Seven students selected for 2004 Dean's Award

BY RAY DELGADO

A hydrocarbon researcher, a semiconductor laser specialist and a biological sciences student studying electrophysiology were among the seven students selected for the 2004 Dean's Award for Academic Accomplishment.

The Dean's Award was created in 1988 to honor undergraduates deserving attention for their intellectual accomplishments. This year's winners were announced at a reception held on April 15 at the Hartley Conference Center.

The winners of the 2004 Dean's Award are:

• Anna Cueni, a junior majoring in linguistics, who was honored for study of factors influencing word-order choice, particularly in the English dative alternation.
• Nathalie de Leon, a senior majoring in chemistry, who was honored for her work on the detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
  
• Vinita Kailasanath, a co-terminal student in biological sciences, who was honored for her discovery of three estrogen receptors in one species.
  
• Meredith Lee, a co-terminal student in electrical engineering, who was honored for her contributions to the use of semiconductor lasers in biological measurement.
  
• Jason Ross, an undeclared sophomore, who was honored for his studies of how bacterial pathogens infect agricultural plants.
  
• James Van Deventer, a senior majoring in chemical engineering, who was honored for his work on the manipulation of properties of semiconductor surfaces for possible application in lithography, sensors and molecular electronics.
  
• Yue Yang, a junior majoring in biological sciences, who was honored for his advanced experimental work in electrophysiology, which will be submitted for first-author publication by the end of this year.
  

Nominations for the Dean's Award are submitted by faculty and staff and the winners are chosen by a committee made up of members from the three schools that offer undergraduate degrees -- Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Humanities and Sciences.