University of Iowa students, faculty, staff, and alumni received some of the institution’s highest honors April 9 at the 96^th annual Finkbine Dinner.

Hancher-Finkbine Medallions recognizing leadership, learning, and loyalty went to students Michael Appel, Shady Henien, Kyle Oskvig, and Nic Pottebaum; faculty member William Eichinger; staff member Gail Ardery; and alumna Janice Ellig.

Justin Glasgow, Emily Gross, Abhay Nadipuram, and Jonathan Schultz received Distinguished Student Leader Awards. Philip G. Hubbard Human Rights Awards (which include a $1,500 scholarship) went to Mauricio Cardona and Zach Heffernen.

Sarah Drake and Garret Dunn received the Robert F. Ray Faculty Representative Award, which honors outstanding student-athletes and awards $1,000 grants to recipients entering graduate or professional school at the UI. Faculty member Gregory Friestad received the M.L. Huit Faculty Award, and Sandra Daack-Hirsch received the James N. Murray Faculty Award.

In 1917, William O. Finkbine and Carl Kuhnle hosted the first awards dinner for UI men. In 1921, Finkbine’s daughter Dorothy Finkbine Sauers and her aunts introduced a similar dinner for women.

The events were combined in 1972, and to this day are supported by an endowment established by W.O. Finkbine, as well as other alumni, friends, and the UI Foundation.

Read on to learn more about this year’s honorees.

Michael Todd Appel
Hancher-Finkbine Graduate/Professional Student Medallion

A third-year law student in the UI College of Law from Iowa City, Appel has served as vice president and president of the Executive Council of Graduate and Professional Students. He introduced the One Biggest Improvement initiative, encouraging council delegates to enhance one area of their respective colleges.

Appel also proposed a plan titled Universities for a Better Iowa, to the Iowa Board of Regents, in order to emphasize the benefits of state institutions. The initiative boosted publicity for the UI and other state universities.

As National LGBT Bar Association regional chair for the Midwest, Appel increased collaboration among law schools, and helped establish advocacy organizations at schools without LGBT-friendly policies.

He also has served as a judicial intern and law clerk, participated in Moot Court, joined the Citizen Lawyer Program, and received the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence.

Gail Ardery
Hancher-Finkbine Staff Medallion

Ardery joined the UI staff 1978, going on to work as a staff nurse, editorial associate, and graduate assistant. She is currently clinical services coordinator for the College of Pharmacy.

In her current role, Ardery is responsible for operating 31 subcontracts and communicating with hundreds of clinic staff, including pharmacy students. She has contributed to 28 research publications and book chapters, seven with student authors.

She also plays an integral role in managing National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and studies, and has supported four doctoral students on their dissertations. Her help has resulted in two publications with more to come.

Mauricio Cardona
Hubbard Human Rights Award—Graduate/Professional

A third year law student in the UI College of Law from Delta, Colo., Cardona has helped lead the Latino Law Student Association (LLSA), served on the Dean’s Advisory Council on Diversity, and worked as a student intern in the College of Law Legal Clinic.

Through the LLSA, he organized a spring break trip to Austin, Texas, for student volunteers at the Workers Defense Project. Long-range goals of this project include encouraging students to use their Texas experiences to support low-wage immigrant workers in Iowa.

Cardona has helped establish the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa, uniting a diverse group of Johnson County people and organizations to assist low-wage workers.

Sandra Daack-Hirsch
Murray Faculty Award

Daack-Hirsch joined the College of Nursing in 2007 as an assistant professor in the parent, child, and family area, where her work includes a focus on clinical genetics. She received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the college.

In 2010, Daack-Hirsch became an affiliate faculty member for the Program in Bioethics and Humanities in the Carver College of Medicine. She leads the Genetics Journal Club, providing opportunities for faculty and students to network and explore genetics.

Serving on her college’s Council on Student Affairs, Admissions, and Progression, she advocates for students and promotes faculty-student communication. She also has served on the RN-BSN Admission Committee and the Ph.D. Review Task Force.

Sarah Drake
Ray Faculty Representative Award—Female

Drake, a senior field hockey player from Ann Arbor, Mich., was named to the USA Under-21 Junior National Squad, the Midwest Junior High-Performance Team, and the Junior National Team Camp in 2011. Last year she joined the Midwest Senior High-Performance Team.

Drake started all 77 of her career games and was a three-time All-Big Ten selection. With an overall GPA of 3.78 with majors in philosophy and ethics and public policy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, she was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, a three-time NFHCA National Academic Squad member, and a Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar awardee for 2011-12.

Drake also was named a first-team Longstreth/NFHCA West Region All-American as a senior, to the All-Big Ten first team as a junior, and to the second team as a sophomore and senior.

For her excellence in play, she received the NCAA sweet-sixteen Tournament Team Award for 2011 and 2012, and was named the UI field hockey Practice Player of the Year and the West-Region All-American. She’s a four-time letter winner.

Garret Dunn
Ray Faculty Representative Award—Male

A UI tennis player from Tempe, Ariz., Dunn rounds out his senior year with a 3.99 grade point average, double majors in finance and accounting, and a fourth Hawkeye letter.

In 2012, Dunn was named Tyler Cleveland Most Valuable Player, as well as men’s tennis team captain. With teammate Michael Swank, Dunn holds the number-one doubles position on the team.

In spring 2012, Dunn and Swank compiled eight consecutive victories, including three wins over nationally ranked doubles teams. So far in 2013, the duo has won five of six doubles matches, and Dunn himself has won six of seven singles matches with a winning streak of four games. Overall, he’s had 76 career victories.

In fall 2011 Dunn was admitted into the competitive Hawkinson Institute of Finance within the Tippie College of Business, which accepts 20 top undergraduate students every fall on the basis of academic performance, leadership, professional potential, and interpersonal skills. He currently serves as chair of the Iowa Student Athlete Advisory Committee and previously served as Life Skills Committee chair.

William Eichinger
Hancher-Finkbine Faculty Medallion

The Hancher-Finkbine Faculty Medallion rotates among UI colleges, this year going to a College of Engineering faculty member.

Eichinger joined the UI faculty in 1997 as an associate professor in the Iowa Institute for Hydraulic Research (IIHR). In 2002, he became professor of IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering and is a leader in the field of LIDAR/atmospheric pollutant research.

Eichinger holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; a master’s in nuclear physics/engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, Nuclear Engineering; and a doctorate in atmospheric science and hydrology from the University of California, Davis.

He was named William Ashton Professor of Engineering in 2008 and a 2003 M.L. Huit Faculty Award recipient. He has served on multiple College of Engineering committees, advised the Society of American Military Engineers, and assisted many dissertations and Ph.D. selection committees.

Janice Ellig
Hancher-Finkbine Alumni Medallion

Ellig received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the UI in 1968, and a master’s in organizational development from Rider University in 1978. She established her business career through roles with companies like Pfizer, Citibank, and Ambac Financial Group. Since 2000, she has been co-CEO of Chadick Ellig, an executive search firm in New York City.

A 2011 recipient of the UI Distinguished Alumni Service Award, Ellig has established a scholarship in memory of her sister and a named classroom in the College of Public Health Building. She is a member of the President’s Club Platinum and the College of Public Health Founding Partners, and recently with her husband made a commitment to the new UI Children’s Hospital.

Ellig is a member of the UI Foundation Board of Directors and currently serves on its executive and development committees.

Gregory K. Friestad
Huit Faculty Award

An associate professor of chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Friestad joined the faculty in 2005. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Bradley University in 1990, and a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Oregon in 1995.

Friestad connects with organic chemistry students and conveys difficult concepts and complex principles effectively, drawing consistently outstanding ACE evaluation scores above the faculty average for his courses. He encourages students to meet during and outside his office hours, and partners with the Office of Residence Life to bring a faculty face to student social events.

Friestad received a University Faculty Scholar Award from 2008-2011. He also is an Obermann Scholar within the UI Obermann Center for Advanced Studies. He has supervised numerous dissertations and been frequently published.

Justin Mathew Glasgow
Graduate/Professional Distinguished Student Leader Certificate

A Morehead City, N.C., native, Glasgow will complete a combined M.D.-Ph.D. in epidemiology in May after a strong research career at the UI. He has published fifteen peer-reviewed journal articles, including six as a principle author.

As president of MEDIQS, Glasgow supported Carver College of Medicine recruitment by corresponding with prospective students and volunteering for student panels during Get Acquainted Day. He also brought his academic interest in quality improvement to LGBT students and allies through collaboration with a faculty work group to improve care for LGBT patients.

Glasgow participated in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Open School Student Quality Leadership Academy in 2010. The experience bolstered his leadership skills and helped him promote quality improvement within the health sciences.

Emily Ann Gross
Undergraduate Distinguished Student Leader Certificate

Indianola, Iowa, native Gross is a senior studying integrative physiology and premedicine, with a minor in music. She participates in pediatrics research, studying the function of the immune system using isolated human blood cells.

Gross has taken performance music classes each semester and played with the UI concert band, studied abroad in Italy, explored creative writing, and accumulated notable clinic volunteer hours.

Her leadership activities include vice president of Medicus Pre-Medical Society, volunteer coordinator of Mortar Board, and Women in Science and Engineering mentor. She is a member of the UI Honors Advisory Committee and the National Collegiate Honors Council, and has been a Campus Conversation Partner, Relay for Life team captain, UI Hospitals and Clinics volunteer, and Dance Marathon participant.

Zach Heffernen
Hubbard Human Rights Award—Undergraduate

Heffernen is a Tippie College of Business senior originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He also is earning a minor in international studies and a human rights certificate.

Heffernen advocated continued funding for the UI Center for Human Rights, leading a positive campaign to generate a petition and a rally that gathered wide attention. In 2012, he formed UI Students for Human Rights to lobby for the center and sponsor human rights events on campus.

He is a member of the UI President’s Charter Committee on Human Rights, and a recipient of the U.S. state department’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar Award and a Council on International Exchange Scholarship.

During a semester abroad, Heffernen volunteered at the African Assembly for the Defense of Human Rights, joining efforts to ensure government transparency on HIV funding, overall budgets, and immigration policies. He also volunteered at an orphanage in Dakar, Senegal.

Shady Henien
Hancher-Finkbine Graduate/Professional Student Medallion

A fourth-year medical student from Easton, Penn., Henien combines leadership roles with a rigorous clinical and academic schedule. He is recipient of a four-year Dean’s Academic Tuition Scholarship for academic excellence.

As a first-year medical student, Henien represented his class in Carver College of Medicine student government. He has sought to leave an impact on academic medicine and to represent Iowa on the national scene.

He was selected by the American Medical Association as the only national medical student member on the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the accreditation body for all U.S. medical schools. He also helped organize Iowa Medical Student Lobby Day in Des Moines with the Iowa Medical Society.

Henien developed a unique initiative, the Invest in a Medical Student’s Tuition Program, which proposes to reduce the cost of medical school. He presented a white paper on the topic to congressional representatives in Washington, D.C., UI administrators, and to Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.

Abhay Nadipuram
Graduate/Professional Distinguished Student Leader Certificate

Nadipuram is a third-year law student from Waterloo, Iowa. He is currently the note and comment editor for the Journal of Corporation Law, working closely with students to develop their scholarly writing.

Nadipuram has served as a research assistant for Alexander Somek, professor of law, analyzing comparative law topics. As co-president of the Iowa Student Bar Association, he advocates for student learning and development, and works with administrators to consider more LGBT-related course work.

As governmental relations coordinator for the Executive Council of Graduate and Professional Students, Nadipuram coordinated town hall events and Regents’ Day with student leaders, and spoke at the Universities for a Better Iowa event. He was the council’s Member of the Year in 2012.

He’s also served with the Pro Bono Society, Iowa Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and the Asian-Pacific American Law Student Association. In 2012, he was named Student Organization Leader of the Year.

Kyle J. Oskvig
Hancher-Finkbine Undergraduate Student Medallion

Oskvig, a Milford, Iowa, native, is a fourth-year student majoring in philosophy and classical languages with minors in ancient civilization, French, and biology. His honors include the Rhodes Dunlap Collegiate Scholarship, the Alexander Kern Scholarship, the Lowden Prize in Latin Translation, the Laster Scholarship for Interdisciplinary Studies, and the American Philological Association Outstanding Student Award.

Oskvig has been president of Eta Sigma Phi National Classics Honors Society, and served on the UI Research Council and a search committee for UI Vice President for Research and Economic Development.

As a UI Student Government senator, he joined the Academic Affairs Committee, working to revise instructor evaluations. He is co-president of the Hawkeye Weightlifting Club, a member of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Student Advisory Committee, and a member of the Honors Student Advisory Committee.

Nicholas Daniel Pottebaum
Hancher-Finkbine Undergraduate Student Medallion

Pottebaum, originally from Marion, Iowa, is a senior political science and economic policy major.

A member of the UI Honors Program, he has received the Virgil M. Hancher Scholarship for academic excellence, leadership, and social responsibility, and the Ferentz Undergraduate Research Fellowship. He was selected for the President’s Leadership Class his first year at the UI.

Outside of class, Pottebaum has received an Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates fellowship and served as an undergraduate teaching assistant in the Iowa Policy Research organization. He also has been a UI Honors Program summer orientation ambassador and small group facilitator, and is a UI Honors Program peer advisor.

Pottebaum has been active in student government since his start at UI, serving as a senator, speaker of the senate, and currently UI Student Government president. His priorities have included traveling the state to meet with legislators.

Jonathan Steven Schultz
Graduate/Professional Distinguished Student Leader Certificate

Schultz is a second year medical student from Coralville, Iowa, pursuing a passion for discovery. He conducts research in pediatric gastroenterology and adult infectious diseases, and currently is polishing two research manuscripts.

A member of the Executive Council of Graduate and Professional Students, Schultz saw a need to improve campus-wide collaboration on global health. He helped organize the first annual ECGPS-sponsored Graduate Global Health Symposium hosted by the College of Public Health and attended by over 100 graduate students.

He is the vice president of both the Carver College of Medicine (CCOM) Wilderness Medicine Interest Group and the CCOM Global Medicine Society, and a member of a newly formed organization to advise the dean on collegiate issues and curriculum. He also was appointed to the board of directors and projects committee of an Iowa-based nonprofit, the Community Health Initiative, which provides health care to rural Haiti.