Creative achievements

An impassioned engagement with Indian culture. Student research presented on a professional level. These are just two examples of creative academic achievements recognized by Kenyon through the Franklin Miller Awards, awarded several times throughout each academic year. Junior Joseph M. Neilsen and senior A. Theodore Samuel have been named the first recipients for 2004-05.

The Miller awards are given to students who make unusual or significant contributions to the academic environment of the College. Designed to recognize a variety of contributions to the academic enterprise, the awards honor a single exceptional performance.

Neilsen has been commended for a presentation of his findings from his summer work at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, where he analyzed astronomical data from satellite telescopes. Kenyon professors praised his presentation, given at a Kenyon colloquium typically reserved for faculty members from other institutions, calling it superior to that of many professional physicists.

Samuel was recognized for his performances of South Indian dance and for sharing his passion for Indian culture with the Kenyon community. Samuel spent his junior year in India, where in his effort to get a sense of Indian culture he became an avid dance student. He was commended for reminding the community that great things happen when one is willing to step outside boundaries and do something daring.

The awards are named for Franklin Miller Jr., an emeritus member of the Kenyon faculty, who is a distinguished physicist, teacher, and textbook author. They are funded by Edward T. Ordman, a 1964 graduate of the College, who is professor emeritus of mathematical sciences at the University of Memphis.