Education News - Jan. 19, 2021

Connor E. Robinson, 2010 SHS graduate, successfully defended his PhD thesis in astrophysics at Boston University on August 6 in Boston, Massachusetts. His thesis research focus is on the processes of star formation from swirling disks of space dust and gasses.

Robinson originally became interested in physics through a class taught by Mike Martz at Sandpoint High School. He found his niche in astrophysics at University of Montana in Missoula, under the mentorship of professor Dr. Nate McCrady.

While still an undergrad at UM, Robinson was one of only two U.S. students chosen for a paid summer internship with Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory in Palo Alto, California, working on the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) mission to explore why the surface of the sun is hotter than its core. Later, he also joined the Minerva research team, a collaborative project with Caltech, South Wales, Harvard, and Penn State, that searches for planets outside our own solar system.

Robinson has received a 3-year post-doctoral teaching fellowship to continue his research and teach at Amherst College in Massachusetts. He is currently continuing his research, preparing to teach a fall semester class for physics majors, and finshing another paper on his research findings for a professional journal.

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Pair named to Gonzaga University president's list

Several local residents have earned placement on the Gonzaga University president's list for fall semester 2020. Students must earn a 3.85 to 4.0 grade-point average to be listed.

Earning a spot on the list are Samuel Hendricks and Joseph Parsley, both of Sagle.

Gonzaga University offers 75 fields of study, 23 master's degrees, four doctoral degrees in one college and six schools.

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SFCC releases honor roll for fall quarter 2020

Spokane Falls Community College lists 1,728 students on its honor roll for fall quarter, which ended in December. Students must have a grade point average of 3.0 or above to be listed on the honor roll.

SFCC is one of two community colleges within the Community Colleges of Spokane district and serves about 7,600 students. SFCC has campuses in west Spokane, Fairchild Air Force Base and Pullman.

Earning a spot on the honor roll are Mary Hansen of Priest River, Jaimie Irons of Cocolalla, Elaina Kiebert of Hope, and Alyssa Lish of Ponderay.

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Seton Hall announces dean's list honors

Seton Hall University has announced the following students qualified for the spring 2020 dean's list and congratulates them for their outstanding academic achievements.

After the close of every semester, undergraduate students completing all courses with a GPA of 3.4, with no grades lower than "C", qualify for the dean's list.

Earning the honor were Gabrielle Goldworm and Emma Reed, both of Sandpoint.

Seton Hall University is home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 80 majors.

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BOZEMAN — Montana State University has announced its undergraduate honor rolls for fall semester 2020.

There are two MSU honor roll lists, the president's list and the dean's list. To be eligible for the lists, students must have earned in at least 12 college-level credits. This honor roll list was current as of Dec. 22 and includes all registration corrections or grade changes processed to that date.

The 1,546 students with a perfect 4.0 grade point average for the semester were named to the president's list. An asterisk follows their names below. The dean's list includes the 3,834 students earning grade point averages of 3.5 or above for the semester.

Area students named to MSU's president's or dean's lists, are:

Bonners Ferry: Micah Krmpotich

Ponderay: Jacob Suhr

Sagle: Benjamin Schwartz*

Sandpoint: Farli Boden, Nathan Couch, Max Edmundson, Katherine Kaul, Patrick Rockwell, Kieran Wilder