IU Bloomington students to be recognized for scholarship, achievement at annual Honors Convocation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Bloomington students who have earned academic honors will be recognized April 10 at the annual Honors Convocation. The event starts at 2 p.m. at the IU Auditorium.
Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie will preside at the convocation and will present an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to IU alumnus Jonathan Banks, an Emmy-nominated actor best known for playing Mike Ehrmantraut on the TV drama "Breaking Bad."
IU Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President Lauren Robel will also take part in the invitation-only awards convocation, an annual celebration of the university's founding in 1820.
The ceremony will feature remarks by Banks, McRobbie, Robel and student speaker Megan Jula, as well as the recognition of the Founders Scholars and Mueller Scholars in a student parade. Music will be provided on the Auditorium pipe organ by Jacobs School of Music professor Janette Fishell.
Approximately 4,300 undergraduates have earned the designation of Founders Scholars -- requiring a cumulative GPA of at least 3.8 on a 4-point scale -- and have been invited to attend the convocation along with their family members.
Jula -- a senior from Columbus, Ohio, majoring in journalism, biology and Spanish -- has received the Herman B Wells Senior Recognition Award in addition to being selected as student speaker. The award, established in honor of the late IU Chancellor Herman B Wells, recognizes excellence in academic achievement and contributions to the campus community.
Five students will receive the Elvis J. Stahr Distinguished Senior Awar, established by the 12th president of Indiana University, which is based on scholarship, leadership, personality and service:
- Sahand Emamian, a senior from Fort Wayne, Ind., majoring in physics with minors in linguistics, chemistry and mathematics.
- Idun Strand Hauge, a senior from Bergen, Norway, majoring in history with minors in political science, international studies, and Near Eastern languages and cultures.
- Song Lee Kim, a senior from Fort Wayne, Ind., majoring in neuroscience with minors in chemistry and psychology and a certificate in the Liberal Arts and Management Program.
- Maggie Anna Kline, a senior from Clinton, Ind., majoring in biology and Germanic studies with minors in Spanish and chemistry.
- Jane Brierley Reagan, a senior from Indianapolis majoring in political science with minors in math and French and a certificate from the Liberal Arts and Management Program.
Five winners of the Provost's Award for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity will be recognized with their faculty mentors. The awards are presented each spring in up to five categories: Performing and Creative Arts, Social and Applied Sciences, Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Professional Inquiry, and Humanities. Recipients are:
- Thomas Dauer, a senior from Newburgh, Ind., majoring in mathematics and physics. (Mentor: Marlies Gerber, professor of mathematics.)
- April Riderbo McKay, a junior majoring in environmental science. (Mentor: Vicky Meretsky, professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.)
- Max Andrew Nelson, a senior from Carmel, Ind., majoring in French and cognitive science with a minor in linguistics. (Mentor: Kelly Harper Berkson, assistant professor of linguistics.)
- Ross Theodore Rebennack, a senior from Indianapolis majoring in theatre and film studies. (Mentor, Murray L.J. McGibbon, associate professor of theatre and drama.)
- Grace Boya Shen, a senior from Beijing, China, majoring in history and American studies. (Mentor: Konstantin Dierks, associate professor of history.)
Eighteen individuals will be honored as Kate Hevner Mueller Scholars, recognized as students who have left the campus better than they found it by helping other students learn more about themselves, each other and the world outside the classroom. They are: Rebecca Suzanne Ferber, Jackson Richard Gandour, Courtney A. Harnish, Cleo Luisa Hernandez, Kevin Wei-fan Kuo, Emilee Larson, Connie Fei Lu, Samuel Thomas Luebbe, Stephanie Marie Martinelli, Tyler James Russell, Lucille Gabriela Schaeffer, Craig Matthew Skillman, Stephanie Elizabeth Sommers, Ari Stoner, Anne Elizabeth Tinder, Anneliese Caroline Toumey, Erik Allten Troske and Sarah Ellyn Whaley.
Weather permitting, there will be a reception around Showalter Fountain after the event with refreshments, live jazz, and the opportunity for students and families to socialize with deans and other representatives of the schools.
