2021 Scholarship and Creative Activity Award Winners

Congratulations to the graduate students and faculty honored with Graduate School Awards and participants of the Graduate Showcase of Scholarship and Creative Activities!

The awards and events highlight the important contributions that graduate students make to the JMU community.

Thank you to the faculty and students who support the Graduate Showcase and Awards as program planners, reviewers and members of the juries.

We are proud of the accomplishments of all our graduate students.

2021 AWARDEES

Outstanding Dissertation Awards

Visual and Performing Arts

Susan Gouthro
Doctor of Musical Arts
Committee Chairs: Kevin McMillan, M.M., Jo-Anne van der Vat-Chromy, Ph.D.

The Integration of the Interactive Teaching Method (ITM) of the Alexander Technique in Vocal Pedagogy.

Social Sciences, Business, Health and Behavioral Studies

Lakshmi Magudilu Srishyla Kumar
Ph.D., Communication Sciences and Disorders
Committee Chair: Ayasakanta Rout, Ph.D.

Measuring Listening Effort Using Physiological, Behavioral and Subjective Methods in Normal Hearing Subjects: Effect of Signal to Noise Ratio and Presentation Level.

Outstanding Thesis Awards

STEM, Health, and Behavioral Studies

Kathryn Thompson
M.A., Psychological Sciences, Concentration: Quantitative Psychology
Committee Chair: Brian C. Leventhal, Ph.D.

The Effects of Undesirable Distractors on Estimates of Ability

Education, Social Sciences, and Humanities

Kayla Schroeder
M.Ed., Equity and Cultural Diversity
Committee Chair: Dr. Stephanie Wasta

Examining the Identities of White Cisgender Female Elementary Education Pre-Service Teachers: A Qualitative Case Study.

The Graduate School Innovation Award

Emily Thomas Waters
M.M. Music Education
Nominator: Lisa Maynard

Waters reimagined the teaching of ‘strings’, through the use of “Hip Hop.” The nominator, Dr. Lisa Maynard, says, “…this current project that Emily will use…involves the creation of a string orchestra method book and website using Hip Hop music. …it is hugely innovative given that no other method books for orchestra exist in this genre.”

The Graduate School Civic Engagement Award

Ardyn Tennyson
English M.A.
Nominator: David Babcock

Tennyson was nominated for the “crucial work of advancing racial equity both on campus, in the community, and in the wider world”, particularly with her commitment to the annual AAAD Conference. The nominator, Dr. David Babcock, says, “She has shown a deep and sustained commitment to carrying her commitment to racial equity beyond her coursework and into public spaces that reach far beyond the JMU campus.”

The Graduate School Community Engagement Award

Danielle Moss
CSD Ph.D.
Nominator: Geralyn Timler

Moss was nominated for her work with Bahamian children and assessment of development language disorder (DLD). The nominator, Dr. Geralyn Timler, says, “Danielle is extremely committed to improve clinical services for children who speak dialects other than General American English and continues to work with Bahamian children through provision of speech language services.”

Graduate Showcase of Scholarship & Creative Activity Awards

Graduate student presenters were awarded top honors from a jury of faculty and graduate students.

Oral Presentation Award, Masters Student

Nicole Ashby, Jessica Rogers, Megan Sadler
Occupational Therapy, M.O.T.

Evaluating Knowledge, Confidence, and Stress Levels After a Four-Week Educational Intervention for Expectant Mothers

Three Minute Thesis Competition Awards

First Place

Dominique Lockwood
M.S. Biology

Ecophysiology of Toxic Cyanobacteria and their Symbionts

Second Place

Julian White
Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Does side-lying position improve swallow safety for at-risk infants?

Third Place

Rania Zaied
M.A. in Communication and Advocacy

Under Cover of Lightness: How Mixed-Race Americans Navigated the Racial Codes of Antebellum America

People's Choice

Allison Pingston
Masters of Physician Assistant Studies

Peer Support Wellness Groups In Physician Assistant School