Kennesaw State University

The College of Science and Mathematics officially recognized 10 new 2016 Birla Carbon Scholars at the Birla Carbon Symposium. Nearly 100 students, faculty, staff and Birla Carbon executives reviewed posters at the symposium in August 2016. Katerina Slavicinska's research project won the Top Poster Award at the symposium. This year's scholars are: Jonathon Ard, physics; David Axford, biology; Graeme Bettler, chemistry; Soprinye Dappa-Fombo, biology; Rebecca Hyche, biology; Elena Ninova, biology; Katerina Slavicinska, chemistry; Omar Ugarte Trejo, chemistry; Danielle Varljen, biology; and Courtney Willett, biology. The scholars program was developed in April 2014 with a $250,000 pledge from Birla Carbon for a five-year annual gift of $50,000 to support research opportunities for students in Kennesaw State's College of Science and Mathematics. The program has awarded 30 Kennesaw State students each a $4,000 stipend since 2014.

Kennesaw State University Masters in Integrative Biology student Brandy Riekert's passion for conservation biology translated into two major wins recently, which provide a combined $5,000 in grant and award monies. Both reward her research on the Harper's Dodder, a rare and endangered native plant vine known to grow only in Georgia and Alabama. Riekert was awarded a $4,500 Catherine H. Beattie Fellowship award from the Garden Club of America and Center for Plant Conservation, and the Jeane Reeves Research Grant from the Georgia Native Plant Societyfor $500, according to Professor of Biology Susan M. E. Smith, coordinator of the master's program in integrative biology. Full story here.

Kennesaw State University recently named students to the President's List, in recognition of their academic excellence in the Summer 2016 semester. The Kennesaw State students were honored by Interim President Houston D. Davis for earning top marks.