Top Ten Scholars
The Top Ten Scholars are chosen from the top ten percent of Boise State's graduating class. They are selected based on academic performance, recommendations from college deans, and club and research activities. Traditionally, each student names a Boise State professor who was particularly influential to their success.
Isaac Barrett of Boise. Barrett, a computer information systems major, has balanced internships with
Boise State Student Affairs, Blackboard and the Idaho Department of Labor with his extracurricular and volunteer activities.
Barrett has participated with several organizations outside Boise State, including the Idaho Chess Association where he was
one of the main tournament directors at the official Idaho State Scholastic Chess Championship. He has held multiple leadership
positions with the BSU chapter of the Association of Information Technology Professionals, including president, vice president
and secretary. He earned two first-place awards at the AITP National Collegiate Conference in 2007 for Systems Analysis
& Design and Business Intelligence. Barrett has been one of the key organizers of the annual PC Repair Fair and was a
member of the Boise State Ballroom Dance Team. After graduation, he looks forward to continuing his work relationship with
the Idaho Department of Labor and furthering his education with a master's degree.
Honored faculty — Rob Anson, professor of Information Technology & Supply Chain Management
Kylie Boggess of Twin Falls. Boggess is a political science major with an emphasis in international relations.
Boggess has crafted a thoughtful route to her ultimate goal of impacting underserved populations in the United States and
abroad. She was accepted into medical school at the University of Washington, where she plans to earn her M.D. and a master's
in public health and then work to reduce health-care disparities and improve care throughout the world. Her employment with
Family Medicine Residency of Idaho has provided in-depth experiences with Medicaid and Medicare patients and refugee
populations, and allowed her the opportunity to travel to Guatemala where she saw first-hand the need for public health
measures. Her internship with the public affairs office of Planned Parenthood of Idaho and her time spent at Camp Heartland,
a camp for youth with HIV/AIDS, have helped solidify her commitment to underserved populations.
Honored faculty — Dr. Brian Wampler, assistant professor of political science
Heather Carlson of Idaho Falls. As a student in the Honors College, Carlson, a psychology major, conducted
research on the strategies students use when taking exams. Her honors thesis, directly tied to her research, explores the impact
of working memory on creativity and problem solving skills. Her interest in assisting others was generated in part by her summer
experiences throughout her college years. She has worked as a barista, a drug rehabilitation intern with Addiction Recovery Center
at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, a research intern with the Idaho National Laboratory, a developmental therapist with
SL Start, and as a residential rehabilitation volunteer with Catholic Charities of Idaho. Carlson also worked as a teaching assistant
and a research assistant while in school. Her future plans include a graduate degree in educational psychology culminating in a
career where she can positively impact the field of psychology and teach at the university level.
Honored faculty — Heather Thompson, special lecturer of psychology
Julie Carr of Boise. Carr graduated summa cum laude in December 2007 in nursing. Her research experiences
included work with Health Literacy and Informal Caregivers of the Elderly and as a member of the Department of Nursing's Team
China, where she conducted a comprehensive cultural and community assessment of Hangzhou Nursing College. Carr was one of
only two undergraduate students asked to present at the Western Institute of Nurses Conference, and as an elective, she assisted
migrant farm workers at the La Buena Salud mobile health clinic. Her volunteer commitments included teaching tae kwon do and
participating in Mexico Mission of Help, where she worked to build churches and orphanages. She is employed as a nurse consultant
at Bonaventure Place. Her future career plans include using her nursing degree to benefit the elderly population as she prepares for
her ultimate career goal — to pursue a master of science in nursing and teach nursing at the college level.
Honored faculty — Pamela Gehrke, associate professor of nursing
Ryan Cooper of Boise. Cooper is a biology major with a business minor focusing on human biology and pre-medicine. He has participated
in ASBSU student government as a senator both for the College of Business and Economics and the College of Health Sciences. He
attended the international Model United Nations conference in New York City and twice placed in College Bowl competitions. He is
employed as a marketing specialist with The Real Estate Group/Mirlyn Inc. and has volunteered with Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical
Center, Into the Streets, Toys-for-Tots and the Volunteer Services Board at Boise State. Cooper has assisted with research projects both
in biology and economics and recently developed a creativity index assessing creative resources of major northwest metropolitan areas
(including Boise). He has also held several leadership positions with the "Tennis Crazed" student organization. He is applying to medical
schools.
Honored faculty — Nancy Napier, professor of International Business
Briana Flaherty of Boise. Flaherty is a chemistry major with a Spanish minor focusing on biochemistry. Flaherty
combined her pursuits of language and science by spending a semester in Heredia, Costa Rica, studying the preservation of natural
resources — an experience that led to her decision to specialize in green chemistry. Her passion for science parlayed into summer
research jobs and presentations as far away as New Orleans. Her research with the Charlier Lab is funded by the U.S. Department of
Defense and Boise Technology Inc., and last summer she was an INBRE fellow. Flaherty worked for the Bureau of Reclamation as a physical
science technician and now balances her academic load with her research position and her job as a BSU lab instructor. Flaherty has
volunteered with the BSU Chemistry Club's Halloween Carnival, Special Olympics and a local Brownie troop. She plans to teach English
to South American students prior to attaining her Ph.D. in chemistry.
Honored faculty — Dr. Henry Charlier, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry
Brian Honan of Boise. Honan graduated summa cum laude in December 2007 in computer science. One of the many honors bestowed
on this U.S. Marine veteran was his selection as the student speaker for the 2007 winter Commencement. He received National Science
Foundation scholarships in 2006 and 2007, and his energy for his chosen field led him to three internships with software companies
including Micron Technology Inc., and Sybase iAnywhere. He was appointed a NASA undergraduate research fellow in 2006 and worked
with students from across the nation at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Honan has completed two Marine Corps
marathons and six Race to Robie Creek half-marathons, is a volunteer lacrosse coach for eighth- and ninth-grade boys, and is an Idaho
Shakespeare Festival volunteer and patron. He has accepted a position with Hewlett-Packard in Boise and looks forward to staying
engaged with Boise State activities.
Honored faculty — Dr. Amit Jain, assistant professor of computer science
Christopher Ohge of Boise. Ohge is a double major in philosophy and English, with an emphasis on literature. His
internship research for "Melville's Marginalia Online" focused on Herman Melville and comparative literature and philosophy. Ohge has
had the opportunity to study in Germany, present articles both in and outside of Idaho, and receive Boise State's President's Writing
Award. He is the president of the BSU English Major's Association, and a member of the BSU Philosophy Club and Sigma Tau Delta,
the international English honor society. Ohge's volunteer projects include work with the Idaho Academic Decathlon, Rake Up Boise,
the Idaho Food Bank, and helping to coordinate a literacy program with The Cabin Literary Center. Ohge worked for The Arbiter, Boise
State's independent student newspaper, and the university's TRIO Student Success Program as a tutor in math, philosophy and English.
His experience with TRIO and his internship led to his decision to attend graduate school in order to teach and continue scholarly research.
Honored faculty — Steven Olsen-Smith, associate professor of English
Patrick Price of Boise. Price is a materials science and engineering major. After working construction, completing a
five-year apprenticeship and becoming a licensed journeyman electrician, Price discovered astronomy. Night classes in interesting
subjects turned into life as a full-time engineering student. His aptitude, his approach to problem solving and his exemplary research
led him to0 the position of lead research lab assistant with professor Bill Knowlton. Both a non-traditional and a first generation college
student, Price independently taught himself to use several pieces of lab equipment, works 10-20 hours in the lab each week, and finds
time for his family as well as volunteer opportunities with the Boise State Materials Science and Engineering Club, the Engineering Honor
Society and the Discovery Center of Idaho. He next plans to earn a master's degree in materials science and engineering and then a
Ph.D. in a field related to energy or alternative fuel production.
Honored faculty — William Knowlton, associate professor of materials science and engineering
Hope Weston of Boise. Weston is a mechanical engineering major. While she has been involved in research since her
freshman year, including an interdisciplinary project last year, it is her dedication to her discipline and her extraordinary outreach to young
women that have propelled her through her time at Boise State. The Idaho State Professional Engineers honored Weston as the 2007
Outstanding Junior of the Year in mechanical engineering. She has presented her research both inside and outside of Idaho, and has taken
on a leadership role in the ceramic micro-electro-mechanical lab. She chairs the student section of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers, she is the president of the student section of the Society of Women Engineers, and she has been a mentor for the college's
Science Camp and for E-Girls. Weston plans to work in the mechanical engineering field in Boise.
Honored faculty — Donald Plumlee, assistant professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering