Top students, teachers to be recognized at UGA Honors Day April 25

Friday, April 13, 2007 Writer: Larry B. Dendy, 706/542-8078, ldendy@uga.edu Contact: Carol Halstead, 706/542-0415, carolhal@uga.edu Top students, teachers to be recognized at UGA Honors Day April 25 Athens, Ga. - The University of Georgia will recognize top student scholars, superior teachers and outstanding faculty advisors and mentors at the annual Honors Day program April 25. The program will be in Hugh Hodgson Hall in UGA\u27s Performing Arts Center beginning at 2 p.m. Undergraduate classes scheduled for sixth, seventh and eighth periods (1:25-4:25 p.m.) will be dismissed so students and faculty can attend. Steven Stice, a professor of animal science and an international authority on animal cloning, will be the Honors Day speaker. As part of Honors Day, UGA will be recognized as a 2007 Truman Foundation Honor Institution. UGA is one of four universities selected by Madeleine K. Albright, president of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, to be recognized for sustained success in helping students win Truman Scholarships, which provide up to $30,000 for graduate study in preparation for careers in public service. UGA has had 14 Truman Scholars including a recipient this year, Deep Shaw, who is the fourth recipient in the past five years. Fredrick Slabach, executive director of the foundation, will present the award to UGA President Michael F. Adams and Del Dunn, retired vice president for instruction and long-time Truman faculty representative. Several hundred students, including 61 First Honor Graduates who have maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average, and students who rank in the top five percent of their schools and colleges, will be recognized for academic excellence at Honors Day. Other student honorees include recipients of top national scholarships and those elected to scholastic and leadership honor societies. Honors Day also recognizes faculty members who are receiving awards for teaching excellence; faculty and staff who are being recognized as outstanding advisors and mentors; and graduate students who are receiving awards for teaching. Three faculty members will be presented as new Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professors, UGA\u27s highest recognition of superior instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This year\u27s Meigs Professors are C. Ronald Ellington, law; Michael Tarrant, forestry and natural resources; and David S. Williams, religion. Recipients of the Richard B. Russell Award, which recognizes junior faculty for outstanding teaching, will also be presented. They are Jason Cantarella, mathematics; Linda Renzulli, sociology; and Jaroslav Tir, international affairs. In addition, two faculty who have been appointed to special professorships will be recognized. They are Michael Duncan, Regents Professor of chemistry, and Lioba Moshi, University Professor of comparative literature. Stice, this year\u27s speaker, is a Georgia Research Alliance eminent scholar and director of UGA\u27s Regenerative Bioscience Center. One of the world\u27s most accomplished scientists in the area of animal cloning, Stice leads a team of researchers that focuses on using genetic engineering for biomedicine and agricultural production. His lab produces neurons that will be used to discover new drugs for diseases such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Parkinson\u27s, and he has formed a company that will provide the most advanced neural cells to researchers around the world. His cloning research will help improve breeding stock for cattle and pigs that will increase the marketplace value of these animals. Stice\u27s lab is one of five stem cell training centers authorized by the National Institutes of Health and has trained scientists who work throughout the world. The following faculty members will be recognized as outstanding teachers in the schools and colleges: Franklin College of Arts and Sciences: Michael Hussey, theatre and film studies; Will Kazez, mathematics; Clinton McCrory, mathematics; Patricia Richards, sociology and women\u27s studies; Isabelle Wallace, Lamar Dodd School of Art; Zheng-Hua Ye, plant biology College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: Allan Armitage, horticulture; Terry Centner, agricultural and applied economics; Mark Compton, poultry science; Dennis Duncan, agricultural leadership, education and communication; Paul Hendrix, crop and soil sciences; Maria Navarro, agricultural leadership, education and communication; John C. Ricketts, agricultural leadership, education and communication; Robert Shewfelt, food science and technology School of Law: Lonnie Brown Jr., Erica Hashimoto, C. Ronald Ellington College of Pharmacy: J. Russell May, clinical and administrative pharmacy Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources: Bruce Borders, Gary Green College of Education: Robert Hill, lifelong education, administration and policy; Nancy Knapp, educational psychology and instructional technology Terry College of Business: Linda Bamber, accounting; John Blackstone, management; Tina Carpenter, accounting; Debabroto Chatterjee, management and information systems; H. Kevin Ellis, marketing and distribution; Frank Limehouse, economics; Harold Mulherin, banking and finance; Jeffry Netter, banking and finance; Marisa Pagnattaro, insurance, legal studies and real estate; Craig Piercy, management information systems Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication: Janice Hume, journalism; Betty Jones, advertising and public relations; Christa Ward, telecommunications College of Family and Consumer Sciences: Lee Johnson, child and family development; Barbara Grossman, foods and nutrition; Brenda Cude, housing and consumer economics; Dawn Schueneman, textiles, merchandising and interiors College of Veterinary Medicine: Karen Cornell, small animal medicine; Margie Lee, population health School of Social Work: Thomas Artelt, Donna Bliss, Betsy Vonk, June Hopps College of Environment and Design: Amy Rosemond, Institute of Ecology; Ashley Calabria, School of Environmental Design School of Public and International Affairs: Markus M. L. Crepaz, international affairs College of Public Health: Luke Naeher, environmental health science Division of Academic Enhancement: Jodi P. Holschuh Janice Barham, an assistant to the vice president for student affairs who teaches a class in the College of Education, will be recognized as the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Member. Several faculty members will be honored for teaching excellence in the Honors Program. The J. Hatten Howard Award, which recognizes faculty who exhibit special promise in teaching Honors courses during their first term as an Honors Program instructor, will be presented to Janet Frick, psychology. The Lothar Tresp Outstanding Honors Professor Award is given to Honors faculty based on course evaluations. This year\u27s recipients are Fred Bateman, economics; Robert Harris, classics; Katarzyna Jerzak, comparative literature; and Katharina Wilson, comparative literature. Winners of the university\u27s annual award to a faculty member and a staff member for excellence in academic advising and mentoring are Katie Hein, health promotion and behavior and Timothy Hoover, microbiology. The university also recognizes outstanding efforts to involve undergraduate students in research with the Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award. This year\u27s winners are Timothy Hoover, microbiology and Steven Stice, animal and dairy science. The Graduate School also recognizes faculty members with the Outstanding Mentoring Award. This year\u27s winners are William Dennis, physics and astronomy and Peter Smargorinsky, language and literacy education. The Graduate School recognizes graduate teaching assistants for outstanding performance with the Excellence in Teaching Award. This year\u27s recipients are Emily Henriksen, microbiology; Laura Moyer, political science; Tarsem Purewal, computer science; Ginger Rhodes, mathematics and science education; and Floyd Shockley, entomology. Five students who received prestigious national scholarships will be recognized. They are Deep Shah, the Truman Scholarship winner; Jessica Bryant and Nithya Natrajan, who received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship; Jayanthi Narain, who received a Marshall Scholarship; and Douglas Jackson, winner of the J. Edgar Hoover Foundation Scientific Scholarship. UGA began recognizing First Honor Graduates in 1978 instead of designating a graduating senior as valedictorian. This year\u27s total of 61 is the largest number of students ever to qualify as First Honor Graduates. The students, and their hometowns and majors, are: John B. Allen, Moultrie, biology and psychology; Joshua T. Altman, Warner Robins, finance; William B. Andrews, Marietta, finance; Franklin E. Ard, Athens, women\u27s studies; Alisan J. Atvur, Atlanta, Honors interdisciplinary studies; Liron Bar-Peled, Athens, biochemistry and molecular biology; Betsy A. Beasley, Milledgeville, history; Leslie L. Beck, Alpharetta, microbiology; Cindy R. Bentley, Monroe, Spanish; Erin C. Bower, Arnoldsville, early childhood education; Emily M. Brinkman, Columbus, pharmacy; Victoria L. Buchanan, Fayetteville, finance; Brian L. Claggett, Pensacola, FL, statistics; Stephanie M. Conley, Marietta, early childhood education; Caelin A. Cubenas, Prospect, KY, biochemistry and molecular biology; Joshua A. Denney, Birmingham, AL, microbiology; Manpreet K. Dhillon, Evans, microbiology; Matthew S. Farmer, Evans, biology; Mareasa M. Fortunato, Honors interdisciplinary studies; Joel E. Frost, Lawrenceville, psychology; Brian J. Gebhardt, Albany, political science; Laura E. Gilbertson, Duluth, biology; Jacquelyn R. Gillette, Marietta; accounting; Amanda L. Giordano, Evans, psychology; Lesley M. Graybeal, Evans, English; James F. Griffin, Waynesboro, biochemistry and molecular biology; Kristin E. Habel, Roswell, microbiology and French; Hope A. Ham, Marion, IL, accounting; Christina M. Harris, Conyers, management; James M. Hotz, Albany, biology; Christopher M. Hourihan, Conyers, management information systems; Adrienne I. Kay, Norcross, Spanish and international business; Amanda K. Kelly, Lilburn, Spanish; Michael B. Kraun, Roswell, biological science; Alexander J. MacGregor, Peachtree City, geography and economics; Andrew C. McKown, Marietta, genetics; Michelle E. Merck, Acworth, political science and Spanish; Maria E. Moody, Bogart, theatre; Balaji L. Narain, Milledgeville, economics; Jayanthi L. Narain, Milledgeville, economics and international affairs; Jennifer A. Oliver, Macon, interdisciplinary studies and microbiology; Elizabeth R. Parker, Washington, D.C., psychology; Sarah J. Postich, Roswell, psychology; Laura F. Rayne, Alpharetta, biology and psychology; Eva B. Reed, Clarkesville, psychology; Patrick D. Retterbush, Valdosta, microbiology; Jonathan J. Rier, Roswell, finance; Jessica D. Roberts, Marietta, early childhood education; Stephanie M. Rowan, Lilburn, early childhood education; Stephanie J. Slaton, Stone Mountain, foreign language education; Constance E. Southern, East Ellijay, mathematics; Jenna L. Thomason, Hogansville, biology and psychology; Leslie T. Tucker, Claxton, pharmacy; Blake M. Troiani, Marietta, microbiology and psychology; Jake E. Turrentine, Elkin, NC, biology; Andrew J. Vesper, Marietta, economics, and mathematics and statistics; Barbara S. Wang, Chamblee, physics; Mariam L. Wassif, Roswell, English and French; Justin B. Wenger, Alpharetta, biochemistry and molecular biology; Erin R. White, Marbury, AL, sociology and publication management; and Teanna M. Wilson, Hoschton, biology. Honors Day was started in 1930 by Chancellor S. V. Sanford to give recognition to UGA students for scholastic achievement. #