Christian Rabeling, a doctoral student in the ecology, evolution and behavior program, has won the $10,000 Michael H. Granof Outstanding Graduate Student Award at the University Co-op/Graduate School Awards for Excellence in Graduate Education.
The Excellence in Graduate Education awards recognize and reward outstanding graduate students for distinguished scholarship, research, writing and teaching.
Rabeling's research focuses on evolutionary biology by using ants and experimental systems. His internationally recognized discovery and collection of the first of its kind species of ant in the Amazon has established his reputation as a world-class entomologist. In addition to his scientific expertise, he is well known in his department as a gifted teacher of undergraduate students. His recent paper about the new ant species was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and received more than 10,000 hits at Google within 72 hours of publication.
Several other College of Natural Sciences graduate students also won awards.
Benjamin Hardekopf, of the Department of Computer Science, received an Outstanding Dissertation Award of $5,000.
A $3,000 Outstanding Thesis/Report Award went to master's student Suzanne Fanger, in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, and Timothy Weinzirl, in the Department of Astronomy.
Barrett Klein, also in the ecology, evolution and behavior graduate program, received the $3,000 George H. Mitchell Award for Excellence in Graduate Research for his outstanding research that is substantially in progress.
"Graduate students make significant contributions across the university," said Victoria Rodríguez, vice provost and dean of graduate studies. "They advance research programs, teach and mentor undergraduates and discover new knowledge. The students being honored with these awards represent the best of graduate education and research at the university."
The Graduate School and the University Co-op hosted the awards presentation on May 12 at the Four Seasons Hotel.
For more information contact: Kathleen Mabley, Office of Graduate Studies, 512-232-3633, kmabley@austin.utexas.edu.
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