Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s Graduate School and Graduate Student Association are recognizing students and faculty mentors for their teaching, research and service contributions in an unprecedented academic year.

“We have so much positive momentum in the Graduate School and across the wide and diverse spectrum of graduate programs we offer,” MSU President Mark E. Keenum said during a recent campus ceremony. “By staying focused and working together, we have gotten through a challenging year. I am proud of the strength, patience and courage that our outstanding graduate students and their world-class faculty advisors have shown.”

The newest MSU Graduate Student Hall of Fame Scholars are:

—Robert E. Booker of Starkville, a kinesiology/exercise science doctoral student representing the College of Education

—Dylan R. Boyd of Meridian, an electrical and computer engineering doctoral student representing the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

—Zully E. Contreras-Correa of Starkville, an agricultural science/animal and dairy sciences doctoral student representing the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

—Clayton W. Hale of Nolensville, Tennessee, a forestry master’s student representing the College of Forest Resources

—Seth J. O’Conner of Starkville, a biological sciences doctoral student representing the College of Arts and Sciences

—Brittany N. Szafran of Moundsville, West Virginia, an environmental toxicology doctoral student representing the College of Veterinary Medicine

—Haoyang Xiong of Starkville, a business administration/finance doctoral student representing the College of Business

Nominated by department heads and selected by the dean of their respective colleges, the scholars have made significant contributions to the growth of MSU through their exemplary leadership abilities and research or teaching skills in their chosen fields of study.

Additional honorees include:

—Amanda C. Black of New Albany, a computational biology doctoral student, Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year

—Harish Chander, associate professor in the College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology, Graduate Student Association Advisor of the Year

—Madison L. Hardcastle of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, an agriculture/animal science master’s student, Graduate Service Assistant of the Year

—Matthew Ross, professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences and Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School Mentor of the Year

—Mariana Santos-Rivera of Starkville, a life sciences/biochemistry doctoral student, Graduate Research Assistant of the Year

For more on MSU’s graduate programs and activities, visit www.grad.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.