GSA honors those who support grad students at Rice

The Graduate Student Association (GSA) has recognized several staff, students and friends of the university for their strong support of Rice graduate students with its service awards for 2016.

The Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Award is presented to faculty members who demonstrate outstanding service to graduate student education. This year’s recipients are Junghae Suh, associate professor of bioengineering, and Loren Raun, faculty fellow of statistics, environmental analysis and decision-making.

The Faculty/Staff Service Award is given to Rice staff members who have gone beyond the call of duty to improve the quality of life for graduate students at Rice. This year’s recipients are Jennifer Hunter, digital media and events specialist for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Theresa Chatman, director of diversity and inclusion and associate director of recruitment and engagement.

The Robert Lowry Patten Award is given in honor of Robert Patten, the Lynette S. Autrey Professor Emeritus in Humanities and former GSA faculty adviser. It recognizes graduate students who might not otherwise have been honored for their service and achievement on behalf of graduate students. This year it honors David Ramirez, a graduate student in electrical and computer engineering; Xiang Zhang, a graduate student in applied physics; Cat Majors, a graduate student in bioengineering; and Sarah Michelle Kim, a graduate student in computer science.

The recipients of the GSA Service Award were selected based on their contributions of time, effort and service to improving graduate life and education at Rice. They are Lynn Fahey, a graduate student in sociology, and Kyle Sweeney, a graduate student in art history.

The Friends of Rice Graduate Students Award is presented in recognition of efforts to enhance the lives of graduate students. This award honors people within and beyond the Rice community who may not otherwise be recognized for their service to graduate students. This year’s recipients are alumnus Purvez Captain ’93, Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby and alumnus Nikolay Kostov ’10.