Graduate Studies Awards presented to 8

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Graduate Studies presented eight awards for outstanding graduate education at its annual Graduate Studies Awards luncheon Jan. 19. Awardees were honored for their work on dissertations and master's theses, and for their work as graduate assistants and graduate educators. The awardees were:

Dawna Lewis, Omaha, 2006 Lowe R. and Mavis M. Folsom Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award. Funded by the Folsom family through the University of Nebraska Foundation, the award recognizes and rewards distinguished scholarship and research at the doctoral level. Lewis completed her Ph.D. in May under Professor Thomas Carrell in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders. Lewis's dissertation is "The Development of Amplitude Modulation as an Auditory Grouping Cue," which received outstanding reviews. She is a senior research associate at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha.

Anagh Lal, Omaha, 2006 Lowe R. and Mavis M. Folsom Distinguished Master's Thesis Award. Also funded by the Folsom family through the University of Nebraska Foundation, the award recognizes and rewards distinguished scholarship and research at the master's level. Lal graduated with his M.S. degree in May under Professor Berthe Y. Coueiry in computer science and engineering. Lal's thesis is "Neighborhood Interchangeability for Non-binary CSPS and Application to Databases," and has appeared in the proceedings of four respected, peer-reviewed conferences. Originally from Navi Mumbai, India, Lal is a senior programmer analyst for the Metropolitan Utilities District in Omaha.

Yelena Kosheleva, Voronezh, Russia, 2006 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award, honoring graduate teaching assistants with special effectiveness in teaching undergraduates. Kosheleva is a doctoral student pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology under Professor John Flowers. Kosheleva uses three guiding principles in her classes: explore ways to transform the teacher-oriented classroom to an active, student-centered experience; continually assess learning to measure teaching efficacy; and place a strong emphasis on individual student work through guidance and mentorship. Kosheleva developed an innovative computerized writing assessment tool to help with the evaluation of student papers.

Deepak Mishra and Mark Rentschler, 2006 Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award, for ongoing outstanding contribution to research, future promise as a researcher, and on the originality, imagination and significance of their research or creative activity.

Mishra, of Cuttack, India, is pursuing a Ph.D. in natural resource sciences under the supervision of Sunil Narumalani. Mishra's primary research areas are in remote sensing of coral reefs, bathymetry determination, and benthic habitat mapping. He has nine publications in peer reviewed journals as a result of his research on coral reef and National Park Services ecological projects. In 2003, Mishra received a NASA Goddard Coastal Research fellowship under the Goddard Space Science Program. The project focused on detecting phragmites in the Delaware Bay area.

Rentschler, of Atkinson, is pursuing a Ph.D. in engineering with a specialization in biomedical engineering under the supervision of Professor Shane Farritor. Rentschler's current research involves work to create miniature robots that will be placed inside patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery. His work has led to patent applications and the basis for a start-up company that will market his devices. Rentschler has four refereed journal papers, four refereed conference publications, and has made nine technical presentations at medical conferences. He has been awarded a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, a NASA Nebraska Space Grant Fellowship, and a Columbia Memorial Fellowship.

Lily Wang, Peter Dowben and Sang Lee, 2006 Excellence in Graduate Education Award, for demonstrated excellence and lasting impact on distinguished scholarly/creative activities; successful graduate research mentoring and special graduate advising or mentoring efforts.

Wang is assistant professor in architectural engineering. Her primary research interests are in noise control and room acoustics, including modeling, auralization, and concert hall design.

Dowben is professor of physics and astronomy. His major research focus is in the investigation of surface electronic structure in a variety of materials. He is a recognized innovator in instrumentation for photoemission and inverse-photoemission studies of solids and surfaces.

Lee is chair of the department of management, university eminent professor and FirsTier Bank distinguished professor. Lee is noted for his extensive mentoring and supervising of almost 100 UNL doctoral students, and for advancing the graduate program and reputation globally.

CONTACT: Ellen Weissinger, Executive Assoc. Dean, Graduate Studies, (402) 472-2875