Fellowships awardes to graduate students
Three doctoral students were awarded a new dissertation fellowship for the academic year of 2002 to 2003 as an initiative launched by the School of Graduate Studies to enhance graduate education.
Thomas Kent, dean of the School of Graduate Studies, said he announced the new fellowship plan in August of 2001 to the department heads of Utah State University. A committee was then constructed of the Graduate Council to read the student applications, and the winners were announced in December of 2001.
‘We were trying to supply support to students who are doing really exceptional, exciting work,” Kent said. “We wanted it to be a prestigious award, and we wanted to make a difference in the lives of those grad students.”
Kent said each dissertation fellowship is a non-renewable amount of $5,000, and was intended for doctoral students who were writing or beginning to write their dissertations during the Fall 2002 Semester.
“The three students who were chosen were very deserving,” Kent said about Julie Rieder of the department of biology, Andres Pastorino of the department of nutrition and food sciences, and Roger Bannister of the department of biology.
The purpose of the School of Graduate Studies dissertation fellowships was to “provide outstanding doctoral students with additional time to draft and revise their dissertations,” Kent said.
In order to meet their financial needs, many of the students teach or serve as a research assistant which can interfere with their ability to complete their doctoral work. The dissertation fellowship will relieve the students of those obligations and allow them to pursue more actively the actual writing and completion of their dissertation.
Rieder, a fellowship winner in the department of biology, is researching the invasion process of certain reeds such as the yellow star thistle which has newly invaded Utah. She has taught several general biology USU courses in the past, but said her financial burdens will now be lifted since she was awarded the dissertation fellowship.
“I feel relief that I don’t have to stretch my time so much,” Rieder said. “My goal to finish my work is more tangible and close.”
Pastorino is studying cheese chemistry and functionality. Instead of searching for involvement in a new research project, he said he will now be able to take more time to focus on his work.
“Being awarded with the dissertation fellowship was truly rewarding. When your work and effort are recognized, your commitment and enthusiasm are renewed,” Pastorino said. “By having this money, the workload will be decreased, thus more time will be available to concentrate my efforts in quality publications.”
Bannister is studying nerve impulse transmission under the department of biology. He said he hopes to complete his doctoral work by December of 2002, and this awarded fellowship will speed up the process.
“I was really quite surprised to be awarded and I feel really good,” Bannister said. “It will make things a lot easier for me and I feel very honored to have it.”
Kent said funding for the dissertation fellowship awards came from a discretionary fund from the central administration, and will become an ongoing initiative in future years for the School of Graduate Studies. This is one of the initiatives launched by Kent to enhance and improve graduate education at USU.
“It makes a big difference to be able to offer these awards each year, rather than just a one-time deal that doesn’t continue in the future,” Kent said.