Academic awards received by local students.
Western Governors University recently awarded degrees to students at its 28th annual commencement. Carrie Lauritsen, of Holland, received her bachelor degree in nursing and her master's degree in nursing education. Samantha White, of Ludlow, was awarded her master's degree of business administration in health-care management. Jennifer Moskal, of Monson, received her master's degree in nursing leadership and management.
* Area students named to the fall dean's list at Tufts University included Ethan Bein, of Northampton, John Budrow, of Wilbraham, Daniel Kane, of Northampton, Sara Khosrowjerdi, of Wilbraham, and Tory Kolbjornsen, of Williamsburg.
Area students named to the fall dean's list at Worcester State University include: Shannen N. Curtin, of Belchertown; Daniel M. Ahmed and Alexandria K. Moriarty, both of Hadley; Kara M. Baillargeon, Matthew H. Dent, Briana L. Deslauriers, Cassandra M. Figueiredo, Cassandra E. Goncalves, Ruben Negron, Diana G. Sychtysz, Mark Sychtysz and Robert P. White, all of Ludlow; Christine M. Bennett and Timothy M. Chavez, both of Palmer; Kristen M. Chrabascz, Cayley M. Cousineau, Kara M. Rys and Abigayle V. Sidur, all of Ware; and Alexis M. Anderkin and Allison L. Czaplicki, both of Wilbraham.
* Ithaca College student-athletes representing all 27 varsity sports learned valuable leadership skills in the university's Leadership Academy. Participants included Owen Watrous, of Montague, and Miranda Wingfield, of Northampton.
* During the week of March 8, Emily Dyer, of Easthampton, with Emmanuel College's chapter of Habitat for Humanity, participated in Habitat International's Collegiate Challenge, spending spring break volunteering in Taos, New Mexico. For four full days, the 17 Emmanuel students worked on one home alongside students from Michigan Technological University and were also able to meet the family they were serving. They completed wall repairs, concrete staining, electrical work, digging, cement mixing, painting and more.
* Nicholas Sloat, of Ware, a junior majoring in management information systems at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, recently completed an intense, hands-on research project in Springfield. The project was titled "Developing Springfield: A Mason Square Development." At WPI, all undergraduates are required to complete a research-driven, professional-level project that applies science and technology to addresses an important societal need or issue.
* Wilbraham native Andrew Hunt, a member of the Class of 2017 at Stonehill College in Easton, has been named a Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) summer scholar. The SURE program provides students with an opportunity to perform significant, publishable research under the guidance of an experienced faculty researcher at the college.
The research experience will help to provide students with a competitive advantage in graduate and professional school applications and in post-college employment opportunities, as well as to provide assistance to faculty in research activities.
Hunt will be working chemistry professor Leon Tilley on "Investigation of Electron-Withdrawing Substituents in the Synthesis of Cyclopropanes, Bicyclobutanes and Tetrahedranes."
The long-term goal of this project is to synthesize tetrahedrane, which has proven to be very difficult. Tetrahedrane can be used as a high-energy fuel or as a feedstock for fuel cells. Hunt will work on the synthesis of part of the scheme that has been developed toward its preparation. The findings from this research project will be presented at the American Chemical Society national meeting and the SURE poster session and will ultimately be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Hunt is a chemistry major.
* Wilbraham resident Marisa Halpin, an organizational communication major at Assumption College and member of the Class of 2016, recently performed in the college's presentation of the Tony award-winning "Fiddler on the Roof," at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts.
* Marion Vielmetti, of Greenfield, recently performed with the University of Findlay's Concert-Chorale and the Toledo Choral Society in Ohio in a production of "The Creation," a work by Joseph Haydn.
* Area residents recently initiated into the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines, at Westfield State University included: Jared Dias, of Ludlow; Caroline O'Leary, of Southampton; Vanessa Coates-Cooney, of Williamsburg; Nick Bertone, of Belchertown; Valerie Bertsch, of Belchertown; Ashley Vezina, of Brimfield; Tyler Branco, of Ludlow; Jennifer Holley, of Ludlow; and Rachael Buckley, of Wilbraham.
* The Williston Northampton School recently announced its honor roll for the second trimester of the school year. The honored students included: Lena Gandevia, of Hadley, a member of the Class of 2015 who achieved high honors; Sima Gandevia, of Hadley, a member of the Class of 2017 who achieved high honors; Matthew Otting, of Hadley, a member of the Class of 2017 who achieved high honors; Christopher Young, of Hadley, a member of the Class of 2017 who achieved high honors; Josephina Auferoth, of Hatfield, a member of the Class of 2015 who achieved honor; Caroline Channell, of Hatfield, a member of the Class of 2018, who achieved high honors; Matthew Channell, of Hatfield, a member of the Class of 2017, who achieved honors; Arvin Fieldman, of Wilbraham, a member of the Class of 2017 who achieved honors; Emma Lawrence, of Wilbraham, a member of the Class of 2015, who achieved honors; Terence O'Brien, of Wilbraham, a member of the Class of 2015, who achieved honors; Lacey Gillis, of Williamsburg, a member of the Class of 2016, who achieved honors; Marcus Gould, of Williamsburg, a member of the Class of 2015, who achieved honors; and Emily LeRolland, of Williamsburg, a member of the Class of 2017, who achieved honors.
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