Several Central Methodist University students and one faculty member who have gone above and beyond were recognized during a banquet on Tuesday, April 16.
Central held its annual Division of Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Honor Awards, during which several individuals were recognized for excellence in the fields of biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics. Four division awards also were presented.
The first division award, the Jeff Wilcox “Raising the Bar Award,” is presented to a student leader who excels academically. It includes a cash award and was presented to Miranda Weigand, a senior chemistry and mathematics double major from Weatherby.
The Sarah Rutherford Prize, another division award, goes to the most outstanding science student selected by the division. Emily Angell, a senior chemistry major from Centralia, was the winner, and also received a cash award.
Janie Leathers, a junior chemistry major from Cairo, was presented the Glen C. Riegel Student Award, which and is given to a student considered promising and worthy, and includes a cash prize.
The last division award was for faculty and was presented to Grant Swicegood, professor of mathematics. It is the Glen C. Riegel Faculty Award, established similarly to the student award, and presented with a cash prize to a promising and worthy professor of science, math, computer science, or psychology.
The Beta Beta Beta Biology Award is given to an outstanding male and female in a General Biology class, and is delivered through a certificate and cash reward. The recipients were Tyler Proctor, a freshman marine biology major from Fayette; and Shannon Peters, a sophomore biology major from Waverly.
Jaqueline Decker, a freshman nursing major from Columbia, received both the Alpha Epsilon Delta Excellence in Physiology Award and the Alpha Epsilon Delta Excellence in Anatomy Award – both presented as a certificate to a student with the highest average in Physiology and Anatomy classes.
An award given to an outstanding pre-med student in honor of longtime Biology faculty member Dr. Harold Momberg is the Alpha Epsilon Delta-Harold Momberg Award. Kylie Limback, a senior biology major from Waverly, was the recipient of this certificate.
Petra Schaffer, a senior biology major from Carinthia, Austria, was presented with the Dr. Ferris H. and Leona Wood Award. The scholarship is for a student concentrating in biology and entering his/her senior year with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The awardee’s name is placed on a perpetual plaque housed in CMU’s Stedman Hall of Science.
The CMU Biology Alumni award, which includes a cash award, is given to a diligent student with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and concentration in biology, and who contributes significantly to the benefit of the biology program. The recipient was Jordan Lane, a senior biology major from Marshall.
Chemistry awards included the Gamma Sigma Epsilon Excellence Award in General Chemistry, presented to a student with the highest overall average in two semesters of a General Chemistry class, which was given to Mackenzie Strother, a senior athletic training major from Centertown;
the Gamma Epsilon Excellence Award in Organic Chemistry, presented to a student with the highest overall average in two semesters of Organic Chemistry, which was presented to Janie Leathers;
the Dr. Neils C. Nielsen Outstanding Chemistry Student Award, which includes a cash prize and is given to the outstanding chemistry student of the year was presented to both Miranda Weigand and Emily Angell;
and the Hughes Scholarship – a scholarship given to students submitting the best research paper on a recent topic in astronomy or chemistry, which was given to Alexander Cribb, a sophomore chemistry major from Kansas City.
The Chester E. Hanson Outstanding Senior Computer Science Award, which includes a cash reward, is given to the outstanding senior computer science student in honor of longtime computer science faculty Chester Hanson. This award was presented to Marina Alves, a senior computer science and business double major from Brazil.
Awards in mathematics were presented to Malcolm Elmore, a senior mathematics major from Higginsville, who was the recipient of the Clyde and Hazel Blattner Mathematics Award – a cash award given to a promising and worthy male student;
and Marlow Case, a senior mathematics major from O’Fallon, who was presented the Dr. Richard T. Bond Mathematics Award – a cash award given to a senior math major with high ideals of character and an outstanding scholastic record. Case also won the Kappa Mu Epsilon Award – a cash award given to the student with the best academic performance in three semesters of calculus. Case was one of two recipients of the Kappa Mu Epsilon Award, as Janie Leathers also won this award.
Also in mathematics, the Dr. Jerry Priddy Excellence in Mathematics Award, which includes a cash award and goes to an outstanding underclassman in mathematics chosen by math faculty, was given to Jensen Lake, a junior mathematics major from Albers, Ill.
In physics, the Dr. Glenn R. Joyce Memorial Award for Excellence in Science – a cash award given to a junior or senior majoring in physics, math, or science – was given to Luke Knoble, a senior mathematics and physics double major from Auburn, Calif.;
and the Dr. Larry J. Peery Award for Excellence in Physics – a cash award given to the student with the highest overall average for two semesters of calculus-based physics – was presented to Micah Blankenship, a sophomore physics major from Grandview.