Cameron University’s Department of Physical Sciences recognized graduating and continuing students during the department’s annual award ceremony. Scholarships totaling $21,000 were also presented.

Kristen Worthen, a junior from Lawton, received the first Raymond “Red” Miller Scholarship in Chemistry, established by Dr. Steve Miller and his wife Erin as a tribute to Miller’s grandfather, Raymond “Red” Miller, one of Cameron’s most celebrated coaches. Dr. Miller, a 1995 graduate of Cameron University and a staff surgeon at the Cardiovascular Care Center of Southwest Oklahoma, presented the scholarship to Worthen.  Raymond "Red" Miller served as men’s basketball coach from 1965-67 and again from 1970-1977. His teams won numerous regional championships and claimed two top three finishes in the national tournament. Although he retired from coaching in 1977, he remained on Cameron’s faculty until 1985.

Worthen also received the Allen L. Zisman Excellence in Chemistry Endowed Scholarship, established in 1988 in tribute to Allen L. Zisman, a 1950 graduate of Cameron Junior College. Zisman’s family, including Stan Zisman, Ph.D., and a chemist with Chevron Phillips, specified that the scholarship be awarded to Cameron’s outstanding chemistry major. The endowment continues to grow thanks to contributions from Dr. Zisman and other family members.

The Kaiser Pre-Medical Studies Scholarship, established in 2010 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, was awarded to Joseph E. Coleman, Lawton; Wendy Finch, Marlow; Heath Kuykendall, Marlow; and Jetta Trammell, Snyder. The scholarship is specifically designed for pre-medical students who are interested in community medicine.

Seth Geiger, Snyder, and Erin France, Shawnee, received Jimmy and Virgie Stanton Scholarships, established in 2004 to enhance the study of physical sciences.

Godsfavour Umoru and Joel Ogan, both of Lagos, Nigeria, received the Thomas C. Brown Endowed Scholarship in Physical Sciences. Friends and Alumni Physical Science Scholarships were awarded to Kabita Khadka and Nijjwal Shrestha, Kathmandu, Nepal; and Nirjwal Wasti, Morang, Nepal. Wasti also received a Physics Scholarship. Tuition waivers were awarded to Shahbaz Afzal and Jerry Doty, Lawton; Danny Marshall, Shawnee; and Jennifer Gonce, Elgin. 

Ornella Nelson, Lawton, was recognized as the Wichita Falls-Duncan American Chemical Society Outstanding Senior. Coleman was named Outstanding Freshman, and Umoru was honored as Outstanding Student Worker.  

Five students were inducted into Sigma Pi Sigma, the national physics honor society: Brent Chappell, Fletcher; Geiger; Suyong Gyawali, Kathmandu, Nepal; Jessica Landoll, Elgin; and Nijjwal Shrestha, Morang, Nepal.

Each of the department’s graduating seniors received a copy of The Merck Index, an essential reference guide containing precise, comprehensive information on chemicals, drugs and biologicals. The books were a gift from the Wichita Falls-Duncan Section of the American Chemical Society.

Graduates are listed by degree and hometown.

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry

Castries, Saint Lucia: Sylvia Clery

Elgin: Jarred Kelsey, Jessica Landoll

Lagos, Nigeria: Oluwabunmi Fatodu

Lawton: Shelby Hoskins, Ornella Nelson, Simon Schmidt, Chase Swinford, Christina Tieyah

Marlow: Levi Pettijohn

Morang, Nepal: Jinesh Niroula

Roseau, Dominica: Jean-Marie Charles

Soufriere, Saint Lucia: Emvia Calixte

 

Bachelor of Science in Physics

Detroit, Mich.: Mark Scott

Kathmandu, Nepal: Sumit Tuladhar

Lawton: Bennie Olsen

Marlow: Levi Pettijohn

Morang, Nepal: Nirjwal Wasti

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Education

Lawton: Charles H. Leslie III

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May 9, 2012

PR#12-103