Graduate School Honors High-Quality Theses and Dissertations

Texas Tech University’s Graduate School recently announced awards that recognize the quality of work displayed in several theses and dissertations of graduate students.

The Graduate School also will nominate 1st place dissertation award winners to the Council of Graduate Schools as part of its annual competition to recognize an outstanding dissertation that represents original work and makes unusually significant contributions to the discipline being considered for that year, said Fred Hartmeister, dean of the school.

“This is the first time we’ve given out these awards,” Hartmeister said. “We wanted to find a way to not only highlight, but also support the important work our graduate students do. From this first round of awards, it’s clear we have some highly capable students contributing serious, important research material to their fields of study.”

In odd years, the school will recognize work in biological life sciences and humanities and fine arts. Even years will recognize work in social sciences, mathematics, physical sciences and engineering.

Students are nominated by their faculty members for this award. If a faculty member’s student is awarded first place, the faculty member also receives a stipend. Helen Jones Foundation funding contributed to make these awards possible.

This Year's Winners Are:

Biological Life Sciences

• 1st place Master’s Thesis – Julie Weathers in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Early Indications of Breed Differences for Cryopreservation of Embryos in Cattle. $1,000.
• 2nd place Master’s Thesis – I-Huei Tsai in the College of Human Sciences. Cytotoxicity of Selenocyanobiotin Against MDA-MA-231 Breast Cancer Cells. $500.
• 1st place Doctoral Dissertation – Jennifer Huddleston in the College of Arts and Sciences. Natural Transformation in Aeromonas Species. $1,500.

Humanities and Fine Arts

• 1st place Master’s Thesis – Kyle Conway in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Will Eno: The Page, the Stage and the World. $1,000.
• 2nd place Master’s Thesis – Bryan Yost in the College of Arts & Sciences. Globalization, Commercial Culture and Contemporary U.S. Fiction. $500.
• 1st place Doctoral Dissertation – Jordan Cofer in the College of Arts and Sciences. Flannery’s Bible: Biblical Recapitulations in the Fiction of Flannery O’Connor. $1,500.
• 2nd place Doctoral Dissertation – Ian Rollins of () in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Ritmo Caliente: Cal Tjader, 1950s Dichotomies, and the Story of Latin Jazz. $750.