May 12, 2015
Division of Biology undergraduates recognized for outstanding achievements
Each spring the Division of Biology honors several of its students majoring in biology, microbiology, and fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology for outstanding achievement. This year's awardees and their guests were recognized at a luncheon on Saturday, May 2.
The Most Promising Student Award is intended to encourage students who are early in their careers and have demonstrated enthusiasm, creativity, and imagination in biologically-oriented courses and projects. Students are nominated by the faculty and award recipients are chosen by a committee within the Division of Biology. Selection is based on faculty letters of recommendation, quality and quantity of classroom work and extracurricular accomplishments, and an interview with the selection committee.
This year nine students received the Most Promising Student Award: Madeline Colter, junior, Manhattan; Emily Johnson, senior, Shawnee; Luke Kicklighter, junior, Hutchinson; Erika Peters, junior, Topeka; Ella Popova, junior, Overland Park; Mercedes Santiago, senior, Manhattan; Adam Schieferecke, junior, Bennington; Noah Trapp, sophomore, Ellsworth; and Konner Winkley, junior, Topeka.
The H.H. Haymaker Award for Excellence was named in honor of Herbert Henley Haymaker, a K-State alumnus and faculty member, and is given to a graduating senior who has both a high level of accomplishment as an undergraduate and the promise to continue such quality performance in a biological sciences-related career. Nomination and selection criteria are the same as for the Most Promising Student Award.
This year the selection committee chose two outstanding seniors: Canaan Coker, Shawnee, and Jordan Parker, Topeka. Coker is studying biology, pre-medicine, gerontology, leadership studies and Spanish, while Parker is studying biology, pre-medicine and gerontology. Both students plan to attend medical school upon graduation.