Robert A. Barnes Academic Excellence Award
Katherine Stuart, a psychology major from Granville, received the highest academic honor given to a graduating student at Ohio State Newark. The Robert A. Barnes Academic Excellence Award is presented each year to an outstanding senior at Ohio State who is completing their undergraduate degree requirements on the Newark campus and has a distinguished record of both academic achievement and leadership.
“I'm very proud to have received this award, and I'm grateful to my professors who have supported me in my studies,” Stuart said. “From my very first class, my professors have always been kind and encouraging, and have always challenged me to learn the most I can. I would not have won this award without them.”
During her time as a student, Stuart conducted research on topics of personality psychology, psychology of the self, psychology of music and feminist sociology. As a research assistant in Associate Professor Jim Wirth’s Social Connect Lab, Stuart “did tremendous work exploring new research questions, programming research studies for data collection, and providing important feedback. She was always active in the lab learning the research steps and asking thoughtful questions,” said Wirth.
Stuart was active in numerous student organizations; a member of the university Honors program; and a member of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. In addition to her academic endeavors, Stuart acted in Ohio State Newark’s Black Box Theater performances of Oedipus Rex, Macbeth and The Heiress.
“One of my favorite experiences,” she said, “was serving as the student representative to the Newark Advisory Board. I really appreciated being able to get an inside look at some of the workings of the Newark campus and being able to share my thoughts on how materials being discussed might affect my peers.”
Stuart also served as the student engagement and encouragement delegate on the Columbus campus during the 2021-22 academic year. While she completed a majority of her classes in Newark, Stuart supplemented her experience with classes in Columbus. “Taking some Columbus classes meant I had a larger range of class options, especially for my major. But at the end of the day, I could still call the Newark campus my home,” she said.
Stuart will receive a BA in Psychology with Honors Distinction at Ohio State’s commencement ceremony on May 7. She plans to purpose her dream of attending graduate school in the United Kingdom.
Academic Departmental Awards
Several discipline-specific awards were also presented at the Salute to Undergraduate Achievement reception. The awards and recipients are:
Classics Latin Prize
James Taylor of Pataskala
Lillabelle Holt Undergraduate Education Award
Kourtney Roth of Alexandria and Lydia Schramm of Westerville
English Studies Essay Award (1st)
Serenity Rowland of Newark
English Studies Essay Award (2nd)
Claire Westfall of Lancaster
Harding Ganz Prize (history)
Kalene Close of Pataskala
Richard Shiels Prize (history)
Corbyn Sherburn of Sunbury
Dr. Paul E. Panek Memorial Scholarship (psychology)
Piper Clark of Pickerington
Ruth Scott-Sara Staats Psychology, Science and Service Scholarship
Molly Rudduck of Reynoldsburg
Ruth Scott-Sara Staats Outstanding Psychology Student Award
Piper Clark of Pickerington