Ohio University

Six Ohio University students, five alumni and a professor have been selected as recipients for the Fulbright Program, through which they will work to promote international, educational, and cultural exchange in host countries across South America, Europe, Africa, and North America. The scholars include students Ryanne Morr, Hannah Posedel and Claire Ramsey and alumni Abby Hearne, Sue Ryu, Andrew Steinke and Dakota Tackett, who were selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program; students Rhea Lanier, Maya Meade, Kennedy Rasberry and alum Nile Harris, who were selected for Fulbright Canada's post-COVID-19 Challenge; and professor of political science Myra Waterbury, who will spend four months in Budapest at the Minority Studies Institute at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

More than 4,800 students graduated with bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees from Ohio University for spring semester 2021. The graduates represented many areas of the United States and an abundance of countries, including: China, India, Saudi Arabia, Peru and Canada.

More than 7,800 students qualified for the spring semester 2021 Dean's List at Ohio University, including main and regional campuses. Over 40 states were represented on the Dean's List, including: Alabama, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Mexico, Washington and Ohio. Students also represented China, France, Germany, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Oman, Peru and many other countries.

Ohio University master's student Sarah Liese was one of three people named as a Full Circle Fellow by the Sundance Institute to participate in their Directors and Screenwriters Labs and Native Lab. The labs, which are virtual, provide a space for the artists to develop their craft and projects.

Ohio University's Air Force ROTC Detachment 650 commissioned six cadets as officers in the United States Air Force on Saturday, May 1, 2021. During a ceremony in Baker University Center, the six cadets were commissioned as Second Lieutenants.

Ohio University's Morgan Spehar, from Auburn, Ohio, has been selected as a Udall Scholar for the 2021-22 academic year, highlighting her work in environmental journalism. She is the sole recipient in the state of Ohio from any Ohio university or college. Spehar, who will be a senior in the upcoming academic year, is an Honors Tutorial College student majoring in journalism and environmental studies. She is among 55 students from 42 colleges and universities across the United States selected as the 2021 Udall Scholars.

Jacob Hain was looking for a master's degree that would help him develop leadership skills while also providing flexibility so he could work while he earned his degree. He knew he had found the right program when he came across the Master of Science in Management (MSM) in Ohio University's College of Business. "I wanted to specialize in leadership practices that will help me become an entrepreneur," Hain said. "This program provides students with flexibility in scheduling, customization, and pace. It offers both part- and full-time tracks, giving students excellent opportunities and enough time to work on their coursework, while simultaneously working, raising a family, or enjoying their personal and social lives."

University College is excited to announce the recipients of the Richard K. Brackin Scholarship to specialized studies majors Mercadies George and Ghaelyn Gold Grimes.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has appointed a new student member, Sarah O. Ladipo, to the Ohio University Board of Trustees. Ladipo, of Pickerington, Ohio, a sophomore studying philosophy with a war and peace certificate, will serve a two-year term effective on May 14, 2021, and ending on May 13, 2023.

When Nicole Hess was a freshman at Ohio University, she was looking for a research project that was more human-focused. After discussing with her advisor, Dr. Soichi Tanda, he invited her to join his lab to conduct research on hearing loss. Hess, a Honors Tutorial College junior majoring in biological sciences from Powell, Ohio, was excited to learn more and got to work right away in Tanda's lab. Hess was recently awarded the Goldwater Scholarship for her research work.

Sarah Lifer, an Ohio University senior from Jeromesville, Ohio, has been selected by Ohio Campus Compact as a recipient of the Charles J. Ping Student Service Legacy Award. Lifer is one of 12 civic leaders and problem solvers, representing 12 colleges and universities across Ohio, to be selected for this honor.

Before Marietta, Ohio, native Madi Moore set foot on Ohio University's campus as a biochemistry major in the first full cohort of the OHIO Honors Program in fall 2019, she had earned two associate's degrees. That previous coursework, completed during her last two years of high school through the College Credit Plus program, set Moore on a path to complete her bachelor's degree at OHIO in only two years, becoming the first OHP graduate.

Emily Marino would tell you that growing up she was a germaphobe and always interested in the microbiology of germs; how they worked, the different types of bacteria, and how it affected a person's body. Today, she's taken that interest into her studies and career, researching Staphylococcus aureus, or the bacterial pathogen that causes staph infections in order to help solve bigger problems on a micro scale. Not only has her long interest in microbiology allowed her to work hands-on researching it, but she was recently named a Goldwater Scholar.

Students from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism were honored April 10 for their reporting, opinion writing, photography and independent media organization skills in the Region 4 Mark of Excellence awards sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists. The awards were announced in a virtual ceremony due to COVID-19. Region 4 includes Michigan, Ohio, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Ohio University competes in the large university division.

Four cinematic virtual reality (cine-VR) projects produced by Ohio University undergraduate and graduate students are gaining national and global recognition in festivals.

Graduate students Bharbi Hazarika and Haiyun Jiang have been admitted to the 2021 New York Times Student Journalism Institute program. The New York Times Student Journalism Institute allows students with an interest in diversity, and enrolled in organizations which promote diversity and inclusion, the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of some of the best and brightest journalists in America. This program fosters a supportive environment where aspiring journalists are given the opportunity to learn and apply their knowledge through producing material that meet the standards of the most prestigious news organizations across the nation. This program is known as one of the most successful networking opportunities for ambitious journalists.

IMG/Endeavor at Miss Universe has hired four interns from Ohio University's Scripps College of Communication. Two full-time, paid positions are available in each of two sessions: a social media and public relations internship and a web and video internship. The students selected are Abigale Clarke (session I PR/social media), Yana Durado (session I web and video), Anna Birk (session II PR/social media), and Nathan Szoch (session II web and video).

Ohio University honored some of its highest achieving graduate students, contributing to their research efforts with two presidential medals and five named graduate fellowships. "These awards celebrate several of our truly outstanding graduate students," Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis said. "They are conducting research that will have significant impact on the health and well-being of individuals and communities. They are contributing new knowledge to our understanding of history and science. And, they have creative spirits and inquisitive minds that exemplify our graduate students at OHIO."

Four Ohio University students were selected as recipients of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) Germany program, a program that offers internships in Germany for undergraduate students from North America, Great Britain and Ireland and connects students with doctoral students and researchers who serve as mentors in Germany.

Ohio University's Speech and Debate team has a long legacy of bringing home tournament wins, something that continues despite the challenges that have been brought on by COVID. Most recently, OHIO's Speech and Debate team dominated the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament, placing second in Individual Events Sweepstakes, fifth in overall Sweepstakes and 18th in Debate Sweepstakes.

Lacy Burke, an Ohio University senior from Albany, Ohio, and lead peer mentor for the College of Business's Emerging Leaders program, was selected as the first recipient of the Todd and Teresa Calamita Leadership Scholarship based on her outstanding commitment to the organization, demonstration of leadership skills, and dependability. This scholarship will be given to the Emerging Leaders program's lead peer mentor each year.

Ohio University Air Force ROTC cadet Griffin Braun has been selected to attend the Air Force Junior ROTC Flight Academy. Braun is one of only 15 Air Force ROTC Cadets nationwide to have been selected to this extremely competitive program, through which he will earn a private pilot license. Braun is a senior at Ohio University and is expected to earn his degree in civil engineering in May of 2022. Braun also has a certificate in construction management and will earn a minor in aerospace studies upon completion of the AFROTC program.

Third-year physical therapy students Spencer Edwards from Kaysville, Utah, and Kelly Rhodes from Lexington, Ohio, received high marks for their video submissions during this year's American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Geriatrics Consumer Video contest. Edwards placed third in this year's contest, and Rhodes placed fourth. Both students were able to participate in the event through the Division of Physical Therapy's "Physical Therapy for the Geriatric Population" course, an elective option offered to third-year physical therapy students interested in enhancing their foundational skills and knowledge by examining concepts related to the older adult in physical therapy practice.

Ohio University senior and Athens native Edward Drabold was recently awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP), a prestigious grant that recognizes and supports students pursuing research-based graduate degrees in the natural, social, and engineering sciences. Senior Mason Myers and alumnus Mahmoud Ramadan were also recognized this year by the NSF GRFP with honorable mentions.

Ryan Sexton, a senior studying marketing and sports management from North Royalton, Ohio, was recently named Delta Sigma Pi's 2021 East Central Regional Collegian of the Year, the highest honor for the national fraternity's members. He was recognized for his leadership, achievements, personal character, and participation in the fraternity. "Being named the Collegian of the Year means so much to me because it shows off the hard work that our chapter has done," Sexton said. "While I won the official title of the award, I attribute everything to the hard work that my executive committee and the rest of our chapter put in during my term as president. I think this honor shows that we overcame incredible challenges like this pandemic and have set up this organization for success both now and for the foreseeable future, which means a lot to me as a graduating senior."

OHIO's SHAPe Clinic has been nationally recognized for its efforts in providing adequate healthcare treatment for performing artists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Richland County student's natural curiosity led him to produce a piece that placed among the top 20 in the Multimedia Innovative Storytelling category of the Hearst Journalism Awards. Ohio University sophomore Eric Boll produced a story about cemeteries in his home county.

Julie Ciotola, a 2020 graduate of Ohio University's Honors Tutorial College, received recognition as she placed in the top 20 of the annual Hearst Audio Competition through the Hearst Journalism Awards Program.

Ohio University junior Micaela Beatham-Garcia has been named as a member of the prestigious 2021 Newman Civic Fellowship Cohort. A political science pre-law major, Beatham-Garcia is also pursuing an undergraduate certificate in law, justice & culture. She was nominated to the fellowship due to her dedication to effecting social change and promoting civic engagement and dialogue.

More than 8,400 students qualified for the fall semester 2020 Dean's List at Ohio University, including main and regional campuses. Over 40 states were represented on the Dean's List, including: Arizona, Connecticut, California, Florida, Illinois, Rhode Island, Texas and Ohio. Students also represented Ireland, Egypt, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and many other countries. Due to COVID-19, OHIO students who earned 12 semester hours of credit, including at least six hours attempted for letter grades, with a minimum grade point average of at least 3.5 achieved this distinction.