Dr. Steven G. Driese Outstanding Grant Proposal Award
In 2006, Dr. Steve Driese identified a need that prompted him to create the course GEO 5222 Grant Proposal Writing. In the years since, the course has provided students in Geoscience and other STEM disciplines with didactic and practical training in writing grant proposals. By the end of the class, students have drafted a research grant proposal, typically in NSF style, and the Geoscience Department began a tradition of awarding $500 to the student who produced the best proposal from each section of the course.
In the Fall 2021 semester, the Graduate School joined in this effort by committing to share in future costs of the award, and, to honor Dr. Driese upon his retirement from Baylor and from his position as Graduate School Associate Dean for Research, the class award has been renamed the Dr. Steven G. Driese Outstanding Grant Proposal Award.
Dr. Bill Hockaday co-taught with Dr. Driese beginning in 2016 and will assume full responsibility for GEO 5222 moving forward.
The Fall 2021 award winners are:
Alix Fournier, PhD Student, Geosciences, for her GEO 5222 research proposal entitled “Interrelation between late Quaternary geomorphic and hydrologic processes for the evolution of Monahans and Kermit dune fields, West Texas, USA," with Dr. Steve Forman in Geosciences as Ph.D. advisor.
Ariel Leahy, PhD Student, Biology, for her GEO 5222 research proposal entitled “Pinnipeds as Models for Underwater Vehicles: The Anatomy and Biomechanics Behind Aquatic Maneuverability,” with Dr. Sarah Kienle in Biology as Ph.D. advisor.