UCSB Announces Winners of Leal, Aldrich Awards, and Other Top Academic Prizes for Outstanding Graduating Seniors

Four graduating seniors in the College of Letters and Science at UC Santa Barbara have been selected to receive awards for outstanding academic achievement at commencement exercises on June 12 and 13.

Maxim N. Massenkoff, of San Francisco, who has a major in economics and a minor in mathematics, will receive the Luis Leal Social Sciences Undergraduate Award for outstanding interdisciplinary achievement in the social sciences. The award was established in honor of the late Don Luis Leal, a distinguished visiting professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies, whose presence and scholarship greatly enriched the Santa Barbara campus.

Massenkoff is also the 2010 recipient of the university's Thomas More Storke Award for Excellence.

Matthew Rowley, of Walnut Creek, who is graduating with a degree in physics, will receive the Francis Colville and Terry Dearborn Memorial Award for outstanding academic achievement as an honors student majoring in the sciences. The awards were established in memory of Francis M. Colville and Terry H. Dearborn, associate professors of physical education at UCSB.

Molly Quinn, of Boise, Idaho, who has completed degrees in French and psychology, will receive the William R. Reardon Undergraduate Award for outstanding academic achievement in an arts or humanities discipline. The award is named for William R. Reardon, a UCSB professor emeritus of dramatic art and former associate dean in the College of Letters and Science.

Mark Myslín, of Eureka, who is graduating with degrees in linguistics and Spanish, will receive the Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr. Outstanding Senior Award in recognition of his outstanding scholarship and contributions to the campus community. The award was established in memory of Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr., who served as chancellor and professor of soils and plant nutrition at UC Irvine, and as acting chancellor at UCSB.

Myslín is also the recipient of a Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research.

The College of Letters and Science is the largest academic unit at UCSB. Offering nearly 80 majors and interdisciplinary programs, and 38 minors, the college enrolls more than 19,000 undergraduate and graduate students.