Doctoral Student in Biological Sciences Honored

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Adnan Al-Rubaye, a doctoral student in the cell and molecular biology program in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded several teaching and research honors including the Delbert Swartz Graduate Fellowship, a travel scholarship from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, and a graduate teaching certificate.

“Adnan has been a dedicated student while pursuing his Ph.D.,” said Todd Shields, dean of Graduate School and International Education. “He has also provided great service to the Graduate School and International Education by volunteering at events, and helping us welcome our incoming international students. We are happy to celebrate this well-deserved recognition with him.”

The Swartz Fellowship is granted by the university's department of biological sciences to an outstanding graduate student. The NIFA AFRI scholarship was awarded by the organizers of the Poultry Genetics Workshop and the Poultry Genome Coordinator for travel to the workshop held at the Plant and Animal Genome Conference. Al-Rubaye was also a presenter at the genome conference held last month in San Diego. The “Preparing for the Professoriate” certificate is conferred on students who have completed a series of courses focusing on teaching, learning, assessment, research and service.

“I am very proud of Adnan because he has worked very hard to be the best teacher possible,” said Douglas Rhoads, professor of biological science and director of the cell and molecular biology program. “He has taken education courses in science teaching, and graduate school workshops on teaching and graduate student conduct.”  

“I am so thankful for Tammy Lorince, Dr. Rhoads and Dr. William McComas for their help and support to me during the past four years,” said Al-Rubaye. “I am glad that the hard work that I put into teaching and research paid off.”

Al-Rubaye has been working with Rhoads since August of 2008 researching idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension syndrome in chicken. He holds a bachelor of veterinary medicine from the College of Veterinary Medicine and a masters of medical microbiology from the College of Medicine at the University of Baghdad.