Academic excellence, achievement awards presented

Robert A. Barnes Award for Academic Excellence

The Robert A. Barnes Award for Academic Excellence is presented each year to an outstanding senior at Ohio State who completes their undergraduate degree requirements on the Newark campus and has a distinguished record of academic achievement, campus engagement and leadership. The award is named in honor of Robert A. Barnes, the first full-time director of Ohio State Newark.

The 2026 recipient is Eve Harrison. An Honors student majoring in psychology and minoring in disability studies, Harrison is graduating magna cum laude with research distinction for her thesis project, “Novel Word Learning Through Use of Gestures and Prosodic Information,” which she presented at the Ohio State Newark research forum, the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum on the Columbus campus and the Midwestern Psychological Association Conference in Chicago, among others. She has served as a research assistant, student organization leader, peer research volunteer, LeFevre Fellow and  STEP participant as well as contributed to the community through other work with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Special Olympics and an occupational therapy group.

John Mount Academic Excellence Award

The John Mount Academic Excellence Award is presented each year to an outstanding graduating student who began their baccalaureate studies at the Newark campus and completes their coursework at the Columbus campus. The recipient is chosen for a distinguished record of academic achievement, campus engagement and leadership. 

This year’s recipient is Gavin Eastep, an agriscience major also pursuing a minor in production agriculture. He began his studies as an Honors student in Newark, was a member of the LeFevre Fellows service-learning program and conducted research on the Bahamas during a study abroad program led by Ohio State Newark Associate Professor Jill Leonard-Pingel. In Columbus, he held leadership roles in the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. Eastep will graduate with Honors research distinction; his Honors thesis examines the difference in preventing adolescent agricultural injury through online versus in-person programs.

Undergraduate Achievement Award

For the first time, the Undergraduate Achievement Award was presented to the highest achieving second-, third- and fourth-year students who have demonstrated success both inside and outside the classroom.

• Sarah Ghiassi; second-year public management, leadership and policy major
• Owen Rusnak, second-year mathematics major
• Amy Harrison, third-year psychology major
• Karina Sanchez, third-year psychology major
• Audra Lacy, fourth-year psychology major
• Lillian Grooms, fourth-year primary education major