April 30, 2004 Highlights
Utah
State University Continues Streak of Phi Kappa Phi National
Fellowship Winners
 The
Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (PKP) awards $380,000 annually
in national fellowships for first-year graduate study, and since
1980, 17 Utah State University nominees have won national fellowships
worth thousands of dollars, said Mary Donahue, Phi Kappa Phi
chapter officer for public relations at Utah State.
In the last 10 years, Utah State's nominee has been a national
fellowship winner every year. Only 60 students in the nation
are chosen for this honor, and the tradition of excellence continues
with Kurtis B. Reed, Utah State's PKP Fellowship Candidate for
2004, Donahue said.
Reed is the recipient of a PKP National Fellowship of $5,000
for graduate school. Reed graduates in May with bachelor's in
biology and a minor in chemistry while maintaining a 4.0 grade
point average. He has been accepted to the Mayo Clinic College
of Medicine.
During his time at Utah State, Reed has been actively involved
in evolutionary biology research and has served on the Science
Council, worked as a peer advisor, tutor and teaching aide.
He has been a volunteer for his church, as well as in the radiology
department at Logan Regional Hospital. His honors include 2004
Scholar of the Year for the College of Science, Utah State University
four-year Presidential Scholarship, Eldon J. Gardner Endowed
Research Award and the Associated Students of USU's Distinguished
Service Award.
The interdisciplinary honor society of Phi Kappa Phi held its
spring initiation ceremony Tuesday, April 13, on the Utah State
campus. Initiation to Phi Kappa Phi is based on academic achievements
and exemplary character. Those eligible include last-term juniors
in the upper five-percent of their class and the upper ten-percent
of seniors. Also eligible are outstanding faculty, professional
staff and alumni.
Phi Kappa Phi is the most selective honor society dedicated
to recognition and promotion of academic excellence in all fields
of higher education. It includes, among its more than one million
members, former President Jimmy Carter; Nobel Prize-winner George
Olah; Rita Colwell, director of the National Science Foundation;
and Merlin Olsen, NFL Hall of Famer.
The full list of 2004 inductees can be found in the complete
news release in the Utah State Today archives.
Gotta
Dance — Utah State Students Capture Honors at National
Dance Competition
 After
a brief conversation with Arieh Steinlauf, one thing is confirmed
— he loves to dance. The passion, dedication and creativity
that he has put into the art of dance paid off recently when
he and his partner, Sheena Larsen, a fellow Utah State University
student, won first place in the Novice Latin Division at the
U.S. National DanceSport Championships at Brigham Young University.
Both dancers have previous ballroom experience, but with different
partners, Steinlauf said. Due to several changes, the two found
themselves in need of new partners and got together last November.
In a discipline where partners are often together for years,
the fact that the two put together a winning effort in such
a short time is commendable. Steinlauf said the two create their
own choreography, since there are no coaches at Utah State.
Rehearsal takes up to two hours a day.
"We try to move as one but there are specific roles to
play," Steinlauf said. "That is something we stress
in our choreography."
In the recent competition at BYU, Steinlauf and Larsen were
among more than 35 couples who had traveled from across the
country to compete for this U.S. championship.
At Utah State Larsen is a psychology major and Steinlauf, while
declared as an engineering major, said he may end up in business
or another field.
"It was exciting to win this competition," Steinlauf
said.
The accomplishment was supported by good friends. Steinlauf
attributes a portion of his success to family friend Ray Backlund.
"I get a lot of my drive and dedication from Ray,"
he said.
Steinlauf and Larsen hope their accomplishment will interest
others at Utah State in dance. He heads the Salsa Club and said
the group is free and open to all.
"It costs nothing to get involved and the Salsa Club is
a good way to get started," Steinlauf said. "Salsa
is the easiest social dance and it is fun."
Anyone interested in joining the Salsa Club should contact
Steinlauf via email at ariste@hotmail.com.
"What music is to the ear, dancing is to the eye,"
Steinlauf said. "It's visual and it's an art form done
to music so it involves several senses. All dance is an art,
from hip hop to ballroom, and we take it seriously — this
is our art."
The Ballroom Dancing Club at Utah State is one of several club
sports associated with Campus Recreation. To get involved call
Campus Recreation at 797-1503.
Jeffrey
Broadbent Presents Inaugural Professor Lecture
 New
professor Jeffrey Broadbent, a faculty member in Utah State's
department of nutrition and food sciences, was recognized April
21 as part of the Inaugural Professor lecture series. Professor
Broadbent was honored at a dinner and presentation held in the
Caine Room in the Family Life building.
From Birds to Bugs: Aspirations of a Developing Biologist
was the title of Broadbent's presentation, during which he explained
that his interest in biology was sparked by a fascination with
birds, and how that eventually led him to pursue a career in
microbiology.
The bulk of his presentation was designed to show how his research
group uses genomics and molecular biology tools to understand
how the physiology and enzymology of lactic acid bacteria affects
cheese flavor and functionality.
Broadbent, who received his doctorate in nutrition and food
sciences (NFS) from Utah State in 1992, teaches three upper
division NFS classes for the university. His work has been published
in many peer-reviewed journals, textbooks and trade journals,
and he has received awards from the university and national
organizations recognizing his work and teaching style.
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