UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Christopher J. Thawley, a doctoral candidate in ecology, is the 2016 recipient of the Intercollege Graduate Student Outreach Achievement Award. This award was established in 2004 with a generous donation from alumni Steven E. and Alice R. Linberg, and a matching commitment from University Outreach.
The Intercollege Graduate Student Outreach Achievement Award recognizes outstanding outreach achievements of degree candidates in any of the Intercollege Graduate Degree Programs, that relate to bringing graduate student scholarship to the community, in order to benefit society in some manner. This award endeavors to encourage our future academicians to embrace outreach and promote a commitment to advancing the welfare of and quality of life for the public through their scholarly pursuits.
Throughout his years of graduate study, Thawley has developed and implemented an assortment of outreach initiatives designed for students at all grade levels and the community at large. Several of these programs emphasize adaptation and evolution via active learning. One activity involves an interactive lesson on how mutation and natural selection work together to produce evolution.
One nominator praised Thawley for using his scholarly pursuits “to engage the community in science, promote research, educate our citizens, and encourage under-represented groups to pursue a college education.”
Thawley has expressed his belief that “outreach is an essential part of the scientific endeavor” and noted his commitment “to advocate for increased support for outreach in the scientific community.”
Thawley was honored during the inaugural Graduate Student Awards Luncheon held on April 27 at the Nittany Lion Inn.