Each year the Department recognizes students’ outstanding academic achievements and their commitment to service in the Department. On the evening of Thursday, April 23, 2015 members of the faculty, staff and students gathered at the home of Pete Adams for the award ceremony and barbecue to celebrate the end of the academic year. The award winners are listed below. The Department would like to congratulate all the award winners and thank every member of the Department for their contributions to another successful year. More information about the award winners will be published in this year’s Rocky Gator.
The Department would also like to thank generous alumni for endowing the formal academic awards. The awards provide more than just a financial reward for our students’ – they provide further support to our students for securing the best internships and jobs upon graduation. We would like to express a special thank-you to the organizers — especially Pete and Carrie Adams — for hosting a wonderful event, and John Ezell for taking on the challenge of cooking for more than 80 hungry guests.
Student Award Winners 2015
Horn Award (in honor of Linda Horn) – Tania Villasenor, PhD Candidate
The Horn Award is given to one graduate student who has excelled in the following aspects during their total graduate career at UF: eagerness, inspiration, involvement in/contribution to the geology department, academic ability and research activity.
John Ridge Award – Christian Stanciu, PhD Candidate
The John Ridge Award is given to the outstanding graduate student in academic excellence.
Ernst Award – Andrea Portier, MS Student, and Michelle Penkrot, PhD Student
The Ernst Award is given to two outstanding teaching assistants (in the 1000-2000 level and the 3000 level or above).
Danker Award – Shane Fussell and Juan Carlos Guerrero
The Danker Award is given to a graduating undergraduate senior(s) who has excelled in scholarship, enthusiasm, motivation, leadership and involvement in the department during their total undergraduate career.
Eades Award for Environmental Geology Studies – Stephanie James, PhD Candidate
The Eades Award for Environmental Geological Studies (in honor of James Eades) is given to the undergraduate or graduate student who has shown the most commitment to excellence studying (in class) or in investigating environmental geology (broadly defined as all surficial processes).
Nichol Paleontology Award – Julia Tejada, MS Student (Zoology)
The Nichol Paleontology Award is given to the graduate or undergraduate student who has shown the most commitment to excellence in studying (in class) or investigating paleontological topics
Estwing Award – Shane Fussell
The Estwing company provide a geological hammer to be given to an outstanding undergraduate student at field camp.
Chair’s Best Student Thesis Award – Daniel Collazo
Tarr Award- Nicole Vandaele
The Tarr Award is sponsored by the National Council of the Society of Sigma Gamma Epsilon and is given to an undergraduate student major displaying scholarship, personality, leadership, contribution to the school and an ability to get along with people.
Outstanding Departmental Citizen Award – Pam Haines, Program Assistant
The Outstanding Departmental Citizen Award was initiated in 2013 to recognize undergraduate students, graduate students, post-docs, staff, and faculty for outstanding contributions to the mission of the Department of Geological Sciences.