Graduate student places honorable mention in Zaffarano Prize competition for 2007

Jenny Barker Devine received an honorable mention in the 2007 Zaffarano Prize competition at Iowa State University.

The Zaffarano Prize is given to a graduate student for superior performance in publishable research, while the Karas Award is presented for superior dissertation in the behavioral sciences.

Jenny will graduate next year with a Ph D in History. Her research area is Agricultural History and Rural Studies. This is the first time the Zaffarano prize has recognized a student in the humanities. Throughout her graduate studies, Jenny has had an organized research agenda, often supported by competetive grants, that has resulted in numerous publications in leading historical journals. Closer to home, she was an invited contributor to the recent sesquicentennial history of Iowa State, writing a central chapter on student life 1868-2000, as well as nine shorter pieces.

She was invited because the committeehad been impressed with the quality of her 2005 book recounting the century history of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

Her major professor, Dr. Pamela Riney-Kehrberg says of her papers ". . . these aren't just publications, but beautifully written, carefully researched publications that have derived from competitive research grants, and have won prizes."