Feb. 22, 2023

The Graduate College is pleased to announce its 2022-23 award winners.

UNLV Graduate College Outstanding Thesis & Dissertation Awards

Each year the Graduate College awards four awards for outstanding theses and dissertations (within each category, one for STEM and one for non-STEM). This year’s winners are listed below:

  • Outstanding Thesis (STEM): Evan O'Neal, College of Sciences, Department of Geoscience
    "Source and Parental Melts of Poikilitic Shergottites: Implications for Martian Magmatism"
  • Outstanding Thesis (Non-STEM): Madison Wiese, Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, Department of Communication Studies
    “Communicating Pain Unseen: Addressing Health Outcomes in Sexual Activity for Women with Endometriosis”
  • Outstanding Dissertation (STEM): Suzanne Mulligan, College of Sciences, Department of Geoscience
    “The Application of Detrital Zircon Geochronology, Pressure-Temperature Modeling, Monazite Petrochronology, and Quartz-In-Garnet Elastic Geobarometry to the Tectonic Evolution of the Funeral Mountains and Related Metamorphic Core Complexes”
  • Outstanding Dissertation (Non-STEM): Edward Smith, College of Liberal Arts, Department of Psychology
    “The Psychopathology Circumplex+: A Novel Conceptualization of Psychopathology and Associated Measure”

Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award

Each year the Graduate College recognizes exceptional teaching by UNLV graduate students. This year’s winners are listed below:

  • 1st Place - Nanette Hilton, College of Liberal Arts, Department of English
  • 2nd Place - Md Hasan, College of Sciences, Mathematical Sciences

Outstanding Graduate Faculty Leadership Award

The Outstanding Graduate Faculty Leadership Award is being given to Dr. Natalie Pennington, Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, Department of Communication Studies. This award recognizes graduate faculty who demonstrate leadership by, for example, serving on committees; mentoring graduate students; and engaging in, leading, or significantly advancing efforts that help move the university toward impactful graduate education, research, scholarship, or creative activity.

Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentorship Award

The Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentorship Award is being given to Dr. MaryKay Orgill, College of Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry. This award recognizes graduate faculty who mentor graduate students in teaching, research and service; provide sound counsel and advocacy on academic and non-academic issues; and guide students toward the successful completion of degrees.