Honors College graduates, faculty recognized

By Jared Brickman, Honors College

Schweitzer-80PULLMAN, Wash. – The Honors College at Washington State University recently celebrated the achievements of graduating seniors: Seventy-five percent earned a GPA above 3.5; 93 percent studied a foreign language; 45 percent studied abroad; and half plan to continue their education at graduate or professional schools.

Giving the keynote speech was WSU alumnus and entrepreneur Edmund O. Schweitzer of Pullman’s Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. All honors graduates received medals; eight students and 12 mentors and professors took home special awards:

S. Town Stephenson Award for student academic excellence and involvement:
• Lindsey Elhart, finance major
• David Finkel, chemical engineering
• Chelsea Gilpin, zoology
• Tristan Hanon, economic sciences

Dean’s Award:
• Anna Breigenzer, mathematics and Chinese language and culture
• Fiorella Grandi, genetics and cell biology
• Katherine Martucci, neuroscience and psychology
• Marcela Rodriguez-Campo, Spanish and English

Honors College Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching and Outstanding Contributions: Raymond Lee, professor in the School of Biological Sciences who teaches an Honors 290 course. He also was awarded the Thomas Lutz Memorial Teaching award from the College of Arts and Sciences this year.

Faculty Thesis Advisor Awards:
• Ben Cowan, assistant professor of economics, nominated by Rossetti Celis
• Lisa Shipley, professor of wildlife ecology, nominated by student Marley Iredale
• David Turnbull, associate professor of music, nominated by Jacob Taylor
• William Snyder and David Crowder, both professors of entomology, nominated by Tina Miller
• Christopher Lupke, professor of Chinese, nominated by Anna Breigenzer
• Joshua Neumiller, assistant professor of pharmacotherapy, nominated by Haleigh Miller
• Ryan Hare, associate professor of music, nominated by Sonja Larson
• Wenfeng An, assistant professor of molecular biosciences, nominated by Fiorella Grandi
• Samantha Swindell, clinical associate professor of psychology, nominated by Katherine Martucci
• Victor Villanueva, Regents professor of English and director of the Writing Program, nominated by Marcela Rodriguez-Campo
• Norman Lewis, Regents professor and director of the Institute for Biological Chemistry, nominated by Sarah Brewer

Find more at http://honors.wsu.edu/newsevents/headlines/spring2014commencement/