Graduate students Kristen Okamoto and Kenan Tokmic are the 2013-14 recipients of the Graduate School Outstanding Master’s Thesis Awards.
Okamoto was recognized in the social sciences category for “Running Alone, Together: The Embodied Identities of Running Works Athletes.” She is a graduate from the master’s program in communication studies.
In the life sciences category, Kenan Tokmic was honored for the thesis "Structural Effects in New Pyridine-Thione and Pyridine-Selone Complexes of Copper(I) and the Group 12 Metals.” Tokmic is a graduate of the master’s program in chemistry.
Sponsored by the Graduate School, this annual competition is open to UNC Charlotte master’s students and each year features different disciplines. This year’s competition included social sciences and life sciences disciplines. Awards were based on the clarity of style and presentation, scholarship, research methodology and contributions to the field or discipline.
Each recipient is awarded a $200 prize and a plaque of recognition for achievement. In addition, the theses are submitted to the Council of Southern Graduate School’s Master’s Thesis Competition. Winners of this regional competition receive $1,000 plus travel expenses to attend the annual CSGS meeting in San Antonio, Texas, where the regional award will be presented in February 2014.