April 11, 2008
Four doctoral students win Excellence awards
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale will honor Kathleen Chaffee, a doctoral student in chemistry and biochemistry, Joe Khalil, a doctoral student in media studies, Jonathan Remo, a doctoral student in environmental resources and policy, and James Teufel, a doctoral student in health education, for their research as part of the 2008 Excellence Through Commitment Awards program.
As winners of the Outstanding Graduate Student Research Awards, each will receive $1,000 from SIUC, a certificate and a wristwatch from the SIU Alumni Association at the Excellence Through Commitment Awards dinner on April 22 in the Student Center.
Chaffee graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from SIUC in 2004 and has been pursuing her doctorate since then. She does interdisciplinary research in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and is currently studying as a Fulbright Advanced Student Researcher at the Laboratoire de Chimie, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France.
As a result of her research, Chaffee has been a first-author in a published paper and has five more papers in process.
Kahlil's research focuses on studying youth movements and Arab media. He has introduced the term "youth-generated media" and studies songs, videos, graffiti, blogs and performances from Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. As a scholar and a former executive television producer in the Middle East, Kahlil has been contracted to co-author a book on Arab television industries.
He earned his bachelor's degree from Notre Dame University–Louaize in Lebanon in 1993 and his master's from Ohio University Athens in 1996 before coming to SIUC to pursue a doctorate in 2005.
Remo, who came to SIUC in 2004, is studying in fluvial geomorphology and hydrological sciences. His research resulted in significant advances in the emerging field of retro-modeling, examining the effects of man-made changes to rivers such as the Mississippi.
Remo earned his bachelor's degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and his master's from West Virginia University in 1999.
Teufel came to SIUC in 2004 after earning a bachelor's degree from Drew University in 1998 and his master's in 2001 from the University of South Carolina-Columbia. Through his research, he has developed a paradigm called Critical Humanistic Health Promotion, which examines health in relation to socioeconomic differences.
Along with his study, Teufel has successfully written several grant applications, including one for Shawnee Health Service for more than $1 million. He plans to complete his degree in December 2008.
