Nine RU undergraduates named 2014 CSAT Dean’s Scholars.
To celebrate its nine 2014 Dean’s Scholars, more than 60 faculty, family and friends joined Dean J. Orion Rogers of the Radford University College of Science and Technology(CSAT) for a ceremony and reception April 12 in Reed Hall.
"You are the embodiment of hopes and dreams for our students. We are honored to be your teachers, mentors, advisers and friends," said Rogers. "Dean's Scholars are students who have taken advantage of the opportunities provided by our faculty and made success happen."
The 2014 CSAT Dean's Scholars (from left): Brian Uthe, Abbey Humphrey, Dylan McDaniel, Rebekah Webster, Matt Sublett, Christopher Huntington, Larry Kittinger and Benjamin Thompson. Not pictured: Jessica Wheeler
Beyond excelling in the classroom, the CSAT Dean's Scholars have been active in undergraduate student research – analyzing metric and non-metric techniques for cranial identification and exploring sickness behavior in wild birds among other initiatives.
"He is one of the smartest people I have known since I have been teaching," said Elizabeth McClellan, associate professor of geology, as she introduced the Department of Geology's Dean's Scholar Matt Sublett, a senior from Pulaski. "His academic success is amazing and he has cheerfully done research and collected samples in the field."
Sublett worked with McClellan to research 750-million year-old rock formations in Southwest Virginia from the supercontinent that had been exposed during continental drift. He was also a member of RU's award-winning P3 team that earned a $90,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for research into development of a procedure to use ubiquitous materials for water filtration.
Sublett and his fellow Dean's Scholars were awarded a plaque and crimson stole to be worn with their caps and gowns. Joining Sublett as 2014 CSAT Dean's Scholars are:
- Abbey Humphrey, geospatial science
Christopher Huntington, information science
Larry Kittinger, computer science
Dylan McDaniel, biology
Benjamin Thompson, anthropological sciences
Brian Uthe, physics
Rebekah Webster, chemistry
Jessica Wheeler, mathematics and statistics
The 2014 CSAT Dean's Scholars will be graduating in RU's Commencement Ceremonies May 9-10 and then head off to destinations like University of Virginia to study material science and engineering, Mercyhurst University to study forensic anthropology, and Virginia Tech for a Ph.D. program in biology.