Graduate Council Fellowship Recipients Named at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Graduate School has announced the 2005-2006 recipients of Graduate Council Fellowships, the most prestigious and competitive graduate fellowships at UA awarded to graduate students with the highest academic and scholarly qualifications.

Recipients are selected by the UA Graduate Council, which consists of graduate faculty members from each college of the University. The fellowships provide an award for tuition and fees, plus an annual stipend.

Some 70 graduate students were awarded the fellowship, including:

-Desiree Diane Adams of Mobile in the doctoral degree program in clinical psychology. Adams received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and graduated summa cum laude in 2005 from UA.

-Clayton Allen Brasher of Winfield in the master’s degree program in banking and finance. Brasher received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Birmingham-Southern College in 2005. Brasher was salutatorian of the Winfield High School Class of 2001 and attended Birmingham-Southern College on a full academic scholarship.

-Jason Bradley Byrd of Decatur in the master’s degree program in history. Byrd received a bachelor’s degree in history from UA in 2004. Byrd was named the Most Distinguished Undergraduate History Student and the Most Outstanding SGA Student Justice.

-Lauren Rebecca Cafiero of Hoover in the doctoral degree program in chemistry. Cafiero received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from UA in 2004. Cafiero made the Dean’s List and is a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority.

-Gene Mark Calhoun of Gardendale in the master’s degree program in metallurgical and materials engineeirng. Calhoun received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UA in 2003, was a Graduate Council Research/Creative Writing Fellow and a member of the UA Graduate School Honors Society (Alpha Epsilon Lambda).

-Emily Dyan Clarke of Grove Hill in the master’s degree program in accountancy. Clarke received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from UA in 2005. Clarke was named Who’s Who Among American College and Universities, a National Society of Collegiate Scholar and member of the Intermediate Honors Program.

-Nikolaus L. Cordes of Talladega in the doctoral degree program in chemistry. Cordes received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Montevallo in 2005 and was named Senior Elite in chemistry there.

-Nicholette Sullivan Duke of Mobile in the master’s degree program in social work. Duke received a bachelor’s degree in social work from Asbury College in 2003. Duke received the Outstanding Academic Achievement award in Social Work, was magna cum laude and named NAIA Academic All-Around Athlete.

-Kathryn Lueker-Eaton of Albuquerque, N.M., in the master’s degree program in creative writing. Lueker-Eaton received a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Oberlin College in 1998. Lueker-Eaton received the Screenwriting Award at the Chicago Indie Fest and is a two time semi-finalist for Chesterfield Writers and Film Projects.

-Joanna Louise Ewing of Jonesboro, Ark., in the master’s degree program in library and information studies. Ewing received a bachelor’s degree in English from Arkansas State University in 2005. Ewing received the English BA Book Award, is a National Society of Collegiate Scholar and was named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.

-Courtney Hummer Graham of Tuscaloosa in the master’s degree program in business administration. Graham received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UA in 2005. Graham received the Alumni Student Award, was named Mechanical Engineering Student of the Year and received the Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award.

-Candace Leigh Handley of Birmingham in the master’s degree program in speech and language pathology. Handley received a bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders from UA in 2004. Handley has been published in Comtemporary Issues in Communicative Science Disorders and is vice president of the National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association.

-Katie Ann Huffman of Birmingham in the master’s degree program in library and information studies. Huffman received a bachelor’s degree in literature from UA in 2004. Huffman was summa cum laude and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

-Lydia Jane Jones of Birmingham in the master’s degree program in German philology. Jones received a bachelor’s degree in German from UA in 2004. Jones is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, Delta Phi Alpha and Sigma Alpha Lambda honoraries and was awarded the Freshman Leadership Scholarship at the University of Montevallo.

-Mary Elizabeth Magouirk of Berry in the master’s degree program in accountancy. Magouirk received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from UA in 2005. Magouirk is a Presidential Scholar; member of the Business Honors Program, Beta Gamma Sigma, and Beta Alpha Psi; made the President’s List and a magna cum laude graduate.

-Laura Anne McLester of Huntsville in the master’s degree program in social work. McLester received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UA at Huntsville in 2004 and a summa cum laude graduate.

-Louisa Suzanne Munoz of Birmingham in the master’s degree program in accountancy. Munoz received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from UA in 2005. Munoz was summa cum laude; an Austin scholar; received the Beta Gamma Sigma Outstanding Senior Award; and President of Beta Alpha Psi.

-Cori Miller Perdue of Northport in the master’s degree program in English. Perdue received a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley in 1997. Perdue received the 2004 Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year award, was an undergraduate Honor Roll student and made the President’s List.

-Martee Malice Reeg of Winnfield, La., in the master’s degree program in art history. Reeg received a bachelor’s degree in art history from UA in 2005. Reeg made the President’s List and received the Randall Undergraduate Outstanding Research Award.

-William Zachary Riddle of Trussville in the master’s degree program in accountancy. Riddle received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from UA in 2005. Riddle received the Outstanding Senior Award from the National Alumni Association, the Ann Inglett Award, David Matthews Award from SGA, the Alegernon Sydney Sullivan Award, Charles Seebeck Award, Computer Based Honors, the Bloom Award, and he was a memer of the Blackburn Institute.

-Karen Lee Torres of Arab in the master’s degree program in aerospace engineering. Torres received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from UA in 2005. Torres is a McNair Scholar; received the 2005 Aerospace Engineering Undergraduate Research Assistant of the Year, 2005 Aerospace Engineering Student of the Year, and the 2005 Engineering Council of Birmingham Student of the Year.

-John Benjamin Ward of Jackson, Miss., in the master’s degree program in tax accounting. Ward received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Mississippi in 2005. Ward was a University of Mississippi Fenley Scholar, a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa, Mortar Board president, Golden Key treasurer, Associated Student Body Senator and Director of Student Services, and.a member of the Reformed Univesity Fellowship Leadership Team.

-Nathan Michael Wiegand of Cullman in the doctoral degree program in computer science. Wiegand received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the UA in 2004 and was suma cum laude.

-Lu Zheng of China in the master’s degree program in advertising and public relations. At UA, Zheng was awarded a research assistantship for 2004-2005. Zheng received a bachelor’s degree in Western language & literature from Beijing University in 2000. Zheng received the President’s Fellowship 2001-2004 from Rice University.

-Robert C. Anderson of Birmingham in the doctoral degree program in higher education. Anderson received a bachelor’s degree in applied arts from Shorter College in 1983 and a master’s degree from Southern Seminary in 1987. Anderson received the Most Outstanding Student Award-Scholarship and Research in 2004, the Merlin G. Duncan Memorial Award in Educational Leadership and Administration 2003-04, was a a 1983 Shorter College cum laude graduate where he made the President’s List and Dean’s List and received the Richard L. Starnes Leadership Award.

-Nadia Monique Caesar of Huntsville in the doctoral degree program in higher education administration. Caesar received a bachelor’s degree in communications from UAB in 2001 and a master’s in higher education from the UA in 2005. Caesar received the Paul G. Orr Memorial Fellowship Scholarship and is a Southern Representative for the National Black Graduate Student Association.

-Song Chen of China in the doctoral degree program in geological sciences. Chen received a bachelor’s degree in hydrogeology & engineering geology from the Nanjing University in 1997 and a master’s in hydrology & water resources from the University of Utah in 2000. Chen received the Young Researcher Fellowship at the third MIT Conference on Computational Fluids and Solid Mechanics in 2004 and the Copper Hansen Fellowship at the University of Utah.

-Karen Joyce Cook of Tuscaloosa in the doctoral degree program in library and information studies. Cook received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Colorado-Boulder and a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. Cook received a Graduate Council Fellowship for 2003-2004 and is a member of Beta Phi Mu and Kappa Tau Alpha.

-Stephen E. Hill of Birmingham in the doctoral degree program in management. Hill received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the UA in 2000 and a master’s in civil engineering in 2002. Hill is the Chi Epsilon Honor Society president, received a Munny Sokol Scholarship and was named UTCA Graduate Student of the Year.

-Jennifer June Mosher of Salem, Ohio, in the doctoral degree program in biological sciences. Mosher received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Florida Atlantic University in 1994 and a master’s in biology from Youngstown State University in 2002. Mosher received the 2004-05 Aquatic Biology Enhancement Fellowship.

-Rebecca Pohlig of Alexandria, N.M., in the doctoral degree program in clinical psychology. At UA Pohlig received the Psychology Department Outstanding Thesis Award. Pohlig received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hamline University in 2001 and a master’s in psychology from UA in 2004.

-Mustafizar Rahman of Tuscaloosa in the doctoral degree program in chemical and biological engineering. Rahman received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology in 2001 and a master’s in chemical engineering from UA in 2004. Rahman received the UA Outstanding Thesis Award in 2004 and has been published in Progress in Polymer Science.

-Jeffrey Michael Szychowski of Mayfield, Ky., in the doctoral degree program in applied statistics. Szychowski received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and Spanish from Murray State University in 2000 and a master’s in statistics from the University of Kentucky in 2002. Szychowski received the Jeff Kurkjian Teaching Award in 2004 and in 2005.

-Jinwen Wang of China in the doctoral degree program in chemical and biological engineering. Wang received a bachelor’s degree from the Dalian University of Technology in 1994 and a master’s in chemical engineering from the Taiyuan University of Technology in 2001. Wang received a Graduate Fellowship with Honors in 1999, DUT Student Fellowship with Honors in 1993 and has been published three times.

-Michael Clay Withers of Philadelphia, Miss., in the doctoral degree program in management. Withers received a bachelor’s degree in management from Mississippi State University in 2002 and a master’s in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2004. Withers made the President’s and Dean’s List, was a magna cum laude graduate, member of Mensa, Gamma Beta Phi Society and published by Booksurge Publishing in 2004.

-Jinmei Dong of Tuscaloosa in the doctoral degree program in mechanical engineering. Dong received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Oingdao Institute of chemical engineering in 1994 and a master’s in mechanical engineering from the East China University of Science and Technology in 1999.

-Robert T. Tolbert of Birmingham in the doctoral degree program in mechanical engineering. Tolbert received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UAB in 1990 and a master’s in civil engineering from UAB in 2005.

-Lawrence Fagan of Tuscaloosa in the master’s degree program in American studies. Fagan received a bachelor’s degree in history from UA in 2005.

-Kelly Elizabeth Bishop Fox of Tuscaloosa in the master’s degree program in English. Fox received a bachelor’s degree in interior design from UA in 2000.

-Mary Andrews Liles of Tuscaloosa in the master’s degree program in business administration. Liles received a bachelor’s degree in economics and Spanish from the University of Virginia in 2003.

-Mary Grace Alston Lyon of Tuscaloosa in the master’s degree program in higher education administration. She received a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Georgia in 2000.

-Heath Thomas Martin of Blountsville in the master’s degree program in mechanical engineering. Martin received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UA in 2005.

-Meredith Ingram McDonough of Selma in the master’s degree program in library and information studies. McDonough received a bachelor’s degree in history from Samford University in 2005.

-Stephen Clarence Rogers of Gadsden in the master’s degree program in history. Rogers received a bachelor’s degree in history from The University of Memphis in 2005.

-Steele Stagmaier Thomas of Atlanta in the doctoral degree program in history. Thomas received a bachelor’s degree in art history from Williams College in 2002.