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Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Nearly two dozen Mississippi State graduate students are being recognized for successful faculty-guided research projects completed during the current school year.

During the university’s recent Graduate Student Research Symposium, 23 men and women working on master’s and doctoral degrees received top awards for their work during the fall 2015 and spring 2016 semesters.

The event was co-sponsored by the Office of the Graduate School and Graduate Student Association.

Projects submitted for the competition were assigned to one of four categories, including arts and humanities; life and biomedical sciences; physics, mathematics and engineering; and social and behavioral sciences.

A team of campus faculty members representing a cross-section of academic areas served as judges.

This year’s winners include (by project type and category):

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ORAL PRESENTATIONS

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ARTS AND HUMANITIES

FIRST—Jonathan R. Belanich of Lindenhurst, New York, who simultaneously is pursuing a doctoral degree in biological sciences/microbiology and a master’s in applied anthropology.

SECOND—Tianyu Li of Starkville, a native of China simultaneously pursuing a doctoral degree in earth and atmospheric sciences and a master’s in statistics.

THIRD—Antoinette D. Hayden of Aurora, Illinois, an English master’s degree student who earlier earned a bachelor’s in the major at MSU.

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LIFE AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

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FIRST—Derek R. Faust of Auburn, Pennsylvania, a forest resources/wildlife and fisheries doctoral student.

SECOND—Abbey E. Wilson of Lynchburg, Virginia, a life sciences/animal physiology doctoral student.

THIRD—Brigitte E. Martin of Picayune, a doctoral student in veterinary medical science and magna cum laude biochemistry graduate of MSU.

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PHYSICS, MATHEMATICS AND ENGINEERING

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FIRST—Piyush Porwal of Starkville, a mechanical engineering master’s degree student from India who earlier graduated magna cum laude in the major from MSU.

SECOND—John S. Haywood of San Antonio, Texas, an aerospace engineering doctoral student.

THIRD (TIE)—Zhiyong Gong, an engineering/applied physics major from China, and Ashkan Khalili, an aerospace engineering major from Iran. Both are doctoral students residing in Starkville.

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SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

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FIRST—Sarah E. Pellegrine of Starkville, a sociology master’s degree student and summa cum laude sociology and social work double-graduate of MSU.

SECOND—Molly M. Butts of Natchez, an educational psychology/school psychology doctoral student and magna cum laude educational psychology graduate of Mississippi State. She also holds an educational psychology/psychometry master’s degree from the university.

THIRD—Carley P. Calico of Starkville, an agricultural science/agricultural and extension education doctoral student.

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VISUAL DISPLAYS

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ARTS AND HUMANITIES

FIRST—Billy B. Wilemon Jr. of Aberdeen, an Â̾ÞÈËÊÓƵchemical engineering graduate now pursuing a master’s degree in applied anthropology.

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LIFE AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

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FIRST—Olanrewaju A. Raji of Starkville, a forest resources/forest products doctoral student from Nigeria who earlier earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and master’s in agricultural life sciences/biochemistry at MSU.

SECOND—Kristen R. Counsell of Memphis, Tennessee, an agricultural life sciences/biochemistry master’s degree student.

THIRD—Somayyeh Isal Kalami of Starkville, a forest resources/forest products doctoral student from Iran.

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PHYSICS, MATHEMATICS AND ENGINEERING

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FIRST—Najmeh Abedzadeh Kouhanestani of Starkville, a computer science doctoral student from Iran.

SECOND—Amanda J. Sterling of Coupeville, Washington, a mechanical engineering master’s degree student who earlier earned a bachelor’s in the major at MSU.

THIRD—Matthew C. Wong of Greenwood, a mechanical engineering master’s student who earlier earned a bachelor’s in the major at MSU.

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SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES:

FIRST—Jeffrey D. Simpson of Spring, Texas, a kinesiology/exercise science doctoral student.

SECOND—Reeva C. Morton of Ellicott City, Maryland, an educational psychology/school psychology doctoral student who earlier earned a master’s degree in educational psychology/psychometry at MSU.

THIRD—Hailey E. Ripple of Jacksonville, Illinois, an educational psychology/school psychology doctoral student.

For more information about the Office of the Graduate School and Graduate Student Association at MSU, visit .

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