The Mid-American Conference announced its weekly volleyball awards on Monday. For Miami, earning MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week is junior middle hitter Avarie Powell. It is the first weekly MAC honor of her career. Powell's breakout season continued as she put down 25 kills in only six sets, an average of 4.17 kills per set. She made only four errors in 38 attempts for an incredible .553 attack percentage. It started in Miami's three-set sweep over Buffalo. Powell put down 12 kills and had a .588 attack percentage. She was the bright spot in the Akron match as well, leading the RedHawks with 13 kills and a .524 attack percentage. Powell had two block assists on the weekend and finished with 26 points, an average of 4.33 per set.

Twelve extremely accomplished first-year students from across the country and around the world comprise Miami University's inaugural class of the Presidential Fellows Program. Miami University's premier scholarship, the Presidential Fellows Program offers recipients a merit award to cover tuition, fees, room and board. Students also will receive a one-time academic enhancement fund of $5,000 for activities such as study abroad or professional conferences.

Miami University awarded more than 590 degrees to students during summer term. The public university's Oxford campus, located in southwestern Ohio, offers bachelor's degrees in 122 areas of study. Graduate students choose from more than 60 master's degree and 13 doctoral degree programs. Eighteen bachelor's degrees and 19 associate degrees are offered at Miami's regional locations.

Ten seniors received the 2019 Provost's Student Academic Achievement Award (PSAAA). The award is given annually to students who have achieved an outstanding record of academic excellence and have made sustained and significant contributions to the intellectual climate of a department, an academic division or the campus.

Miami University student Yue Peng spent the summer 2019 semester in London as part of a study abroad program. Peng, from Oxford (45056) is majoring in Mathematics.

Megan Zahneis received the 2019 AHEAD Student Recognition Award on July 13 at the organization's annual conference in Boston. AHEAD, The Association for Higher Education and Disability, is the leading voice for higher education professionals invested in creating welcoming higher education experiences for disabled individuals. Zahneis helped establish the Students with Disabilities Advisory Council (SDAC), a campus voice for students with disabilities, by students with disabilities. Under Zahneis' leadership, SDAC has become a force of nature on campus. They've held large-scale campus-wide events drawing large crowds. They've developed a one-on-one mentoring program that pairs new students with another member of the disability community on campus. They've developed resources and presentations that have been highlighted on a national scale. Their signature program, Coffee & Conversations, is designed for students with disabilities to share their experiences and engage in conversation with Miami faculty members. The series is just one example of SDAC's dedication to fulfilling the promise in their slogan "Changing Perceptions, One Conversation at a Time."

Miami University students who are ranked in the top twenty percent of undergraduate students within each division for second semester 2018-19 have been named to the dean's list recognizing academic excellence.

Graduate students from Miami University's Project Dragonfly will travel to Australia, Thailand, Baja, Belize, Borneo, India, Kenya, Hawai'i, Paraguay and Namibia, where they will engage in action projects on vital human and ecological issues.

Miami University's Project Dragonfly has admitted a new cohort of students to its Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP). The AIP combines web-based graduate coursework through Miami University with face-to-face experiential learning at some of the nation's premiere community learning institutions.

Miami University doctoral students have been awarded fellowships from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). They are three of 2,000 students nationwide, out of more than 12,000 who applied, to receive the prestigious award. The fellowship recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It provides three years of support with a $34,000 annual stipend and a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance, among other benefits.

On this episode, Miami student Emilio Bloch talks about his work with retina cell regeneration, alternate pathways for people interested in health-related careers, studying public health in Africa, and more.

The Solar Decathlon Design Challenge, formerly called Race to Zero, is an annual competition open to students from collegiate institutions worldwide. The competition encourages students to work with builders, developers, community leaders, and other industry partners to meet stringent design requirements and create marketable, affordable concepts. Teams compete in a range of residential and commercial project types. Jurors evaluate projects in ten contest categories: Energy Performance; Engineering; Financial Feasibility & Affordability; Resilience; Architecture; Operations; Market Potential; Comfort & Environmental Quality; Innovation; Presentation. Sixteen Miami students from architecture and mechanical engineering majors collaborated in the 2019 Race to Zero competition studio. The studio fielded two teams in the first phase of the competition. In February, their progress entries were selected to be among the 48 finalist teams representing 34 institutions from the U.S. and internationally. The Miami students presented their final proposals at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) April 13-14 in Golden, Colorado. Miami's team won top awards in their divisions: Elementary School team - 1st Place; Attached Housing team - Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement.

Miami University Awards Miami-Hughes Internships

High Achieving Students Choose Miami University

Miami University Student Emily Shirley Featured in National Media

Miami University First-Year Student Named Golden Pen Award Winner

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

Miami University Students Choreograph Spring Concert