Coastal Carolina University presented awards for student academic achievement at the annual Honors Convocation on Tuesday, April 25 in Wheelwright Auditorium. Faculty recognition awards were also presented.

Jessica Nordin, a senior biology major of Cincinnati, Ohio, received the 2005-2006 Faculty's Distinguished Excellence Award. Candidates for this award must have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.75, the endorsement of a faculty adviser and a record of academic honors. Nordin, whose GPA is 3.9, has been recognized for her outstanding research, some of which has been accepted for publication in a professional journal, and for her mentoring activities with area kindergartners. She was also coach of a community children's swim team for six semesters. Nordin is pursuing a career in pediatrics and has been accepted into the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University.

John Adamec, a marine science major from Niskayuna, N.Y., received the 2005-2006 Ronald D. Lackey Service Award. Named in honor of the late Coastal faculty member and university chaplain, the award is given annually to a senior on the basis of conspicuous service to the university through involvement and leadership in campus organizations. Adamec has been involved with the Student Government Association (SGA) for four years, serving as senator, parliamentarian, vice president and president. He was instrumental in organizing the Leadership Development Council, designed to encourage leadership skills in new students, and was president of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), a national leadership honor society. Adamec is a member in the Honors Program and worked on numerous community projects such as CARETEAM and the AIDS quilt program. He has a 4.0 GPA.

Paul T. Gayes, Palmetto Chair Professor of Marine Science and Geology and director of Coastal's Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies, received the Distinguished Teacher-Scholar Lecturer Award. Sponsored by HTC, Inc., this award was initiated in 1996 to recognize faculty members who distinguish themselves as teachers, scholars and communicators. During the fall, the recipient delivers a public lecture drawn from his or her area of expertise. Gayes joined the Coastal faculty in 1987 and has established an international reputation in marine geology, providing Coastal students with unique research opportunities. He is a recognized authority on coastal processes in South Carolina and is actively involved in coastal management and policy issues in the state. He earned a master's degree in geoscience-geology from Penn State University and a Ph.D. in coastal oceanography from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook.

Penny Oakley was presented the Student Affairs Division Award, which honors a faculty or staff member who makes significant contributions to the quality of student life through participation and leadership in the co-curricular activities of the university. Oakley is student services program coordinator for Coastal's Department of Marine Science. Since joining the Coastal staff in 2000, she has served as a vital link between students and faculty/administration in the fastest growing department on campus. She also is an adviser in the Special Interest Housing program for freshmen. Oakley has a Master of Education degree from Kent State University.

Frances T. Sinclair, director of choral activities at Coastal, was named Distinguished Teacher of the Year, an annual honor presented by Coastal's Student Government Association to faculty who demonstrate excellence in teaching. An assistant professor of music, Sinclair directs Coastal's Concert Choir and Chamber Choir and teaches classes in voice and conducting. Prior to joining the Coastal faculty in 2005, she was on the music faculties at Clemson University and Sandhills Community College, and she has been director of choral activities at UNC-Charlotte and UNC-Asheville. She earned a master's degree in choral conducting from Florida State University and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from UNC-Greensboro.

Departmental awards were presented to 43 students in recognition of outstanding academic accomplishments and contributions to the academic quality of their respective departments.

The following awards were presented:

E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration:

• Accounting - Kelly C. McCoy of Temperance, Mich.

• Economics - Brian T. Mansfield of Chesapeake, Va.

• Finance - Wenzhen Xiao of Fuzhou, Fujia, China

• Management - Brittany R. Nelson of Princeton, Texas

• Marketing - Leilani Johnson of Honolulu, Hawaii

• Resort Tourism Management - Jayme A. Thurber of Goose Creek

Spadoni College of Education:

• Early Childhood Education - Allison Ammerman of Endicott, N.Y.

• Elementary Education - Harriet Hill of Aynor

• Health Promotion - Kelly Stroud of Nichols

• Interdisciplinary Studies - Larry Muncey of Green Sea

• Middle Grades Education - Michael Weber of Myrtle Beach

• Physical Education - Roberta Parsons of Portugal Cove, Newfoundland, Canada

• Recreation and Sport Management - Nelson Oliveira of Coimbra, Portugal

• Secondary Education - Jason Schipper of Hudsonville, Mich.

Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts:

• Art Studio - Timothy Taylor of Richmond, Va.

• Communication - Joshua Hoke of Statesville, N.C.

• Drama - Julie Huggins of Myrtle Beach

• English - Olivia Marlowe of West Chester, Pa.

• Foreign Languages - Lula Nesmith of Georgetown

• History - Lena Butingaro of Myrtle Beach

• Music - Jodie Rowe of Harrisonburg, Va.

• Musical Theater - Daniel Garrity of Port Monmouth, N.J.

• Philosophy and Religion - William Baird of Daniel Island

• Politics and Geography - Brendan Pinter of Murrells Inlet

College of Natural and Applied Sciences:

• Biology - Kang Lam of Hong Kong, China

• Chemistry and Physics - Jennifer Coor of Richmond, Va.

• Computer Science - Patrycja Mitchell of Poland

• Marine Science - John Adamec of Niskayuna, N.Y.

• Mathematics - Jayson Burak of North Dighton, Mass.

• Psychology - Brandon Mayo of Myrtle Beach

• Sociology - John Harrelson IV of Conway

Medallions were presented to the following students who have successfully completed the requirements of Coastal's Honors Program:

• John Adamec of Niskayuna, N.Y. - marine science

• Jeremy Atkinson of Myrtle Beach - history

• Robbie Clifton of Spartanburg - biology

• Ryan Corbin of Union Bridge, Md. - marine science

• Timothy Downs of Verona, Va. - marine science

• Kelsey Gocke of Sugar Land, Texas- marine science

• Simon Harding of Spartanburg - music

• Christine Lynn of Phillipsburg, N.J. - marine science

• Rhett McCarty of Hagerstown, Md. - computer science

• Trent Miller of Keymar, Md., - accounting

• Brittany Nordin of Cincinnati, Ohio - biology

• Jessica Nordin of Cincinnati, Ohio - biology

• Sherry Pittman of Morristown, Tenn. - marine science

• Brandon Sessions of Conway - management

• Solomon Shields of Carrollton, Texas - finance

• Laura Zamarripa of Fairfax, Va. - music

The 396 members of Coastal's 17 honor societies and the 28 students listed in “Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities” were also acknowledged, as well as 220 students who made presentations of papers at various academic conferences.