2009 National Scholarship Recipient

Congratulations to Helena Traner, International Studies and Political Science major, for receiving one of sixty fellowships awarded each year by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.  These $5,000 fellowships are awarded nationally to members entering their first year of graduate or professional study.  Nominated by Phi Kappa Phi's WSU Chapter, Helena has been actively involved on campus as a member of the College of Liberal Arts Dean's Advisory Board and as a team member for several years on the award-winning Model UN team, most recently serving as head delegate.  In 2007 and 2008, Helena received Presidential Commendations of Excellence for Extracurricular Activities for her work on the Model UN team.  She has been also been involved with the WSU chapters of Alpha Lambda Delta, Golden Key, and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies.  In the community, Helena has been involved with Circle K International and the Dayton Humane Society. Helena graduated from Wright State in June 2009 as a University Honors Scholar and plans to attend Case Western Reserve School of Law in the fall.

2008 National Scholarship Recipients

Honors student James Dahlman (junior, biomedical engineering) received a 2008 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, awarded nationally to outstanding undergraduate science students who are active researchers.  Since 2006, James has been conducting research under the direction of Dr. Daniel Miracle at the Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. James plans to pursue a Ph. D in Materials Engineering so he can conduct research in medical materials and teach at the university level.

James is the fifth student from Wright State to receive a Goldwater Scholarship, awarded by the Goldwater Foundation, a federally endowed agency established by Congress in 1986 to honor the memory of Senator Barry M. Goldwater. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. Congratulations, James!

In addition, Shawn Daniels was 1 of only 60 students nationwide to be awarded a $5,000 graduate fellowship from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.  Shawn will graduate in June 2008 as a University Honors Scholar with a double major in Latin and Greek in the Department of Classics.  This fall Shawn plans to attend the University of Florida with an Alumni Fellowship, which will cover his educational expenses and provide him with a generous stipend for the next five years.  Shawn was also accepted for graduate studies at the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Shawn has been an active member of the campus community.  In addition to tutoring in Latin and Greek, he has worked as a Teaching Assistant in Classics and served on the Dean’s Student Advisory Board.  His most notable achievement was the revitalization and reorganization of the Classics Club.  Serving as president this year, he helped the group decide on a variety of activities including a museum visit to Indianapolis to see a traveling exhibit from the Louvre, a six-hour “Rome” Marathon (viewing the HBO series), and a spring play reading party.  Congratulations, Shawn!

2007 National Scholarship Recipients

Honors student Roger Fecher (junior, biology) won a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship awarded na tionally to outstanding undergraduate science students who are active researchers.   Roger has worked with Dr. Robert Fyffe in the Center for Brain Research (now the Wright State Comprehensive Neuroscience Center), which is currently working to improve understanding of the nervous system’s communication mechanisms in health and disease, with primary focuses on neuronal development and response mechanisms to disease and injury.  Roger plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in neuroscience toward the goal of conducting medically-oriented research at a prominent university.

Roger is the fourth student from Wright State to receive a Goldwater Scholarship, awarded by the Goldwater Foundation, a federally endowed agency established by Congress in 1986 to honor the memory of Senator Barry M. Goldwater. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

Also receiving a national scholarship in 2007 is David Neff  (B.S. '07 Mechanical Engineering; University Honors Scholar), who was awarded a $2,000 Phi Kappa Phi Award of Excellence for graduate study.  David plans to continue his studies at Wright State University this fall in the materials engineering program, focusing on alternative energy.

2006 National Scholarship Recipient

The NSRC congratulates Brian Schell for winning a $2,000 Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Award of Excellence. A religious studies major with a 4.0 GPA, Brian first earned two associates degrees at Sinclair Community College in business management and computer information systems before working towards his BA at Wright State University. Throughout his college career, Brian has owned and operated a specialty retail software store, Dayton Software. In Fall 2006l, he will pursue an MA in English in the Masters of Humanities program at Wright State University. Mary Kenton, Senior Associate Director of the Honors Program, advised Brian during the application process. Phi Kappa Phi is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary honor society. Forty Awards of Excellence are granted each year for post-graduate study at accredited institutions of higher learning.

2005 National Scholarship Recipients

Alex Gutman was awarded a $10,000 Texas Instruments Demana-Waits Scholarship for his academic excellence in mathematics. He received one of only two nationwide scholarships awarded each year by the Mathematics Education Trust (MET) of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics for students who plan to become high school math teachers. A math major, Alex has maintained a 4.0 grade point average and has been on the dean’s list since 2003. Alex is a member of the National Scholars Honor Society and National Society of Collegiate Scholars. He also is a student member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics. In addition to studying for his major and career as a math teacher, Alex serves as a research assistant for WSU Professor of Mathematics and Statistics K.T. Arasu, Ph.D. on discrete mathematics and algebraic combinatorics. The project is funded by the National Security Agency. Alex is a member of the WSU cross country team and has been involved in a number of community projects. The Demana-Waits Scholarship awards $5,000 for each of the next two years from MET, which has supported math teaching for nearly 30 years. The national council, with 100,000 members, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to improving math education from pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade.

Heather Kaiser received a $2,000 Award of Excellence from the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. A biology major with a 4.0 grade point average who also played competitive basketball for 12 years, Heather will be attending medical school at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine beginning Fall 2005. Heather has chosen to train as a physician because she wants to improve the quality and longevity of human life and is eager to have her intellectual and leadership skills challenged on a daily basis. In particular, she is interested in serving the underprivileged in an urban setting.  She has not settled on an area of specialization but has thoughts of training in a procedure-related field, such as surgery emergency medicine or anesthesia. Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary honor society. Forty Awards of Excellence are granted each year for post-graduate study at accredited institutions of higher learning.

2004 National Scholarship Recipient

Micah Fuerst won a prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship awarded nationally to outstanding science students. A math major with a perfect 4.0 GPA, Micah works with Dr. K. T. Arasu on the existence and nonexistence of circulant weighing matricies of given parameters. Micah was one of 29 math majors selected for a Goldwater Scholarship, which rewards undergraduates who are active researchers. Only 310 Goldwater Scholarships are awarded nationwide. Goldwater recipients have been successful recently in also winning prestigious postgraduate scholarships such as the Rhodes or Marshall. The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Congress in 1986 to honor the memory of Senator Barry M. Goldwater. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.