Newsmakers, July 10-16, 2014

The Master Gardeners of Southern Nevada held their annual Volunteer Appreciation and Awards Luncheon May 31 at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Lifelong Learning Center. Master Gardener Lonnie Baker was presented with the Silver Trowel award in recognition of contributing the most number of hours in 2013. Master Gardener Paulo Petit received the Silver Phone award for 436 hours on the Home Gardening Help Line. Honored for 20 years of service were Master Gardeners Mary Lawton and Richard Leifried. Receiving their 10-year pins were Richard Cutbirth, Bob Peloquin, Linda Spahn and Amy Zeldenrust. Numerous other awards were presented, and the Master Gardeners welcomed the graduates from the spring 2014 training class.

Joy Thompson of Las Vegas received a $2,000 scholarship through the Scholarships for Military Children program, awarded at Nellis Air Force Base. She is the daughter of Kenneth and KellyAnn Thompson and plans to enroll at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

Janira Robinson of Las Vegas received a $2,000 scholarship through the Scholarships for Military Children program, awarded at Nellis Air Force Base. She is the daughter of Felix McNair Jr. and plans to enroll at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Steven J. Brody graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law in Newark, N.J., May 22. He was also a graduate fellow at the Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics class of 2014 and is the son of Betty and Bruce Brody of Henderson.

Pvt. Rian Dominique Davis graduated from Army Basic Military Training at Fort Sill, Okla. He is the son of Joi Carraway and brother of Jordin Donavin Davis of Henderson. Davis is a graduate of Foothill High School.

First-grader Milan Frederick, a 7-year-old student at Guy Elementary School, received the President’s Award for Educational Excellence, an Outstanding Academic Achievement award, the Principal’s Award, an Academics and Citizenship award, a Certificate in Art, a Kindness Award and an A Honor Roll Certificate. She is the daughter of Anthony and Vickie Frederick of North Las Vegas.

Attorney J. Brin Gibson has been reappointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval to a second term on the Colorado River Commission. Gibson will serve as one of seven commissioners for another three-year term with the CRC, which is responsible for acquiring, managing and protecting Nevada’s water and hydroelectric power resources from the Colorado River. Established in 1935, the commission works with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the other six Colorado River Basin states to manage the natural resource.

Lauren Sutherland of Las Vegas made the spring 2014 Dean’s List at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill.

Ashley Sheryl Nahin of Las Vegas graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., May 10.

Olivia Jones of Las Vegas made the spring 2014 Dean’s List at Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

The Army and Navy Academy in San Diego presented achievement awards to cadets June 7, including Hans Steed of Henderson, who received the Commandant’s Citizenship Award, and Christian Rogich of Las Vegas, who received the Faculty Scholarship.

Spencer Swerling of Las Vegas made the spring 2014 Dean’s List at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Ga.

Taylor Stueve of Las Vegas made the spring 2014 honor roll at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kan.

Rudy Gerson of Henderson made the spring 2014 Dean’s List at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln announced the spring 2014 Dean’s List honorees. They included Tyler Lee Springer, Lauren Alexis Perry and Sarah Elizabeth Fanning, all of Henderson, and Amanda Marie Barnard of Las Vegas.

Emma Doney and Julia Eppes of Las Vegas made the spring 2014 Dean’s List at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del.

Megan Robbins of Las Vegas and Cori Sutton of Henderson made the spring 2014 Dean’s List at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo.

Nathalie A. Notarianni of Las Vegas made the spring 2014 Dean’s List at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.

Kaitlin Mullen, Eugenia Stanisauskis and Trent Van Tress, all of Henderson, and Alyssa Povilaitis of Las Vegas made the spring 2014 Dean’s List at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.

David Osman of Henderson graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, May 25. He is the son of Cecilia Bacero and David Osman.

John Hilton of Las Vegas graduated from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. The son of Robert and Margaret Hilton, he is a graduate of the Meadows School.

On June 12, the Desert Research Institute held its Annual Convocation event in which 12 awards were presented to scientific researchers and graduate students on behalf of the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents, DRI’s donors and individual scientific research divisions. Recipients included: Honorary Technical Employee of the Year, Jeffrey Saunders; Peter B. Wagner Medal of Excellence for DRI Scholars in the Early Stages of Career Development Award, Dr. John Mejia; Peter B. Wagner Memorial Award for Women in Atmospheric Sciences, Dana R. Caulton; NSHE Regents Researcher Award, Dr. Alison Murray; NSHE Rising Researcher Award, Dr. Justin Huntington; Colin Warden Memorial Endowment Award, Ehsan Erfani; George Burke Maxey Fellowship Award #1, Jamie Myers; George Burke Maxey Fellowship Award #2, Laura Craig; George Burke Maxey Award in Water Resources Research #1, Jackson B. Crews; George Burke Maxey Award in Water Resources Research #2, Ryan Liebert; Jonathan O. Davis Scholarship in Quaternary Sciences, Joe Dan Collins Jr.; Graduate Advisor of the Year Award, Mike Kaplan; and 2014 Outstanding Graduate Student by the UNR Graduate Student Association, Jackson B. Crews.