Academics

Graduate School announces five new graduate student recognition awards

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Graduate School at Penn State has established five new graduate student recognition awards for the 2015-16 academic year, expanding upon an existing group of awards intended to acknowledge the significant contributions that graduate faculty and graduate students make to the teaching, research and outreach missions of the University, including their potential for a greater societal impact.

Four new awards — the Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award; Graduate Student Excellence in Mentoring Award; Graduate Student International Research Award; and Professional Master’s Excellence Award — are funded with institutional support, pending the creation of endowments. The other new award, the Penn State Alumni Association Scholarship for Penn State Alumni in the Graduate School, was endowed by the Alumni Association.

The deadline for the submission of award nominations to the Graduate School is Nov. 1, although slightly earlier deadlines may apply within colleges.

The Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award recognizes excellence in master’s level thesis research in any of the broad disciplinary areas of fine arts and humanities; social sciences — applied and basic; physical and computational sciences — applied and basic; life and health sciences; and engineering. Pending receipt of qualified nominations, at least five $2,500 awards will be supported annually for the selected nominees — one in each of the referenced broad disciplinary areas.

The Graduate Student Excellence in Mentoring Award recognizes senior doctoral students for exemplary and effective mentoring of undergraduate and/or new or junior graduate students that significantly contributes to the student’s personal growth, professional development and/or academic success. Pending receipt of qualified nominations, at least one $1,500 award will be supported annually for the selected nominee.

The Graduate Student International Research Award promotes and supports graduate student international research, and scholarship by graduate students that has potential for global impact. The award is to be used for travel, living expenses, and/or research-related costs (for example, laboratory or fieldwork supplies; specialized software; costs associated with access to or reproduction of special collections; and translation fees). This award may be combined with other funding sources. Pending receipt of qualified applications, at least one award will be supported annually up to a maximum of $5,000, based upon eligible costs and funding required, as identified in the selected application.

The Professional Master’s Excellence Award recognizes individual student excellence in a professional master’s degree program under the Graduate School, in any discipline, based upon the student’s academic record in the graduate program and the quality and impact of the student’s culminating experience, including creative works, performance and projects conducted in a professional setting. Pending receipt of qualified nominations, four $2,500 awards will be available each year for students in resident and online professional master’s degree programs.

The Penn State Alumni Association Scholarship for Penn State Alumni in the Graduate School provides recognition and financial assistance to students who have been admitted to the Graduate School at Penn State as candidates for a graduate degree and who received their undergraduate degree from Penn State. One award of $2,500 will be offered annually.

The Graduate School’s graduate faculty awards are:

  •  The Graduate Faculty Teaching Award
  •  The Graduate School Alumni Society Graduate Program Chair Leadership Award
  •  Howard B. Palmer Faculty Mentoring Award

The previously established graduate student recognition awards are:

  •  The Academic Computing Fellowship
  •  The Alumni Association Dissertation Award
  •  The AT&T Graduate Fellowship
  •  The Thomas and June Beaver Fund
  •  The Intercollege Graduate Student Outreach Achievement Award
  •  The Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award
  •  The Harold K. Schilling Dean’s Graduate Scholarship

For more information about all new and existing awards, visit the Graduate School online or contact the Graduate School’s Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards Administration at l-gs-fellowships@lists.psu.edu or 814-865-2514.

Last Updated September 25, 2015