Awards & Achievements

We are very proud of the achievements of our graduate students. Students in the rhetoric and scientific & technical communication (RSTC) MA and PhD programs have successfully pursued a range of competitive honors and awards from the department, college, University of Minnesota Graduate School, and external funders. Below you can find a list of recent honors and awards granted to our students.

2023

Jason Tham: Rudolph J. Joenk, Jr. Award for Best Paper in the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

2022

Cody Bursch: James I. Brown Summer Research Award in Rhetoric
Asmita Ghimire: CCCC Scholars for the Dream Travel Award
McKinley Green: Honorable Mention, Arts & Humanities Category, UMN Graduate School Best Dissertation Award
Jacqueline James: RSTC-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fellowship
Jacqueline James: Interdisciplinary Collaborative Workshop "Refusing Disposability" Fellowship
Brian Le Lay: Joyce C. Le Vi Fellowship
Luke Shackelford: Affiliates 21st Century Summer Fellowship
Luke Shackelford: RSTC Teaching Excellence Award
Ryan Wold: John DePodesta Leadership Fellowship - a $75,000 launch grant from ECMC Group, in partnership with the Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management
Jessa Wood: RSTC-Graduate Research Fellowship
Jessa Wood: RSTC Teaching Excellence Award

2021

Mark Brenden: RSTC Graduate Research Fellowship
Kari Campeau: Honorable Mention, Arts & Humanities Category, UMN Graduate School Best Dissertation Award
Katlynne Davis: RSTC Teaching Excellence Award
Katlynne Davis: Affiliates 21st Century Summer Fellowship
Evelyn Dsouza: CLA Internship Program, with internship at Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute
Evelyn Dsouza: Center for Writing Dissertation Retreat
Evelyn Dsouza and Stuart DeetsCo-recipients, Water Circle Grant from the University of Minnesota Water Network
Emily Gresbrink: RSTC Teaching Excellence Award
Jacqueline James: Interdisciplinary Dissertation Fellowship, UMN Graduate School 
Jacqueline James:  James I. Brown Summer Research Award
Jacqueline James: CLA Dissertation Proposal Development Program Fellowship
Brian Le Lay: RSTC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fellowship
Brian Le Lay: CLA Dissertation Proposal Development Program Fellowship
Ryan Wold: John DePodesta Education Innovation Fellowship Program feasibility grant, ECMC Group
Ryan Wold: Education and Training Division Semifinalist, MN Cup Startup Competition
Ryan Wold: Best Pitch in the Education and Training Division, MN Cup Showcase
Ryan Wold: 2nd Place and People's Choice in the CLA 3MT: Three-Minute Thesis Competition

Mark Brenden: RSTC Teaching Excellence Award
Evelyn Dsouza: RSTC Teaching Excellence Award
Ryan Eichberger: Best Dissertation Award in Arts and Humanities, UMN Graduate School
McKinley Green: Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, UMN Graduate School  
McKinley Green: RSTC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fellowship
Jacqueline James: James I. Brown Summer Research Award
Jeremy Rosselot-Merritt with Janel Bloch (Northern Kentucky University): Outstanding Article in Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Eduardo Nevarez: Affiliates 21st Century Summer Fellowship
Danielle Stambler: First Place, SIGDOC (Special Interest Group on the Design of Communication) Student Research Competition
Danielle Stambler: IEEE Hayhoe Fellow Award
Danielle Stambler: RSTC Graduate Research Fellowship

Kari Campeau: Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, UMN Graduate School
Alexander Champoux-Crowley: Literacy and Rhetorical Studies Minor Summer Dissertation Fellowship
Nicole Ciulla: Affiliates 21st Century Summer Fellowship
Nicole Ciulla: RSTC Teaching Excellence Award
Katlynne Davis: James I. Brown Summer Research Award
McKinley Green: Sweetland Digital Rhetoric Collaborative Graduate Fellow, University of Michigan
Eduardo Nevarez: RSTC Graduate Research Fellowship
Jeremy Rosselot-Merritt: RSTC Teaching Excellence Award
Danielle Stambler: Dissertation Proposal Development Program participant
Danielle Stambler: RSTC Graduate Research Fellowship
Danielle Stambler: Council of Graduate Students Conference Travel Grant
Jason Tham: Frank R. Smith Award for Outstanding Article in Technical Communication

Nicole Ciulla: CLA Graduate Research Partnering Program Summer Fellowship
Evelyn Dsouza: Affiliates 21st Century Summer Fellowship
McKinley Green: James I. Brown Summer Research Award
Jeremy Rosselot-Merritt: CLA Graduate Research Partnering Program Summer Fellowship
Jason Tham: Sweetland Digital Rhetoric Collaborative Graduate Fellow, University of Michigan
Jessa Wood: College of Liberal Arts Graduate Fellowship

Evelyn Dsouza: CLA Graduate Research Partnering Program Summer Fellowship
Ryan Eichberger: CLA Graduate Research Partnering Program Summer Fellowship
Megan McGrath: Affiliates 21st Century Summer Fellowship
Megan McGrath: RSTC Teaching Excellence Award
Eduardo Nevarez: Beverly and Richard Fink First Year Award, CLA
Rachel Tofteland-Trampe: Affiliates 21st Century Fellowship
Jason Tham: Journal of Literacy Innovation’s Article of the Year Award
Jason Tham: Sweetland Digital Rhetoric Collaborative Graduate Fellow, University of Michigan
Jason Tham: James I. Brown Summer Research Award
Jason Tham: RSTC Teaching Excellence Award

Kari Campeau: CLA Graduate Research Partnering Program Summer Fellowship
Ashley Clayson: James I. Brown Fellowship.
Kira Dreher: James I. Brown Summer Research Award
Kira Dreher: RSTC Teaching Excellence Award
Juliet Lapyrouse-Cherry: CLA Graduate Research Partnering Program Summer Fellowship
Chris Lindgren: First Place, SIGDOC (Special Interest Group on the Design of Communication) Student Research Competition.
Chris Lindgren: Affiliates 21st Century Summer Fellowship
Rachel Tofteland-Trampe: RSTC Teaching Excellence Award