Daniel Simon of Clarkston was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi Simon at Louisiana State University Shreveport.
Simon is among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
***
Maria Lefevre of Clarkston, a senior at Northland College, was named to the dean’s list for outstanding academic performance during the winter 2019-20 term. To qualify for the dean’s list, full-time students must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale with no grade less than a “C.”
***
Clarkston resident David Cipriano was named to Albion College’s Spring 2020 Dean’s List. Cipriano is majoring in political science.
***
Clarkston resident Alexandra Ottman graduated from Albion College with a degree in kinesiology-exercise science with a minor in communication studies.
***
Michael Stumph of Clarkston has graduated from the University of Findlay with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.
The university is planning to hold an in-person commencement event in the fall, when it is safe according to state and local health guidelines. Stumph will be invited to walk in the ceremony along with fellow graduates.
***
Kari Ormsby of Clarkston has been named to the Dean’s List at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.
The Dean’s List includes full-time students who achieve a 3.5 grade point average on a four-point scale.
***
Kevin L. Kelly recently earned his Ph.D. from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
His Ph.D. thesis, titled “Fluid Volumes and Their Impact on Outcomes in Heart Failure,” sought to determine if blood volumes and total body water are predictive of adverse outcomes in heart failure patients. Additionally, his research group in the Johnson Lab sought to understand how these fluid volumes affect respiratory gas exchange efficiency during exercise, and if they have any association with patient quality of life after an admission for acute decompensated heart failure.
After graduating from Clarkston High School in 2010, Kelly earned a Bachelor of Science in Physiology from Lyman Briggs at Michigan State University in 2014. During that time, Kevin was a Learning Assistant for Chemistry Lab courses and a Teaching Assistant for Neuroscience Lab courses. Kevin continued his academic work at MSU, earning his master’s in Physiology in 2015. His master’s thesis was titled “Differential Effects of Self-Paced and Device-Guided Slow Deep Breathing on Physiological Outcomes,” and sought to determine if blood pressure reductions in response to slow-paced breathing were different between self-paced slow breathing and metronome-guided slow breathing.
During his time at the Mayo Clinic, Kelly filled a three-month internship position at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. The internship was facilitated by the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences’ Career Development Internship Program. During this internship, Kevin designed a new physiology course for non-majors titled “Your Body on Autopilot” that focused on teaching basic physiological principles and applying them to both everyday situations and extreme environmental challenges.
He is currently living in Seattle, Wash., where he hopes to teach physiology or other biology-related courses. He is also interested in working outside of academia as a research or data scientist in biomedical contexts.