Achievements, March 17, 2017

Photo Credit: Columns on campus
Mon, 03/20/2017 - 10:28

Allison Bonander, lecturer in communication studies and assistant director of the speech and debate program, earned the American Forensic Association’s Outstanding New Coach Award. She will formally receive the award at the national tournament April 1-3 at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. The award recognizes an outstanding young coach within their first seven years for their contributions as an educator.

---

Rebecca Lai, chemistry, received the Local Section Outreach Volunteer of the Year Award from the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Community Activities. The committee wrote: "Prof. Lai presents wonderful outreach activities related to the Harry Potter series. Her presentations are included in the SciPop series, which promotes science in fictional literature. Rebecca's innovative outreach allows students hands-on activities exposing the general public to electrochemical cells, pH changes to hide written codes and the use of common foods to do chemistry."

---

Marilyne Stains, chemistry, was elected to a three-year term as alternate councilor on the executive committee of the American Chemical Society's Division of Chemical Education.

---

The University of Nebraska Curling Club team, which includes Harrison Hruby (computer science), won a silver medal in the U.S. College Curling Championships in Utica, New York, March 10, 11 and 12. In a round-robin format, Nebraska played Harvard, St. Norbert, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and SUNY Polytechnic University before losing to the University of Minnesota in the finals.

---

Communication Studies doctoral candidates received three Top Paper awards at the recent Western States Communication Association meeting in Salt Lake City.

  • Jordan Allen, Nicole Allen and recent graduate Julia Moore for “The Communication Construction of Twintimacy,” which received a Top Four Paper in Interpersonal Communication.
  • Nicole Allen, “Towards Ambience: Argentina's Plaza del Bicentenario and a Reconsideration of Empty Homogenous Time,” a Top Four Paper in Public Address.
  • Kristen Everhart, “Communication and Coping with Chronic Pain: Exploring Dyadic, Familial and Network Support in Association with Relational Satisfaction and Well-Being,” a Top Student Paper in Health Communication.