Purdue News

April 16, 1999 Outstanding seniors named during University Honors WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue students were recognized for their college achievements today (Friday, 4/16) during the annual University Honors Convocation. Rachel Elizabeth Peck, Indianapolis, received the annual Flora Roberts Award for the outstanding graduating woman. David Wayne Hefty, Auburn, received the annual G.A. Ross Award for the outstanding male graduate. Carolina Pedraza, West Lafayette, earned the Louis Sudler Prize for excellence in the arts. Begum Akay (BAY-gume AH-kie), Carmel, received the Bruce Helfert Memorial Award for the outstanding junior student majoring in science or engineering. The Flora Roberts Award is given to a senior woman student for outstanding scholarship, leadership, character and service to the university community. The award was established by the will of Flora Roberts, a member of the Purdue Class of 1887. The recipient receives the Flora Roberts medal, $500 and a certificate. Peck's name will be inscribed on a marker on the Purdue Mall. She will graduate with a degree in chemical engineering and plans to attend Johns Hopkins Medical School in the fall. She has maintained nearly a straight A average and has spend the past two years conducting undergraduate research. She has been an officer in Mortar Board honor society, Panhellenic Association and Society of Women Engineers. She has been a writer and editor for Purdue Engineering Magazine. The G.A. Ross Award goes to the outstanding senior man based on academic achievement, leadership, character and overall contribution to the university. An endowment provides the recipient with a gold medal, $500 and a certificate. Hefty's name will be engraved on a marker on the Purdue Mall. He will graduate with a degree in agricultural economics and a minor in international studies. He has been active in several groups, serving as president of the Agricultural Council and historian of the Agricultural Economics Club. He interned with Uniporc, a Swiss company, in 1997 and is using his experiences as part of an honors thesis. He has held several offices in FarmHouse fraternity and has participated in Old Masters, the Purdue Foundation Student Board and Mortar Board. The Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts is given to the graduating senior who displays excellence in the creative or performing arts at Purdue. Sudler, who was a Chicago businessman, created an endowment that provides a $1,000 cash prize for the winner. Pedraza will earn a degree in fine arts and telecommunications. She earned awards in drawing and ceramics during the 1998 undergraduate exhibition, and she won a summer study scholarship in the 1998 Art and Design competition. The past two summers she has interned at Nickelodeon Animation Studio in California and the Capital Children's Museum in Washington, D.C. She has been a counselor in Owen Residence Hall and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Key and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies. The Bruce Helfert Memorial Award is presented to a junior in the School of Science or the Schools of Engineering who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement and an understanding of the impact of science and technology on humanity. The $1,000 award is made possible through a gift from Sylvia Helfert, Marina del Rey, Calif., in memory of her son, Bruce Helfert, a 1964 Purdue graduate. He was a surgeon at March Air Force Base, Calif., when he died from injuries received in an automobile accident. Akay is studying interdisciplinary engineering and is co-president of the Interdisciplinary Engineering Association of Students. She has been an intern at the Turkish Middle East Technical University's microbiology and biochemistry laboratory and participated in the Indianapolis Methodist Hospital's Summer Student Research Program. She has been a volunteer at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Lafayette and has been a Spanish interpreter for the City of West Lafayette. She is a member of Phi Eta Sigma and Alpha Lambda Rho honor societies. Also recognized for their academic achievements were seven current students who received National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships, which provide tuition for three years of graduate study and a $15,000 annual stipend. Also recognized were 34 seniors who maintained straight "A" averages during their college careers. Sources: Betsy Smithka, assistant dean of students, (765) 494-8698; ejsmithka@odos.purdue.edu John R. Jones, student relations specialist, (765) 494-1235; jrjones2@odos.purdue.edu David Sigman, associate professor of visual and performing arts, (765) 494-3058; sigman@purdue.edu Writer: J. Michael Willis, (765) 494-0371; mike_willis@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page