Distinguished Doctoral and Master’s Scholarship

Since 2008, the Graduate College has recognized the scholarly achievements of Boise State University graduate students. The Graduate College currently distributes awards annually in five categories:

Master’s Thesis and Project Awards in the Arts
Master’s Thesis and Project Awards in STEM
Master’s Thesis and Project Awards in non-STEM fields
Innovation in Technology Award
Distinguished Doctoral Scholarship Award

The awards themselves follow the nomination categories sponsored by the Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS) and the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) through their WAGS/ProQuest and CGS/ProQuest awards. The various awards have different screening criteria, generally related to measures of merit, quality, significance, originality, and contributions to the discipline. All master’s award winners are submitted to the WAGS/ProQuest competitions.

2024-25 Award Recipients

Distinguished Doctoral Scholarship

Dr. Arash Modaresi Rad | PhD, Computing

“Inland Water’s Challenges in Ungauged International Basins: Identifying the Desiccation Drivers of Endorheic Hamun Lakes”

Distinguished Master’s Thesis/Capstone Project in the Arts

Alyse-Ambriel Hannah | MFA, Visual Arts

“Cosmetic”

Distinguished Master’s Thesis in STEM

Anna Barefield | MS, Mathematics

“Association of Lockdown Policies with COVID-19 Early Case Growth Rates in the United States”

Previous Winners

Use the tabs to access a list of Previous Winners. These tabs are separated in groupings of five academic years. If available, you may browse the winner’s work in Scholarworks in the Electronic Theses and Dissertations section.

2023-2024

Distinguished Doctoral Scholarship
Ahmad Hojatimalek, Computing PhD
“Remote sensing to advance understanding of snow-vegetation relationships and quantify snow-depth and snow water equivalent (SWE)”

Distinguished Thesis (STEM)
Shane Palmer, Materials Science and Engineering-MS
“Transformation Pathways of Lanthanide Free Mn-Al-Ga-X Alloys where X = Co, Fe, and Ni”

Distinguished Thesis/Project (Arts)
Brie Schettle, Art, Design, and Visual Studies-MFA
“Ecotones”

Distinguished Thesis (Humanities)
Shelanda Kujala, Kinesiology-MS
“The Effects of Mental Training on Acute Psychophysiological Stress Responses in Endurance Athletes”

2022-2023

Distinguished Doctoral Scholarship
Sara Kuraitis, Materials Science & Engineering-PhD
“Application of in situ and ex situ Characterization of Atomic Layer Deposition Processes for Gallium Phosphide and Sodium Fluoride”

Distinguished Thesis (STEM)
Ashtin Glodt, Master of Public Health-MPH
“Normalization of Virtual Home Visiting in Idaho”

Distinguished Thesis/Project (Arts)
Danielle Corson, Art, Design, and Visual Studies-MFA
“Home”

2021-2022

Distinguished Doctoral Scholarship
Pete Barnes, Materials Science and Engineering-PhD
“Nanostructured Niobium Oxides as Negative Electrodes for Lithium and Sodium ion Batteries”

Distinguished Thesis (STEM)
Mayara (Maya) Cizina, Geosciences-MS
“Optimizing Raman Spectral Collection for Quartz and Zircon Crystals for Elastic Geothermobarometry”

Distinguished Thesis/Project (Arts)
Margaret Pope, Art, Design, and Visual Studies-MFA
“The Myth of the West”

Innovation in Technology
Jukes Liu, Geophysics-MS
“Automatic glacier detection for Greenland’s peripheral glaciers”

2020-2021

Distinguished Doctoral Scholarship
Evan Smith, Materials Science and Engineering-PhD
“Empirical Modeling of Structural Distortions in Perovskite Ceramics”

Zongbo Xu, Geophysics-PhD
“Rayleigh-wave multicomponent crosscorrelation-based estimation of phase velocities and ambient seismic source distribution”

Distinguished Thesis (STEM)
Leanna Marquart, Chemistry and Biochemistry-MS
“Structure and Bioactivity of a Rationally Designed Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Antagonist Targeting the Alpha-3 Beta-2 Subtype”

2019-2020

Distinguished Doctoral Scholarship
April Watts, Curriculum & Instruction-EdD
“Substance Use and Bullying Intervention Among High School Students”

Distinguished Thesis (STEM)
Md. Fazle Rabbi, Civil Engineering-MS
“Effect of subsurface conditions on flexible pavement behavior: Non-destructive testing and mechanistic analysis”

Distinguished Thesis (Non-STEM)
Christian Sprague, Economics-MS
“Robustness Effects on the Resilience Process within the U.S. Labor Market”

Distinguished Thesis/Project (Arts)
Mary Lowry, Creative Writing-MFA
“The Roxy Letters”

2018 – 2019

Shawn Edrington, Visual Arts-MFA
“Terrain Vague.” Committee: Dan Scott, Francis Fox, Ted Apel

Ali Ohashi, Kinesiology-MS “Transitioning out of sport: Perspectives of student-athlete support or development services.”
Committee: Eric M. Martin, Shelley Lucas, Scott A. Conger

Mila Lam, Chemistry-MA
“Investigation of Catalytic Activity of Stable β-Ketoacyl-ACP Substrate Analogs in Quorum Sensing Signal Synthesis.” Committee: Rajesh Nagarajan, Eric Brown, and Owen McDougal

Neha Misra, Biomolecular Sciences-PhD
“Development of a cholera toxin CTA2/B based Staphylococcus aureus vaccine to prevent bovine mastitis.” Committee: Juliette Tinker, Kenneth Cornell, Julie Thom Oxford, and Mark A. McGuire

2017 – 2018

Adam Behrman, History-MA, 2016. “Selling Narratives of a Mexico in Crisis: Environmental Reporting in Excélsior and Uno más Uno, 1983-84.” Committee: Emily Wakild, Lisa Marie Brady, and Jennifer A. Stevens. Non-STEM Award.

Heather Wilber, Mathematics-MS, 2016. “Numerical Computing with Functions on the Sphere and Disk.” Committee: Grady Wright, Alex Townsend, and Jodi L. Mead. STEM award.

2016 – 2017

Alicia Anderson, Health Science, Health Promotion-MS, 2016. “Short-term Outcome Evaluation of Healthy Habits, Healthy U: A School-based Cancer Prevention Program.” Committee: Tedd McDonald, Caile Spear and Mary Pritchard. Non-STEM Award.

Janna Rozar, Geology-MS, 2015. “Defining Antecedent Topography at Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Kane County, Utah: The Influence of Structural Controls on Dune Field Boundary Conditions and Holocene Landscape Evolution.” Committee: David Wilkins, Richard Ford, Nancy Glenn, and John Bradford. STEM Award.

2015 – 2016

Audrey Coon, Kinesiology-MS, 2015. “Predicting College Women Rowers’ Motivation and Persistence: A Self-Determination Theory Approach.” Committee: Dr. Nicole D. Bolter, Dr. Shelly Lucas, Tyler G. Johnson, and Yong Gao. Non-STEM Award.

Nikole J. Kucza, Materials Science and Engineering-MS, 2015. “Magnetic-Induced Deformation in Off-Stoichiometric Ni2MnGa: The Competition Between Constraints and Magnetic Energies.” Committee: Dr. Peter Mullner, David C. Dunand, and William B. Knowlton. STEM Award.

2014 – 2015

Lyn Uratani, MA-English, Literature, 2014. “‘Not Everyone Was Asleep’: Anti-Colonial Personifications of Antiquity and Progress in José Rizal’s Touch Me Not and El Filibusterismo.” Committee: Jacqueline O’Connor, Co-Chair, Gautam Basu Thakur, Co-Chair, and Shelton Woods. Non-STEM Award.

2013 – 2014

Annie Knowles, MA-English, Literature, 2013. “Encounters of the Arabian Kind: Cultural Exchange and Identity in the Tristans of Medieval France, England and Spain.” Committee: Linda Marie Zaerr, Chair, Edward Mac Test, Dalia Eltayeb. Non-STEM Award.

Graham Frye, MS-Biology, 2012. Phytochemical Ecology of an Avian Herbivore, the Greater Sage-Grouse: Implications for Behavior, Physiology, and Conservation.” Committee: Jennifer S. Forbey, Chair, John W. Connelly, James R. Belthoff. STEM Award.

2012 – 2013

Amy Colleen Ulappa, MS-Biology, 2011. “Nutritional and Chemical Factors Shaping Diet Selection for Two Sagebrush Specialists: Pygmy Rabbits and Sage-grouse.” Committee: Jennifer Forbey, Chair, Ian C. Robertson, Julie A. Heath, Owen M. McDougal.

2011 – 2012

Justin Welty, MS-Raptor Biology, 2010. “Costs and Benefits of Variable Nest Density in Burrowing Owls: Effects on Predation, Ectoparasites, Egg Yolk Hormones, and Productivity” Committee: James R. Belthoff, Chair; Alfred M. Dufty, Jr., Ian Robertson.

2010 – 2011

Polina Kokoulina, MS-Biology, 2010. “Caspase Activation in Neurodegenerative Diseases Classified as Taupathies and Alpha-Synucleinopathies: Caspase-Cleaved TAR DNA-Binding Protein-43 in Pick’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and Dementia with Lewy Bodies.” Committee: Troy Rohn, Chair, Julia Oxford, Juliette Tinker.

2009 – 2010

Joshua P. White, MS-Biology, 2009. “Seed Predation on Slickspot Peppergrass by the Owyhee Harvester Ant.” Committee: Ian C. Robertson, Chair, Peter Koestsier; Stephen Novak.

2008 – 2009

Melissa Keith, MA-English, Rhetoric & Composition, 2008. “The Effect of Writing Center Visits on the Writing Apprehension of Students in First-year Writing Courses.” Committee: Michael Mattison, Chair, Heidi Estrem, Devan Cook.