2009 Adventures in Graduate Education
Chancellor's Award for Public Outreach

First Lady of Mizzou, Dr. Anne Deaton,  presented three awards to graduate students during the 2009 Adventures in Graduate Education event held April 25 in Jesse Hall.  

The annual event is sponsored by the Graduate School.

According to Graduate School Dean Pamela Benoit, “We selected Dr. Anne Deaton to present the Chancellor’s Award for Public Outreach because of her dedication to Mizzou’s local community engagement. ”

The top award went to Liz Fenner and Greg Cosgrove for their educational booth entitled "The Tasty Science."  

Fenner and Cosgrove, both master's students in Food Science, challenged children to use their senses to compare and contrast food and non-food items.

As example, Fenner said they asked children to distinguish between a real fruit smell and an artificial scent

Fenner and Cosgrove received a framed certificate signed by Chancellor Brady Deaton, Dr. Anne Deaton and Graduate School Dean Pamela Benoit.

A first place ribbon was posted on their booth so that the public could easily identify the award-winning display.

Elizabeth Deridder, Anne Griffith, Doug Underwood and Morgan Higley received the second place outreach award with their “Easels & Excavations” educational display.

According to Deridder, the booth reflected Art History and Archaeology subject matter from their department. Children visiting the booth experienced an archaeological dig, using small shovels to locate “artifacts” in sand.

Third place went to Brian Bostick, Matt Gubin, Frankie Rose and Mike Boyd for their display entitled, “How does your heart beat?”  Their booth featured models of the heart which children could hold and manipulate, and computer images and sounds.

Bostick and his colleagues, from the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology degree program, also managed a second booth, on germs and viruses.  

According to Graduate School Dean Pamela Benoit , “The Chancellor's Award for Public Outreach was given for exemplary translation of graduate research concepts into educational activities for children in grades 2-6.”

“The booths were judged on several criteria. We looked at the hands-on, educational activities for children, the students' to answer children’s questions and their efforts to relate research concepts to adults in attendance,” said Dean Benoit.

“Adventures in Graduate Education was terrific in every respect. The graduate students who were engaged in this project truly represented the value of ‘responsibility’ in ‘paying forward’ to a younger generation the benefits of the knowledge they are receiving today,” added Dr. Deaton.

The event brought approximately 200 children and their families to the MU campus. More than 80 graduate students conducted hands-on learning activities for children at 28 different booths representing numerous graduate degrees and fields of study.