Bravo!
The end of the academic year brings honors and awards to students, faculty and staff. Here is a selection.
Fulbright Scholarship
Five Rice students or recent alumni were selected to receive Fulbright Scholarships from the U.S. State Department. Graduate student Amanda Moehnke and alumni Francesca Schley ’12, Tracey Lam ’11, Payton Odom ’09 and Jasdeep Mangat ’09 will each receive a fellowship to study, teach or conduct research abroad for one academic year. Goldwater Scholarship Three undergraduates were among 282 students in the country to be named Goldwater Scholars by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. Senior Juhye Lee and juniors Stephanie Tzouanas and Jeanette Wat will each receive a maximum of $7,500 for tuition, fees and other college expenses. The scholarship is awarded to students who intend to pursue careers in math, science or engineering. Truman Scholarship Two Rice seniors were among just 54 students nationwide who were awarded Truman Scholarships. Benjamin Chou and Rahul Rekhi will each receive up to $30,000 for graduate study, priority admission at some premier graduate schools, career counseling, leadership training and special internship opportunities with the federal government. Udall Scholarship Rice senior Christina Hughes was one of 80 national winners of the Morris K. and Stewart L. Udall Scholarship from the Udall Foundation. The $5,000 scholarship is awarded to students who are committed to careers related to the environment.
Benjamin Chou
Rahul Rekhi
Watson Fellowship Two graduating seniors were among 40 students nationwide to receive Thomas J. Watson Fellowships. Rachael Petersen ’12 and Becky Wade ’12 will each receive $25,000 for a year of independent study and travel outside the United States. Dylan McNally ’12 received the Roy and Hazel Zeff Memorial Fellowship, which is awarded to the highest-ranking Watson nominee from Rice who does not receive a Watson Fellowship. Staff Award Crystal Davis ’87, current funds accounting manager in the Controller’s Office, was selected as the recipient of this year’s Elizabeth Gillis Award for Exemplary Service. This annual award, given by the Rice Board of Trustees, recognizes outstanding achievements and service by a staff member in support of the university’s mission. Faculty Achievements Luay Nakhleh, associate professor of computer science, ecology and evolutionary biology, and biochemistry and cell biology, was selected to be one of 181 Guggenheim Fellows. Scholars, artists and scientists are awarded grants that support their work for six to 12 months, giving them creative freedom.
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Moramay Lopez-Alonso, assistant professor of history, is one of 65 scholars to receive a six-month fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies, which promotes research in the humanities and social sciences. Herbert Levine, the Hasselmann Professor of Bioengineering, has been named an American Academy of Arts and Sciences fellow. The AAAS, an independent policy research center, annually selects some of the world’s most accomplished scholars, scientists, writers, artists, and civic, corporate and philanthropic leaders. Teaching Awards Each year, Rice honors faculty members for exemplary teaching, mentoring or service. This year, the winner of the George R. Brown Prize for Excellence in Teaching, Rice’s top annual teaching award, is Mark Embree, professor of computational and applied mathematics and director of the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership. The George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching is presented to a number of faculty members each year who are nominated by alumni who graduated two and five years ago. This year’s recipients are Mikki Hebl, professor of psychology and management; Steven Cox, professor of computational and applied mathematics; James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, and professor of computer science; Maria Oden, professor in the practice of engineering and director of the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen; Bridget Gorman, associate professor of sociology; Alma Novotny, lecturer of biochemistry and cell biology; Paul Stevenson, professor of physics and astronomy; José Aranda, associate professor of English and chair of the departments of Hispanic studies and French studies; and Roberta Anding, lecturer of kinesiology.
Rachael Petersen
Becky Wade
The Nicolas Salgo Distinguished Teacher Award, Rice’s oldest teaching award, is decided by the junior and senior class. Brent Houchens, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, received this year’s award. The Presidential Mentoring Award is given to faculty members who have demonstrated a strong commitment to mentoring students. The 2012 winners are Elizabeth Long, professor and chair of sociology, and David Scott, the Noah Harding Professor of Statistics. Christina Keefe, lecturer of visual and dramatic arts and director of the Rice Theatre Program, is the recipient of this year’s Sarofim Teaching Prize. The annual award goes to an outstanding lecturer in the School of Humanities. The Charles Duncan Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement is presented by the university’s deans to a faculty member with fewer than 10 years of experience and outstanding performance in both scholarship and teaching. This year’s recipient is Kurt Stallman, the Lynette S. Autrey Associate Professor of Composition and Theory in the Shepherd School of Music. Rachel Kimbro, assistant professor of sociology, received the 2012 Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Prize. The prize is awarded to a nontenured assistant professor who demonstrates an outstanding commitment to education in the liberal arts or sciences.