associate Professor of chemical, paper and biomedical engineering, for the past year. He has also been a member of Project High Flight since 2011. He was selected as a member of the College of Engineering and Computing's Lockheed Martin Leadership Institute and has completed internships at Georgia Pacific and at Bullen Ultrasonic. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi, a national honors engineering fraternity. He is also active in intramural sports and volunteers for Feed My Starving Children on campus. He was nominated by Yousefi and Shashi Lalvani of chemical, paper and biomedical engineering.

Nicole "Niki" Fisher, engineering management and business economics double major from Barberton. She is a founding member and the first president of Project High Flight. She participated in NASA's RockOn program at NASA's Wallops Launch Facility in summer 2012 and in summer 2013 was an intern for the Department of Defense at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. She is a member of the club water ski team and Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed national service fraternity. She is a member of the university honors program. Fisher was nominated by Bob Setlock of engineering and computing, Tim Cameron of mechanical and manufacturing engineering and Olga Brezhneva of mathematics.

Mathew Giffin, psychology major, communication and management and leadership double minor from Lebanon. He has been a research assistant for Rose Marie Ward, associate professor of kinesiology and health, for the past two years. He has given poster presentations of his research on binge drinking and negative health behaviors at three national conferences and has had a paper published in NCUR Proceedings. He is also a member of the university honors program and active in his church, The Bridge. Giffin was nominated by Ian Hopkins, previously of media, journalism and film, and Ward.

Samuel Korach, accountancy major, sociology minor and master’s of accountancy from Orchard Park, N.Y. He was selected as an Ernst & Young Undergraduate Research Scholar to work with faculty mentor Timothy Eaton, associate professor of accountancy, and co-authored a paper with Eaton for the Journal of Forensic and Investigative Accounting. He was a student fellow at Miami’s Center for Business Excellence last year. He has been an undergraduate associate for the Principles of Accounting course since 2012 and is also a career assistant for Miami's Career Services. He is the vice president of finance for Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity. Korach was nominated by Janice Taylor of marketing and Eaton.

Anissa Khan, business economics major, from Overland Park, Kan. She received an Undergraduate Summer Scholars award in 2013 with faculty mentor Bill Even, Raymond E. Glos Professor of Business, for research investigating the evolution of poverty among women over the age of 65. Last summer she was selected for Miami's Urban Leadership Internship Program, working in Chicago. She has been an undergraduate assistant for Principles of Microeconomics (ECO201) and was president of the Economics club in 2013. She is a resident assistant this year and also a member of the University Honors Program. Khan was nominated by Michael Curme, dean of students/economics and Charles Moul, economics.

Kirsten Melling, marketing major and sustainability co-major from Solon. She has conducted research on specific case studies in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries on how they burn waste for energy or turn it into fuel. Melling also has researched and created a plan for Abercrombie & Fitch's expansion of its Hollister brand in China. She led a group that created a social media campaign for Hollister. On Miami's campus, she is president of Net Impact, an organization she co-founded to help students understand and pursue careers related to sustainability and social responsibility in business and other fields. Melling, who is a member of the university and business honors programs, was nominated by Janice Taylor of marketing and David Prytherch of geography.

Carly Mungovan, theatre major, arts management and art/architecture history double minor from Delaware. She was the production stage manager for "Macbeth" and other productions and served as director for "The Competent Heart" and "The Little Dog Laughed." The honors student completed an internship with the Seattle Children's Theatre in the summer and was invited to stage-manage a solo show in the prestigious United Solo Theatre Festival in New York City this fall. She was also selected as the student speaker for the Women in Leadership Conference at Miami in April. Mungovan was nominated by Lana Kay Rosenberg of kinesiology and health and Julia Guichard of theatre.