Twenty-one KSC student athletes have earned spots on the 2010–11 Little East Conference All-Academic Teams. How did they make the cut? The student athletes must be enrolled at KSC for a full academic year, be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, have a cumulative grade point average of a 3.3, and be a full-time member of a varsity sport.
Continue reading 21 Athletes on LEC Winter All-Academic Team
Tag Archives: Student Standouts
SURF’s up for Deena Snoke this Summer
SURFing can be pretty competitive, especially when SURF stands for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program at Dartmouth this summer, and you’re competing against 300 top students across the country for one of 6–8 spots. Those spots provide research experience in the laboratory of one of Dartmouth’s principal investigators in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program.
When KSC sophomore Deena Snoke mentioned to Prof. Susan Whittemore that she was looking for an internship this summer, Dr. Whittemore suggested she apply for the SURF program at Dartmouth. Snoke did, and got a spot! She’ll be be doing research in a neurobiology lab.
“I know that I will return with ideas that I will be able to apply in the lab and share with my peers here at KSC, and I can’t wait to learn from the distinguished faculty at Dartmouth College. Overall, I am so excited to be attending and representing Keene State College at the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship,” Snoke, a member of Beta Beta Beta (the national biological honors society) and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, said.
The program offers a number of career-development activities, including a free Kaplan GRE prep course and a chance to interact with members of our admissions committee and Dartmouth graduate students. It also includes a stipend, a free room, and a food allowance.
This is quite an accomplishment. Use the “comments” link below to tell Snoke how proud you are of her.
Two Chemistry Students Have the Right Elements
Two KSC chemistry students, Andrew Abeleira and Jacob Meier, have just the right elements for success. Their intelligence, dedication, curiosity, and commitment to their discipline are opening the doors to wonderful opportunities. Back in the fall of ’09, Andrew and Jacob were in Assistant Professor James Kraly’s Quantitative Analysis course. “Both students learned the fundamentals of analytical chemistry quickly and were engaged with the hands-on laboratory work,” Dr. Kraly explained. “As a result, they both began an independent study under my supervision during the spring 2010 semester. The project introduced Andy and Jacob to instrumentation for chemical separations, and they quickly applied their skills from their chemistry coursework to calibrate the instruments and implement analytical methods.”
During the spring and summer of 2010, Andrew and Jacob worked with Dr. Kraly performing analytical chemistry research. The pair developed a student proposal titled “Lichen as a biomonitor for air pollution: quantitative analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using capillary electrophoresis separation” and earned a $1500 research grant from KSC’s Undergraduate Creative Research and Creative Grants committee. The students used these funds to conduct summer research as part of the Chemistry Department’s inaugural Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program (SURF). As a result of their summer research, Andrew and Jacob gave poster presentations at the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) regional conference in October of 2010. Andrew and Jacob will also co-present a poster with Dr. Kraly titled “Environmental Monitoring of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Lichen Using Capillary Electrophoresis and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry” in March at the 2011 Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (PITTCON) in Atlanta, GA.
Andrew and Jacob currently hold student assistantships under Dr. Kraly on an IDeA Network of Biological Research Excellence (INBRE) pilot program, which funds student research hours, travel to conferences, and chemical supplies. And (of course!) they will each present a poster of their work at KSCs Academic Excellence Conference on April 2, 2011.
Two H&GS Majors Present on the Holocaust
- Meagan Blais, Prof. Paul Vincent, and Taylor Mitchell at the Rotary Club of Keene, February 7, 2011. (Anna Tilton photo)
Meagan Blais and Taylor Mitchell, two Keene State College seniors majoring in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, spoke on “Studying the Holocaust: What is at Stake?” at a February meeting of the Rotary Club of Keene. It was the same presentation they gave at the first-ever Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges’ (COPLAC) Undergraduate Research Conference last October at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
Their talk, with supporting PowerPoint presentation, focused on the lessons and insights they gained from a Holocaust Studies Travel Seminar they took in June 2010 to Holocaust-related sites in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
“The presentation, a finely tuned balance of knowledge and passion,” noted Holocaust and Genocide Studies Professor Paul Vincent, “had a powerful impact on the Rotarians.” After their talk, a representative of the Dublin School (Dublin, NH) who was among the Rotarians, approached Meagan and Taylor to ask if they would offer their presentation at a Dublin School assembly. The students created the public presentation as part of their requirements for an independent study in Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
Onward & Upward!
Two KSC juniors have just earned themselves prestigious appointments that will profoundly impact their futures.
Kelsey Mogell, who transferred to Keene this year from the University of Central Florida to follow her passion and major in the new Holocaust and Genocide Studies program, has been awarded a summer internship at the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation. The Auschwitz Institute brings government policymakers, military leaders, and NGO activists to Auschwitz in Poland so they can learn to recognize the signs of genocide and use their influence to stop it. Kelsey’s been here less than a semester and she’s already making a big impression in her chosen field. Read more about Kelsey.
Theatre and Dance major Allison Relihan was recently accepted to the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., a rigorous, semester-long, conservatory-based approach to theater training that exposes students to a broad range of theater styles and techniques, including acting, directing, playwriting, design, and movement and voice. For Allison, the training will include a trip to Russia to work with master teachers from the Moscow Art Theater School, the Vakhtangov School, and the St. Petersburg Theater Arts Academy. Read more about this talented actress.
Three Poems by Mary Benson, Eder Creative Writing Scholar
KSC senior Mary Benson, of Chester, NH, has been awarded the Eder Creative Writing Scholarship, an impressive accomplishment. So impressive, in fact, that we thought we’d introduce her through three of her poems, a Newsline first. Let us – and Mary – know what you think. If you’d like to know more about her, and the scholarship, see the news story on the KSC news page.
Continue reading Three Poems by Mary Benson, Eder Creative Writing Scholar
Erin Dallas Receives ECAC Award for Valor
Anyone who has been around Keene State over the past three years has likely cheered for Erin Dallas, the All-American field hockey player whose triumph over a serious post-surgical bacterial infection is nothing short of miraculous. The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) recognized her brave determination when they awarded her the ECAC Award of Valor, which “honors ECAC athletes whose courage, motivation, and relentless determination serves as an inspiration to all. The recipients exemplify strength of character and perseverance deserving recognition as being truly triumphant.”
Three other remarkable athletes also received the award: Erin Doolan (Springfield College), Merzudin Ibric (Wheaton College), and Kevin Laue (Manhattan College). They will receive their awards at the Honors Banquet on Tuesday, September 28, held at The Resort and Conference Center in Hyannis, Massachusetts during the 2010 ECAC Fall Convention and Trade Show. Read all their stories – you’ll be inspired. And send valiant Erin a comment!
Alex Krauth Knows the Score
Blind music student Alex Krauth has perfect pitch and plenty of talent – great assets to bring to the KSC music program. But how was she going to get her music assignments in a format she could understand? Never fear, the Music Department, the Office of Disability Services, and the Center for Engagement Learning & Teaching (CELT) pooled their expertise to create music scores for her in braille.
Honors Student Lands NASA Internship
KSC pride went into orbit when sophomore Nicole Mihalko, a math/physics major in the Honors Program, landed a prestigious internship in the NASA Undergraduate Student Research Program for fall 2010. She will be studying the optical properties of astronomical silicates (interstellar dust) at the Goddard Space Flight Center. This multidisciplinary project called for someone who would “demonstrate initiative in carrying out the program in collaboration with a team of NASA scientists.”
“Nicole has carried a heavy course load consisting of chemistry, linear algebra, calculus, cognition, and computer science,” said Dr. Margaret Walsh, Professor of Sociology and director of the College Honors Program. “She also has enjoyed a variety of courses ranging from theater to Spanish through the Integrative Studies program. She has generously served as a student representative this year on the Honors Program Advisory Council. She will no doubt return to Keene State College with a great deal of experience and knowledge to share.”
Sounds like Nicole has worked hard for this stellar opportunity, and we’re proud of her!
Jamie Plourde Wins Ms Wheelchair NH
KSC junior Jamie Plourde was recently named Ms. Wheelchair NH 2010. This remarkable psychology major is on the Dean’s List and is a member of the Student Activity Council (SAC). Jamie will travel to Michigan in July and compete for the Ms Wheelchair USA title, in which “contestants must choose and prove their commitment to a social issue or charity of their choice.”
Use the “comments” link below to send Jamie a note of congratulations and support. Go Jamie!