School of Graduate Studies awards fellowships
A number of fellowships have been awarded by the School of Graduate Studies at Utah State University for the 2006-07 academic year.
“The School of Graduate Studies recognizes the importance of providing financial assistance to those earning advanced degrees,” said Byron Burnham, dean. “Those receiving fellowships represent the quality students enrolled in graduate programs across campus. We offer them our congratulations.”
The School of Graduate Studies serves as the administrative body that promotes, supports and reviews graduate education at USU. It ensures consistency and excellence in all graduate degree programs on campus.
The School of Graduate Studies’ Martin Luther King Fellowships have been awarded to Zanj Avery (Pomona, Calif.), a doctoral student in the department of engineering and technology education; Justin Jackson (West Jordan, Utah), a master’s student in the department of health, physical education and recreation; and Charley Smith (Minneapolis, Minn.), a master’s student in the department of history.
Martin Luther King Fellowships are awarded to African American graduate students.
Recipient of the Dr. Dinesh and Kalpana Patel Graduate Fellowship is Xiangjun Shi (Guangdon, China), a doctoral student in the department of computer science. The recipient is also pursuing a concurrent master of science degree in statistics. His dissertation research focuses on developing a novel CAD system of mass detection and classification in breast ultrasound images using statistical methods.
Patel Graduate Fellows must be a doctoral candidate and an international student or a student from an underrepresented group.
The School of Graduate Studies’ Dissertation Fellowships are intended to provide outstanding doctoral students with additional time to draft and revise their dissertations.
“For many doctoral students, the need to teach or to serve as a research assistant interferes with their ability to complete their dissertation work in a timely manner,” Burnham said. “This fellowship aims to help doctoral students move more efficiently and quickly toward the completion of their dissertations.”
Nine Dissertation Fellowships were awarded for the 2006-2007 academic year. Recipients include Stephen Bennett (Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada), department of aquatic, watershed and earth resources; Katie Christiansen (Newton, Utah), department of family, consumer, and human development; Chris Feldman (Westlake Village, Calif.), department of biology; Aleksandra Mikosz (Ruda Slaska, Poland), department of chemistry and biochemistry; Steven Ostoja (Sacramento, Calif.), department of forest, range and wildlife sciences; Surachet Pravinvongvuth (Pakkret, Nonthaburee, Thailand), department of civil and environmental engineering; Sanjib Sarker (Ahmedabad, India), department of economics; Carla Koons Trentelman (Ogden, Utah), department of sociology, social work and anthropology; and Qiang Wu (Harbin, China), department of mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Seely-Hinckley Scholarships are awarded in all colleges at USU. Recipients of the School of Graduate Studies Seely-Hinckley Scholarships are Michael Halling (Newburgh, Indiana), department of sociology; John Mulholland (Farmington, Utah), department of computer science; Sandra Reategui (Lima, Peru), department of economics; Christopher Robinson (Kanab, Utah), department of mechanical and aerospace engineering; Deepak Simkhada (Katmandu, Nepal), department of physics; and Megan Tippetts (West Jordan, Utah), department of nutrition and food sciences.
“Providing financial support is an important goal for the School of Graduate Studies,” Burnham said. “Our graduate scholars and researchers contribute to the intellectual vitality of the university and it is vital that we continue this support.”