Our chapter was awarded the distinction of being a Chapter of Excellence for each of the three years chapter recognitions have been
given. Only a few of the 300 nationwide chapters qualify as Chapters of Excellence each year. In presenting this award, the national
office of Phi Kappa Phi wrote that it is “given to chapters that not only comply with the Society’s national
standards, but also demonstrate an active commitment to excellence."
Brent Nelson has been named the recipient of the 2011 ΦKΦ Distinguished Faculty Award.
Prof. Nelson received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Utah in 1984 and joined BYU
later that year. He currently heads the BYU Computer Engineering program. His research interests
include the creation of special purpose high performance computing systems using FPGAs
- an area known as "Reconfigurable Computing Architectures".
He is co-director of the National Science Foundation "Center for High-Performance
Reconfigurable Computing," a national joint research center involving four universities and over
forty corporations and government labs. He is also director of the BYU site of this center.
Dr. Nelson delivered the Distinguished Faculty Lecture address “ The World is No Longer Round?
Just What Does That Mean and How Does it Affect Me?” on November 10th.
Benjamin Frandsen has been named the 2011 Marcus Urann Fellow, claiming one of the three top national ΦKΦ fellowships.
The $15,000 award is based on outstanding academic credentials and leadership experience. Ben struck the Fellowship Committee
“as one with remarkable academic skills with a propensity for deep critical thinking.”
A faculty mentor commented, “The combination of Ben’s capacity for rigorous scientific inquiry, superior communication skills,
maturity gifts of leadership, exemplary character and overall breadth of accomplishment lead me to conclude that he is destined
for great things. He is capable of playing a prominent leadership role in the sciences and also in other areas of his life.”
Ben has an academic background in physics and mathematics, interests in humanities, and a major in German. He plans to pursue
a Ph.D. in condensed matter physics at Columbia University.
Our new Student Vice-Presidents are Celeste Wouden and Brady Hodges. Celeste is a nursing major who will graduate next April.
Brady has a double major in business management and Chinese. We asked Celeste
and Brady about some of their interests. Here are their responses:
I am a person of many
interests. When I was younger my Mom let me try everything from gymnastics to
golf lessons to see what I enjoyed. I still have the same mentality. I love
learning new things and exploring new options in life. I am always up for
learning something new. But I do have a few main interests.
Sports. I enjoyed many sports growing up and even played two years of
college basketball at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah.
I am a
firm believer in the positive impact sports can have on our lives.
School. School has always been a huge interest in my life. My parents never
paid me for "A's," I just wanted to get them. I just never feel content with
not giving my all to every class I attend.
Teaching. I love teaching
and being in front of groups. I still get nervous, but I like explaining
things and I think I may want to be a teacher in nursing.
Some of the things I most enjoy are: (a) playing with my 1.5 year-old son, (b) marathon running,
(c) road biking, (d) classic cars, (e) singing/dancing, (f) learning languages, and (g) trying new foods.
I plan to complete a JD/MBA after graduation, and aspire to one day become a U.S. Ambassador to China
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ΦKΦ Honored Faculty Lecture and Fall Meeting, 11am, Thursday, November 10, 2011 in 321 MSRB
Deadline for Annual Student Paper Competition - January 20, 2012
Deadline for student nominees to accept ΦKΦ membership for 2012 initiation - February 17, 2012
Deadline for submitting ΦKΦ Graduate Fellowship applications to BYU Chapter - February 1, 2012.
(The deadline for submitting to National is April, 1, 2012.)
ΦKΦ Annual Initiation Banquet - March 21, 2012 at 7:00 pm in the WSC Ballroom
Deadline for submitting application for National ΦKΦ Study Abroad Grants - April 1, 2012
Deadline for submitting application for National ΦKΦ Literacy Grants - April 1, 2012
Deadline for submitting application for National ΦKΦ Love of Learning Awards - June 30, 2012
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