University of Idaho Honors Graduate Students
Thursday, May 8 2008
May 8, 2008 MOSCOW, Idaho – The University of Idaho has given awards to 15 outstanding graduate students. The honors include teaching awards and fellowships. In addition, two faculty members earned awards for their work in mentoring graduate students. Two students each received an Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award of $1,000.
- Ahmad Abu Abdo is a doctoral student in civil engineering. He teaches three lab sections a week in addition to assisting in homework and report grading. Colleagues said he “works tirelessly to help his students inside and outside the classroom.”
- Wendy Estes-Zumpf is completing her doctorate in fish and wildlife resources and studies pygmy rabbits. She carries a 4.0 grade point average. Estes-Zumpf has been a teaching assistant for the past three semesters in the university’s wildlife ecology lab. In addition to publishing her research, she has received numerous awards.
- Michael Falkowski is completing his doctorate this spring in forest resources. He has published six peer-reviewed journal articles, and he has several others in various stages of publication. “Few graduate students or even new assistant professors have attained this level of achievement this early in their career,” wrote Alistair Smith, assistant professor of forest measurements, in a letter of nomination for Falkowski. “Michael … is the model of what we hope our best graduate students will become.”
- Ron Crawford, professor of microbiology, molecular biology and biochemistry, joined the University of Idaho in 1987. He has served as a major professor for 11 master’s and 16 doctoral degree students. Colleagues praised Crawford for being an outstanding scientist with a national and international reputation, and for having a keen interest in the professional development of his students.
- Stephen Devadoss, professor of agricultural economics, has been with the University of Idaho for nearly 19 years. Colleagues praised him, citing his “reputation for excellence in research, having been published in numerous prestigious publications and having received research grants, [and that he] has attracted graduate students into a successful graduate program where he has instilled his high-caliber professionalism in each student with which he has tirelessly worked.”
- Lubia Cajas Cano came to the University of Idaho as a Fulbright scholar in 2004 from Guatemala. She completed her master’s degree in environmental science two years later, maintaining a 4.0 grade point average, and immediately entered the doctoral program in the fish and wildlife department. Once she completes her doctorate, Cano will return to Guatemala as a professor at the University of San Carlos. Her research will help assess the total resource needs for aquaculture production including land, water, transportation, energy and food base infrastructure. The results will be shared with residents of Latin America and other developing countries.
- Tshering Sherpa is a doctoral student in neuroscience who has focused her research on the cellular and molecular correlates of retinal regeneration using the zebrafish model system. Born in Nepal, Sherpa and her family moved to Hailey, Idaho, so that the children could attend better schools. Her parents run a guide business with treks in Nepal, Tibet and Mongolia. Upon completion of her doctorate, she will be the first Sherpa to attain a doctoral degree in any discipline.
- Frank Battick will begin his master’s studies in materials science and engineering this fall. He completed his McNair undergraduate research in physics at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
- Conni Carson is a doctoral student in food science. She came to the University of Idaho as a first-generation college student in 2004. She earned her undergraduate degree in microbiology with a minor in food science. In addition to her academic work, she is raising three children, including a newborn.
- Rick Henderson is a doctoral student in chemistry who joined the U.S. Navy after earning a bachelor’s degree in business. He worked as a police officer in Lewiston before returning to graduate school. Faculty members have been impressed by Henderson, describing him as a “strong student and a natural leader.”
- A native of Germany, Niko Balkenhol is a doctoral student in fish and wildlife resources whose studies were initially funded through a Fulbright Fellowship. Faculty mentors praise his research as “cutting edge in a new interdisciplinary research area known as landscape genetics, which integrates theory and methods from population genetics, landscape ecology and spatial statistics to describe and explain the influences of landscape and environmental variables on genetic variation and structure.”
- Jennifer Jensen is a doctoral student in environmental science and will defend her dissertation in 2009. Her research analyzes carbon uptake by vegetation in complex terrain using remote sensing technology.
- Libbie Oram is a doctoral student in environmental science. Her research addresses selenium cycling to predict bioavailability and environmental impacts in contaminated environments.
- A native of southern Denmark, Michael Østergaard is a doctoral student in chemistry. His research focuses on the development of two types of novel fluorescent probes for detecting nucleic acids and their implementation on arrays for ultrasensitive detection of biological threat agents.
- Benjamin Oswald is a doctoral student in bioinformatics and computational biology. He already has authored, published and co-authored several papers in well regarded, peer-reviewed journals.
- Mary Oswald is in a biological sciences doctoral program. She uses zebra fish to help understand how animals adapt to captivity, and how these adaptations impact the conservation of captively reared endangered species. Oswald also co-founded and manages a grant program that funds scholarly and creative work for undergrad and grad students in all colleges across the University of Idaho campus.
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About the University of Idaho
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit a www.uidaho.edu.
AR-5/8/08-GRAD
Contact: Tania Thompson, University Communications, (208) 885-6567, taniat@uidaho.edu
About the University of Idaho
The University of Idaho helps students to succeed and become leaders. Its land-grant mission furthers innovative scholarly and creative research to grow Idaho's economy and serve a statewide community. From its main campus in Moscow, Idaho, to 70 research and academic locations statewide, U-Idaho emphasizes real-world application as part of its student experience. U-Idaho combines the strength of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. It is home to the Vandals. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.