USC Dornsife Students and Faculty Shine at Convocation
The 31st annual USC Academic Honors Convocation was held on April 4 at Town and Gown. USC students and faculty members were honored for a wide range of intellectual and leadership achievements. Of 35 recognized at the convocation, 21 were from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
“We are extremely proud of these outstanding USC Dornsife students and faculty,” said Howard Gillman, dean of USC Dornsife. “Their accomplishments underscore how the heart of every great research university resides in outstanding scholarship in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.”
The following is a list of the award recipients from USC Dornsife in the order the awards were given that evening.
Emma Josephine Bradley Bovard Award
Founded and sponsored by the Faculty Women’s Club of the University of Southern California. Awarded to the graduating students who have attained the highest scholarship average of all undergraduate women at the university.
SONAM GHANSHYAM KAPADIA
Candidate: B.A., Biological Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Candidate: B.S., Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies, Keck School of Medicine of USC
JEANNIE Y. ZHANG
B.A., Neuroscience (2011)
University Trustees Award
Awarded to the graduating students who have attained the highest scholarship average of all undergraduate men at the university.
JEFFREY RYAN HILL
Candidate, B.S., Kinesiology
Candidate: B.A., Biological Sciences
CODY SHAW NELSON
Candidate: B.S., Biochemistry
Candidate: B.A., History
USC Provost’s Award
Awarded to the graduating students who have attained the highest scholarship average of all undergraduate transfer students at the university.
SANG HEE CHOI
Candidate: B.S., Biological Sciences
Phi Kappa Phi Student Recognition Awards
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the oldest interdisciplinary honor society at USC. It recognizes scholarship and awards prizes annually to graduate and undergraduate students for creative and scholarly achievements.
KELLY YOUNG-WOLFF
Candidate: Ph.D., Psychology, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Candidate: Master of Public Health, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Paper: “The Influence of Gene-Environment Interactions on Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol Use Disorders: A Comprehensive Review”
Phi Beta Kappa Undergraduate Awards
Devoted to liberal learning in arts and sciences, Phi Beta Kappa presents two undergraduate awards to honor creativity, scholarship and leadership in faculty-student community relations.
LAUREN YU-LIEN MALDONADO
Candidate: B.S., Biological Sciences
Candidate: B.A., Art History
Rockwell Dennis Hunt Award
Awarded to an alumna or alumnus of USC who is pursuing a graduate or professional degree at the university and who is most representative of the Trojan Family’s traditions and values.
EMILY CHIN
Candidate: Master of Public Diplomacy
USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, School of International Relations
University Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
Awarded to three graduate teaching assistants — from diverse areas such as the natural sciences and engineering, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts — who have exhibited consistent excellence in the classroom and thus symbolize the university’s dedication to the education of scholar-teachers.
JOHN Y. KWAK
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Philosophy
LUCILLE TOTH COLOMBIE
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of French and Italian
Distinguished Professor
Awarded on a very selective basis to those professors who have brought special renown to the university through their accomplishments.
P. DANIEL DAPKUS
William M. Keck Distinguished Professor of Engineering
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Materials Science
Director, Center for Energy Nanoscience
Director, USC Center for Energy Nanoscience and Technology
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Professor of Physics and Astronomy
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
University Professor
Awarded to a small number of professors who, because of their multi-disciplinary interests and significant accomplishments in several disciplines, qualify for an appointment that transcends any single field of study. Generally, a faculty member accorded this also has a tenured faculty appointment in a specific academic unit.
LARRY W. SWANSON
University Professor
Milo Don and Lucille Appleman Professor of Biological Sciences
Professor of Biological Sciences, Neurology and Psychology
Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award
Awarded to retired faculty members for their notable contributions to the university, their profession and the community.
WILLIAM EDWARD RUTHERFORD
Professor Emeritus of Linguistics
CAROLE SHAMMAS
Professor Emerita and John R. Hubbard Chair Emerita in History
Phi Kappa Phi Faculty Recognition Awards
Awarded to faculty for recent scholarly, scientific or creative works that can make a contribution of the highest order to their respective disciplines.
JOSEPH A. DANE
Professor of English
Book: Out of Sorts: On Typography & Print Culture (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010)
KELVIN J. A. DAVIES
James E. Birren Professor of Gerontology
USC Davis School of Gerontology
Professor of Molecular and Computational Biology
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Papers: Sixteen seminal scientific papers published between 2009 and 2011 demonstrating the roles of the Proteasome and Lon genes in adaptation to oxidative stress
CAROL MUSKE-DUKES
Professor of English and Creative Writing
Book: Twin Cities (Penguin, 2011)
USC Associates Awards
Awarded to faculty for excellence in teaching and creativity in research and scholarship
during their careers at USC.
USC Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching
JO ANN M. FARVER
Professor of Psychology
USC Associates Award for Creativity in Research and Scholarship
ANTONIO DAMASIO
University Professor
David Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience
Professor of Psychology and Neurology
Director, Brain and Creativity Institute
Presidential Medallion
Awarded to individuals who have greatly contributed to USC in areas that promote the excellence of the institution. Particular consideration is given to achievements in the world of learning and dedication to USC as evidenced by a series of outstanding contributions to several areas of life.
CALEB E. FINCH
University Professor
ARCO/William F. Kieschnick Professor in the Neurobiology of Aging
Co-director, USC Alzheimer Disease Research Center
USC Davis School of Gerontology
Professor of Gerontology and Biological Sciences
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
RAY R. IRANI
USC Trustee
Judge Widney Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences