Jackson State University faculty member, Dr. Glake Hill, and chemistry student, Lisa Marie Wren, will be honored Feb. 26, at the state Capitol during the “Higher Education Appreciation Day — Working for Academic Excellence” program.
Hill and Wren will be among a group recognized for making outstanding contributions to promote academic excellence.
The HEADWAE program, sponsored by the Mississippi Legislature, was established in 1987. The Legislature annually honors students and faculty members from each participating member institution of the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities.
Hill is an associate professor of chemistry, and the recent recipient of a $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund a new approach for training chemistry and biology students for research and doctoral programs.
Hill has mentored and advised over 21 graduate and undergraduate students in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. The majority of those are underrepresented minority students. Of those, 15 have graduated from JSU, and over 80 percent are pursuing graduate or professional degrees at institutions that include Howard Medical School and Auburn University. A Ph.D. graduate is serving as an assistant professor at Fort Valley State University. A second of Hill’s Ph.D. chemists is pursuing employment in academia.
Wren, a 21-year-old from St. Louis, Mo., will graduate in 2013 with a bachelor’s in chemistry. After graduation, she ultimately plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry.
“I’m grateful to receive this recognition. I like to be involved in community service and to do what I can to help elevate others academically,” Wren said.
Wren, who was recruited to play soccer, received a full academic scholarship to JSU. The summer after her freshman year, she began her first internship at Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine. She’s been there for the past three years.
“As a W.E.B. Du Bois Honor Student, I sought after organizations based on high academic achievement,” Wren said. “I also want to help others excel academically and spread the importance of scholarship to those around me.”
She was inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society in 2010, Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society in 2011, and Phi Kappa Phi in 2012.
“I am a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., where I participate in several community service projects,” Wren said.
Wren is also a tutor for the chemistry and athletic departments.