Graduate students, faculty honored for graduate education excellence

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Graduate Studies presented eight awards for outstanding graduate education at its annual Graduate Studies Awards reception on Feb. 4. Winners and their awards are:

Kurt Knecht -- 2010 Lowe R. and Mavis M. Folsom Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award. Knecht, of Tampa, Fla., completed his doctoral degree in music under Professor Tyler White. His dissertation is titled "Missa Prolationem."

Carina McCormick -- 2010 Lowe R. and Mavis M. Folsom Distinguished Masters Thesis Award. McCormick, of Omaha, earned her master's in educational psychology under Professor Kurt Geisinger. McCormick's thesis is "The Potential for Interrater Reliability Inflation with Tertium Quid Rater Adjudication: A Simulation."

Saadia Bihmidine and Julie Iromuanya -- 2010 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards. Bihmidine, of Tafraout, Morocco, is a doctoral student in natural resource sciences and is a teaching assistant under the supervision of Tala Awada. Iromuanya, of Lincoln, is a doctoral student in English and is a teaching assistant under the supervision of Jonis Agee.

Samuel Saunders and Katie Walsh -- 2010 Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award. Saunders, of Richmond, Va., is a doctoral student in civil engineering and is working as a research assistant under the supervision of Shannon Bartelt-Hunt. Walsh, of Benton, Maine, is a doctoral student in psychology and is working as a research assistant in David DiLillo's Family Violence and Injury Lab.

Timothy Carr and Wonyoung Choe -- 2010 Dean's Awards for Excellence in Graduate Education. Carr is a professor in Nutrition and Health Sciences. He has published multiple papers with students, 21 of them as first authors. He has served as supervisory committee chair for seven doctoral students, 16 master's students, served on 57 doctoral and master's advisory committees and supervised 18 undergraduate research students. Some of the awards his student have received include the Widaman Trust Distinguished Graduate Assistant Award; the College of Education and Human Sciences Outstanding Scholarly Activity by a Master's Recipient Award; and the ARD Larrick Graduate Student Travel Award.

Choe is an assistant professor of chemistry. He has been the supervisory committee chair for six doctoral students, served on 27 doctoral and master's advisory committees, 10 undergraduate UCARE students, and one McNair scholar. Some of the awards his students have received include the Folsom Distinguished Master's Thesis Award, travel awards and fellowships from the American Chemical Society and the American Crystallography Association.