Hardin and Clark Scholars announced
The Hardin and Clark Scholars, the top academic honors at Midwestern State University, and other outstanding students were named Friday night at the Academic Honors Dinner held at the Wichita Falls Country Club.
Liam M. Guthrie was named Hardin Scholar. This is the university's highest award for academic excellence and was begun in 1961 by the Hardin Foundation. It is presented each spring to a student during his or her senior year and a $2,500 scholarship award is given with the honor.
Liam plans to graduate in May 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry and minor in Mathematics. He is a member of the MSU Biology Club, the Pre-Professional Health Sciences Society, the American Chemical Society, and the MSU Honors Program. He belongs to the Tri-Beta Honor Society and is a member of the Gamma Sigma Epsilon Honor Society.
He is a President's Distinguished Scholar, was the Outstanding Biology Junior in 2008, and the Joint Admissions Medical Program Student Entry for the Year 2008. Liam did an internship with Joint Admissions Medical Program at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, May through July 2008. His preceptorship was at the Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center and focused on infectious diseases, the area of medicine he intends to specialize in. This summer, he will attend a pre-med internship at the University of Texas School of Medicine in San Antonio where the focus will be in biochemistry.
Liam currently works in the MSU laboratory of Dr. Rincon where he conducts research into the biochemistry of melatonin and its physiological effects in plants. Specifically, he performs DNA sub-cloning and transformant screening in an effort to create trans-genetic plant cloning vectors. He is mentored by Dr. Betty Stewart, Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics.
Jeff Garrison, a computer science major, was named Clark Scholar. The Clark award was established in 1976 to honor E. B. Clark, a former chairman of the Board of Trustees of the MSU Foundation, carries with it a $1,500 scholarship award. It is presented each spring to a student in his or her junior year.
Jeff is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Societies. He is also a member of the MSU Computer Programming Team, the MSU Honors Program, and the MSU Baptist Student Ministry.
Jeff volunteers off-campus for the First Baptist Church of Alvord in the Children's Church as a 5th and 6th grade small group leader. He also serves as the church's light, sound, and video technician, and as the manager and sound technician for their Fourteen 14 Praise Band.
His academic goals include graduating with a 4.0 grade point average in computer science and perhaps returning to MSU for a master's degree. Professionally, he hopes to work in the technology field for a defense contractor or the armed forces to make the best use of his education.