Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Six Mississippi State graduate students and one faculty member are being recognized for significant achievements at the university.

Honored formally at the 15th annual Graduate Student Association Awards Banquet, they are among more than 65 cited for various personal accomplishments during the 2016-17 school year at the recent campus event sponsored by the GSA and the Graduate School. MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Young Hyatt was featured speaker.

MSU Associate Professor of History James C. “Jim” Giesen received the Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor of the Year Award. A University of Georgia doctoral graduate, he also holds a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University. His research interests are the agricultural, rural and environmental histories of the U.S., with a particular focus on the South in the 20th century.

In addition to Giesen, this year’s honorees included (alphabetically):

—Isabelle Lang of Houma, Louisiana, an English master’s student receiving the Donald Zacharias Master’s Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year Award. She also is a summa cum laude English bachelor’s graduate of MSU.

—Justin B. McMahan of Long Beach, a biomedical engineering master’s student receiving the Graduate Service Assistant of the Year Award. He also is a summa cum laude biological engineering/biomedical engineering graduate of MSU.

—Eleanor M. Moen of Paxton, Illinois, an agricultural life sciences/entomology master’s student receiving the 2017-18 Graduate Student Association Ambassador of the Year Award.

—Jennifer L. Stevens of Pineville, Louisiana, a business administration/marketing doctoral student receiving the Donald Zacharias Ph.D. Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year Award.

—Alexander K. “Alex” Tice of Springdale, Arkansas, a biological sciences doctoral student receiving the Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistant of the Year Award.

—Julie L. White of Magee, an electrical and computer engineering master’s student receiving the Master’s Graduate Research Assistant of the Year Award. She also is a cum laude computer engineering graduate of MSU.

Additionally, students in the university’s Graduate Student Research Symposium and Three-Minute Thesis Competition were recognized at the banquet. Information on these individuals was released earlier at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2017/04/msu-honors-2017-graduate-student-research-symposium-winners and https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2016/11/and-your-time-starts%e2%80%a6now-msu-grad-students-participate-three-minute-thesis.

For more on the MSU Graduate School and Graduate Student Association, visit www.grad.msstate.edu.

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