Graduate School Newsblog

Tag: Distinguished Dissertation Award

Graduate School Announces Award Recipients

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The Graduate School is pleased to announce the following graduate student award recipients:

CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award Nominee:

  • Gary Kaunonen, PhD Graduate in Rhetoric, Theory and Culture

DeVlieg Foundation Fellowships:

  • Joseph Niehaus, PhD Candidate in Atmospheric Sciences
  • Shawn O’Neil, PhD Candidate in Forest Science

Doctoral Finishing Fellowships:

  • Mehran Bidarvatan, PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
  • Kamal Dhungana, PhD Candidate in Physics
  • Rebecca Frost, PhD Candidate in Rhetoric, Theory and Culture
  • Ruilong Han, PhD Candidate in Civil Engineering
  • Jun Tao, PhD Candidate in Computer Science
  • Xu Yang, PhD Candidate in Civil Engineering

King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowships:

  • Alexander Miranda, PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics
  • Renee Oats, PhD Candidate in Civil Engineering
  • Sterling Prince, PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics

Photographs and details of awards and fellowships coordinated by the Graduate School can be found online.

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Graduate School Announces Award Recipients for Fall 2014 and Spring 2015

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The Graduate School is pleased to announce the following students have earned:

Doctoral Finishing Fellowships:
Spring 2015
Adam Coble, PhD Candidate in Forest Science
Khanh Cung, PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics
Jie Zhou, PhD Candidate in Materials Science and Engineering
Fall 2014
Yaoxian Huang, PhD Candidate in Environmental Engineering
Gary Kaunonen, PhD Candidate in Rhetoric and Technical Communication
Sandra Owusu, PhD Candidate in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
Venkata Ramana Pidatala, PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences
Jingtuo Zhang, PhD Candidate in Chemistry
Finishing fellowships provide support to PhD candidates who are close to completing their degrees. These fellowships are available through the generosity of alumni and friends of the University. They are intended to recognize outstanding PhD candidates who are in need of financial support to finish their degrees and are also contributing to the attainment of goals outlined in The Michigan Tech Plan.

Council of Graduate Schools/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award
Azad Henareh Khalyani, PhD Candidate in Forest Science

Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Distinguished Thesis Award
Xu Yang, PhD Candidate in Civil Engineering

Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Excellence in Teaching Award
Elaheh Gorgin, PhD Candidate in Mathematical Sciences
Amanda Shaw, MS Candidate in Physics

??Dean’s Fellowships

??DeVlieg Foundation Fellowships

??King-Chaves-Parks Future Faculty Fellowships

Recipients for fall 2011 were:

Irfan Ahmed, PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering
Surendar R. Dhadi, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences
Neluka K. Dissanayake, PhD candidate in Engineering Physics
Shu Wei Goh, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
Amber M. Roth, PhD candidate in Forest Science

Recipients for spring 2012 are:

Zeyad T. Ahmed, PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering
Kefeng Li, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences
Charles L. Lawton Endowed Fellowship
Saikat Mukhopadhyay, PhD candidate in Physics
Zhiwei Peng, PhD candidate in Materials Science and Engineering
Doctoral Finishing Fellowship
Lindsey M. Shartell, PhD candidate in Forest Science
Neil V. Hakala Endowed Fellowship

Nominations are currently open for summer 2012 finishing fellowships. Materials are due no later than 4pm, March 14th. See complete details online about the application and review procedure.

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Nominations open for the 2015 CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award

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Nominations are now open for the 2015 Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award. Please submit nominations to the Graduate School no later than 4pm, June 17, 2015, following our online instructions. This year, nominations are being accepted from dissertations in the fields of:

  1. biological and life sciences
  2. humanities/fine arts

Michigan Tech may nominate one student in each field. PhD students who have completed all of their degree requirements between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2015, are eligible. The fields of competition for 2016 will be Social Sciences and Mathematics/Physical Sciences/and Engineering.

Nominations must be delivered to Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m. on June 17, 2015; e-mail nominations are preferred.  Contact Debra Charlesworth (ddc@mtu.edu) if you have any questions about the competition.

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Nominations open for 2014 CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award

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Nominations are now open for the 2014 Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award. Please submit nominations to the Graduate School no later than 4pm, June 25, 2014, following our online instructions. This year, nominations are being accepted from dissertations in the fields of:

  1. mathematics, physical sciences, and engineering
  2. social sciences

Michigan Tech may nominate one student in each field. PhD students who have completed all of their degree requirements between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2014, are eligible. The fields of competition for 2015 will be Biological/Life Sciences and Humanities.

Nominations must be delivered to Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m. on June 25, 2014; e-mail nominations are preferred.  Contact Debra Charlesworth (ddc@mtu.edu) if you have any questions about the competition.

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Nominations Open for the 2013 Distinguished Dissertation Award

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Nominations are closed for this year’s competition.

Nominations are now open for the 2013 Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award. Please submit nominations to the Graduate School no later than 4pm, July 1, 2013, following our online instructions. This year, nominations are being accepted from dissertations in the fields of:

  1. biological and life sciences (more details)
    Including:  biology; botany; zoology; ecology; embryology; entomology; genetics; nutrition; plant pathology; plant physiology; anatomy; biochemistry; biophysics; microbiology; pathology; pharmacology; physiology; agriculture, forestry, and related fields.
  2. humanities/fine arts (more details)
    Including: history; philosophy; language; linguistics; literature; archaeology; jurisprudence; the history, theory and criticism of the arts; ethics; comparative religion; and those aspects of the social sciences that employ historical or philosophical approaches.

Michigan Tech may nominate one student in each field. PhD students who have completed all of their degree requirements between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2013, are eligible.   Next year, the 2014 competition will accept nominations in the fields of social sciences and mathematics/physical sciences/engineering for students who have graduated between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2014.

Please direct your questions to Debra Charlesworth, Assistant Dean of the Graduate School.

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Nominations open for the 2012 CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award

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Nominations are now closed for the 2012 CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award.

This year, nominations are being accepted from dissertations in the fields of:

  1. mathematics, physical sciences, and engineering (more details)
  2. social sciences (more details)

Michigan Tech may nominate one student in each field. PhD students who have completed all of their degree requirements between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2012, are eligible.

A nomination packet must include the following required items:

  1. a completed nomination form.
  2. a 10-page abstract of the dissertation, double spaced on white letter-sized paper. (pdf preferred, number each page, and put nominee’s name on each page)
  3. three letters addressing the significance and quality of the PhD work
    1. one letter from the dissertation advisor.
    2. one letter from a member of the nominee’s dissertation committee.
    3. one letter from a person chosen by the nominee.

A nomination packet may also include the following optional items:

  1. abstract appendices containing non-textual material such as charts, tables or figures. (pdf preferred, number each page, and put nominee’s name on each page)
  2. a brief CV

Nominations must be delivered to Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m. on June 28; e-mail nominations are preferred.  Contact Debra (ddc@mtu.edu) if you have any questions about the competition.  See also the Council for Graduate School’s announcement page.

The fields of competition for 2013 will be Biological/Life Sciences and Humanities.

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Nominations Open for the 2011 Distinguished Dissertation Award

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Nominations are now open for the 2011 Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/University Microfilms International (UMI) Distinguished Dissertation Award. This year, nominations are being accepted from dissertations in the fields of:

  1. biological and life sciences (more details)
    Including:  biology; botany; zoology; ecology; embryology; entomology; genetics; nutrition; plant pathology; plant physiology; anatomy; biochemistry; biophysics; microbiology; pathology; pharmacology; physiology; agriculture, forestry, and related fields.
  2. humanities/fine arts (more details)
    Including: history; philosophy; language; linguistics; literature; archaeology; jurisprudence; the history, theory and criticism of the arts; ethics; comparative religion; and those aspects of the social sciences that employ historical or philosophical approaches.

Michigan Tech may nominate one student in each field. PhD students who have completed all of their degree requirements between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2011, are eligible.   Next year, the 2012 competition will accept nominations in the fields of social sciences and mathematics/physical sciences/engineering for students who have graduated between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2012.

A nomination packet must include the following:

  1. a completed nomination form.
  2. a 10-page abstract of the dissertation, double spaced on white letter-sized paper.
  3. optional: abstract appendices containing non-textual material such as charts, tables or figures.
  4. a letter of reference from the dissertation advisor.
  5. a letter of reference from a member of the nominee’s dissertation committee.
  6. a letter of reference from a person chosen by the nominee.
  7. optional: a brief CV.

The Graduate School has access to the pdf file of all dissertations, so it is not necessary to include the dissertation.

The letters of reference should address the significance and quality of the dissertation work.

Nominations should be delivered to Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m. on June 22nd. Contact Debra Charlesworth (ddc@mtu.edu) if you have any questions about the competition.  See also the Council for Graduate School’s announcement page.

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Mark Rowe to represent Michigan Tech for the 2010 Distinguished Dissertation Competition

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Mark Rowe will represent Michigan Tech in the 2010 CGS/University Microfilms International Distinguished Dissertation competition.
Mark Rowe will represent Michigan Tech in the 2010 CGS/University Microfilms International Distinguished Dissertation competition.
The Graduate School is pleased to announce that Mark Rowe is Michigan Tech’s nominee for the 2010 CGS/University Microfilms International Distinguished Dissertation Award in the Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Engineering division. Dr. Rowe was advised by Dr. Judith Perlinger, and was awarded a PhD in Environmental Engineering in 2009.

His dissertation, “Development of Measurement and Modeling Techniques to Quantify Atmospheric Deposition of Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic Chemicals in the Great Lakes” developed an improved method, analysis technique, and model, for measuring the concentrations of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic compounds in the atmosphere.  These compounds impact the health of our ecosystem, and the safety of our food supply. Accurate measurements of these compounds in the atmosphere could yield better solutions to improve the environment.  The measurement technology developed by Rowe and Perlinger is currently under consideration for patenting, with the potential for commercialization.  Dr. Rowe is currently employed as a post-doctoral fellow for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and is based in lower Michigan.

Mark Griep was selected as a finalist in the competition.  Dr. Griep was advised by Dr. Craig Friedrich and was awarded a PhD in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics in 2009.  His interdisciplinary research examined the properties of quantam dots coupled with an optical protein with potential uses as a biosensor in medical applications.  Dr. Griep is currently continuing his research as an Associate Fellow at the US Army Research Laboratory.

The committee to evaluate the nominees consisted of graduate faculty representing a broad range of graduate programs:  M. Neuman (Biomedical Engineering), S. Martin (Social Sciences), R. Froese (School of Forestry Resources & Environmental Science), X. Wang (School of Technology) and G. Campbell (School of Business and Economics).  The next competition for Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Engineering or Social Sciences will occur in 2012 and will consider applicants who have completed their degrees between July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2012.  In 2011, the competition will accept nominations from candidates who completed their dissertations between July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2011 in the fields of biological sciences or humanities and fine arts.  Please consider nominating your PhD graduates next year.

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Nominations open for the 2010 Distinguished Dissertation Award

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Nominations are now closed for the 2010 competition.

Nominations are now open for the 2010 Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/University Microfilms International (UMI) Distinguished Dissertation Award. This year, nominations are being accepted from dissertations in the fields of:

  1. mathematics, physical sciences, and engineering
  2. social sciences

Michigan Tech may nominate one student in each field. PhD students who have completed all of their degree requirements between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2010, are eligible.

A nomination packet must include the following:

  1. a completed nomination form.
  2. a 10-page abstract of the dissertation, double spaced on white letter-sized paper. (pdf preferred)
  3. optional: abstract appendices containing non-textual material such as charts, tables or figures. (pdf preferred)
  4. a letter of reference from the dissertation advisor.
  5. a letter of reference from a member of the nominee’s dissertation committee.
  6. a letter of reference from a person chosen by the nominee.

The letters of reference should address the significance and quality of the dissertation work.

Nominations should be delivered to Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m. on June 30.  Contact Debra (ddc@mtu.edu) if you have any questions about the competition.  See also the Council for Graduate School’s announcement page.

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Nominations open for the 2009 Distinguished Dissertation Award

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Nominations are closed for the 2009 competition.

Nominations are now open for the 2009 Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/University Microfilms International (UMI) Distinguished Dissertation Award. This year, nominations are being accepted from dissertations in the fields of:

  1. biological and life sciences (more details)
  2. humanities/fine arts (more details)

Michigan Tech may nominate one student in each field. PhD students who have completed all of their degree requirements between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2009, are eligible.   Next year, the 2010 competition will accept nominations in the fields of social sciences and mathematics/physical sciences/engineering for students who have graduated between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2010.

A nomination packet must include the following:

  1. a completed nomination form. The form is available at http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/2009UMI_NominationForm.pdf .
  2. a 10-page abstract of the dissertation, double spaced on white letter-sized paper.
  3. optional: abstract appendices containing non-textual material such as charts, tables or figures.
  4. a letter of reference from the dissertation advisor.
  5. a letter of reference from a member of the nominee’s dissertation committee.
  6. a letter of reference from a person chosen by the nominee.
  7. a pdf file of the dissertation on a CD.

The letters of reference should address the significance and quality of the dissertation work.

Nominations should be delivered to Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m. on June 19. Contact Charlesworth (ddc@mtu.edu) if you have any questions about the competition.  See also the Council for Graduate School’s announcement page.

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