FAU HOSTS 55TH ANNUAL HONORS CONVOCATION

Florida Atlantic University President Stacy Volnick and Interim Provost Russell Ivy recently hosted the University’s 55th annual Honors Convocation at the University Theatre in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Boca Raton campus. The ceremony recognizes the University’s most outstanding students and faculty.

Awards and recognition included eight University scholars; the Distinguished Student award; the University Club Merit award; the Hersker, Shaw, Gosser Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi scholar; the Stan and Renee Wimberly scholar; the Undergraduate Researchers awards; the Student-athletes of the Year awards; and the Fraternity and Sorority scholars. Faculty honors include the FAU Alumni Association’s Degree of Difference Award; Researchers and Scholars of the Year awards; FAU Online Faculty award; Teaching and Advising awards; as well as the Distinguished Mentor of the Year in Undergraduate Research award and the President’s Award for Career Achievement.

The winner of the Distinguished Teacher of the Year award is determined by FAU students. This year’s recipient is Stacy Rubin, M.D., FACP, from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. Rubin is the Schmidt College of Medicine’s director of the Foundations of Medicine curriculum and an associate director of FAU’s Office of interprofessional Education and Practice. She teaches primarily first- and second-year medical students, helping them translate what they learn in the classroom into patient care.

2024 Florida Atlantic University Honors Convocation Awardees
 
University Scholars
August Stone, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Mackenzie Chin, College of Business
Daylenis Mendez, College of Education
Shannon Egger, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Gavin Dunsby, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Janai Llerena, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
Gustavo Mundim, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Alejandro Rodriguez, College of Social Work and Criminal Justice
 
Distinguished Student Award
Makenna Simpson, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing

University Club Merit Award
Emma Leonardo Solórzano, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
           
Stan and Renee Wimberly Scholar
Katie Poquette, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
 
Hersker, Shaw, Gosser Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi Scholarship Award
Eden Adera, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
 
Undergraduate Researchers of the Year
August Stone, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Emily Siegelman, College of Business, Allen E. Smith Awardee
Alexis Crowder, College of Education
Ayush Gowda, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Camila Rimoldi Ibanez, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Adrianna Tran, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Asia Starling, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
Joseph Swaress, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Colette Content, College of Social Work and Criminal Justice
 
Goldwater Scholarship
Natasha Mayorga, Awardee
Cristian Pena, Awardee
Dana Smith, Awardee
 
Fulbright Student Scholarship
Marissa Lippinkhof, Semifinalist*
Arismendis Altagracia, Nominee
Amalee Badreddine, Nominee
Bethany Champlin, Nominee
Megan Chin Cheong, Nominee
 
Marshall Scholarship
Adam Zaidan, Nominee
 
Truman Scholarship
David Baldwin, Nominee
 
Udall Scholarship
David Baldwin, Nominee*
Yashwin Adusumilli, Nominee*
 
*Pending national award decision
 
Fraternity and Sorority Scholars
Srihith Narahari, Pi Kappa Alpha
Emma Leonardo Solórzano, Alpha Delta Pi
 
Student-athletes of the Year
Courtney Moon, Beach Volleyball
Federico Maranges, Football 
 
Alumni Degree of Difference Award
Allan Barsky, College of Social Work and Criminal Justice
 
Researchers of the Year
Xingquan Zhu, Ph.D., Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Yufei Tang, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Siddharttha Verma, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
           
Scholars of the Year
Brett Laursen, Ph.D., Professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Myeongsub Kim, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Neeraj Puro, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Business
 
FAU Online Faculty Award
Korey Sorge, Ph.D., Scientist, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
 
Excellence and Innovation in Undergraduate Teaching
Kristin Ann Shockley, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Tito Sempertegui, Ph.D., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Donna Marion, Ph.D., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Terje Hill, Ph.D., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
           
Excellence and Innovation in Undergraduate Advising
Ana-Alicia Cappa, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Joseph Jutan, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Michaela Smolka, College of Business
           
Distinguished Mentor of the Year in Undergraduate Research
Mahyar Nouri-Shirazi, Ph.D., Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
 
President’s Award for Career Achievement
Borko Furht, Ph.D., College of Engineering and Computer Science  
 
2024 Distinguished Teacher of the Year
Stacy Rubin, M.D., FACP, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine