Nine outstanding students to be honored at 2024 University spring awards program

Clemson University announced today the 2024 student spring award recipients. Three undergraduate students and six graduate students will receive awards alongside outstanding faculty and staff during a special ceremony at the Clyde V. Madren Center's Owen Pavilion from 2-4 p.m. on Monday, May 6.

Norris Medal

The Norris Medal has been awarded since 1908 and was established under the terms of the will of the Honorable D.K. Norris, a life trustee at Clemson. The medal is given each year to a graduating student who, on the basis of exceptional scholastic achievement and leadership ability, is judged by the University Scholarships and Awards Committee to be the best all-around student. Recipients of the Norris Medal have their names affixed to a bronze plaque located in Hendrix Student Center.

The 2024 Norris Medal recipient is Helena Harte, political science and history.

Harte, a senior, is a member of the 2020 National Scholars Program cohort and also owns additional honors as a Dixon Global Policy Scholar, Fulbright semifinalist and Schwarzman Scholarship finalist. In 2022, she represented Clemson and the state of South Carolina at the World Affairs Council National Conference in Washington, D.C. Outside of the classroom, Harte has chaired the Honors Student Advisory Board, served as vice president of the Student Alumni Council and been a member of the Clemson University Tour Guide Association.

Algernon Sydney Sullivan Student Award

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award is presented to graduating seniors, alumni and community members of selected colleges and universities in the Southern United States for excellence of character and service to humanity. Clemson University is among 70 southern schools to present the award, named in honor of the first president of the New York Southern Society.

The 2024 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Student Award recipients are Christian Blackburn, wildlife and fisheries biology, and Leah Terry, political science.

Blackburn, a senior, is a member of the 2020 National Scholars Program cohort. He has been involved in several different service activities within his academic college during his time at Clemson. He volunteered with Clemson Fire Tigers, a collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service to help prevent wildfires. Blackburn also served as chapter president of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity and was involved with the CAFLS Student Advisory Board and the Solid Green gameday recycling program.

Terry, a senior, is a Dixon Global Policy Scholar and 2023 initiate of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. She has served as a member of the Honors Student Advisory Board and Honors Curriculum Committee. Beyond the classroom, she has been a member of Clemson Undergraduate Student Government (CUSG), serving on Student Senate and with the Campus Advancement Committee and Council on Diversity Affairs. Terry is a member of Kappa Delta sorority and has participated in the Clemson Diplomacy Club, Clemson Dancers and Clemson University Dance Company.

Outstanding Graduate Researcher Award

The Outstanding Graduate Researcher Award is presented annually to two graduate student researchers at Clemson in recognition of their outstanding contributions to research activity, future promise as a research, and/or originality, imagination and significance of research or creative activity.

The 2024 Outstanding Graduate Researcher Award recipients are Ali Shirzadi Babakan, information systems, and Mandeep Tayal, entomology.

Babakan is pursuing a Ph.D. in the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business and researches the role of information technology in the transportation, logistics and supply chain management domains. His current research looks at the market for and societal impacts of digital platform ecosystems, AI-based forecasting and cyber-physical systems. His research has been published in one book chapter and 11 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Tayal is a Ph.D. candidate and works alongside Elizabeth Cieniewicz in the plant virology lab within the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences. His multidisciplinary research spans plant pathology and entomology to understand interactions among peach trees, viruses and pollinators. Tayal has six published peer-reviewed articles in prestigious publications as a primary author and four additional articles as a co-author. Tayal served as president of the Plant and Environmental Sciences Graduate Student Association in 2022.

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

The Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award is presented annually to two graduate teaching assistants in recognition of their outstanding contributions to student learning and development across academic spaces, such as classrooms and laboratories.

The 2024 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award recipients are Margaret Ann Bolick, environmental engineering and earth sciences, and Melina Wallace, English.

Bolick is pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of Engineering and Science Education. Her research focuses on amplifying voices and educational experiences of first-generation and economically marginalized students in both Norway and the United States. She owns a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering and a master's degree in mathematics education from Boston University.

Wallace is a second-year graduate student pursuing a master's degree in English. Her thesis focuses on feminist disability rage in popular culture. Wallace enjoys being in the classroom and engaging with students from diverse learning styles and interests.

Frankie O. Felder Graduate Student Award of Excellence

The Frankie O. Felder Graduate Student Award of Excellence is presented to one graduating master's student or doctoral candidate who exhibits academic excellence and inspires others by demonstrating perseverance through adversity.

The 2024 Frankie O. Felder Graduate Student Award of Excellence recipient is Tomiko Smalls, educational leadership.

Smalls is a Ph.D. candidate and was recently named to the New Professional and Graduate Student Review Board for the Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education. She is a Southern Region Education Board Doctoral Fellow and a Distinguished Ethics Scholar at Clemson. Smalls is a first-generation college student, owns three degrees from Clemson and is a retiree who held a variety of positions in South Carolina public schools.

Graduate Student Award for Mentoring in Creative Inquiry

The Graduate Student Award for Mentoring in Creative Inquiry is presented each spring in recognition of outstanding work with undergraduate students. Nominations come from students who are actively participating in Creative Inquiry project teams.

The 2024 Graduate Student Award for Mentoring in Creative Inquiry recipient is Mya Kelley, special education.

Kelley is a doctoral student who previously worked as a speech-language pathologist in public schools and pediatric rehabilitation settings. She works as a graduate research assistant in the College of Education and provides pre-service teacher instruction for Creative Inquiry's Mixed-Reality Simulators Project, which offers future special education teachers a virtual classroom experience. Kelley owns a bachelor's degree from South Carolina State and master's degree from UNC Greensboro.

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