UCSB Announces Winners of Leal, Reardon 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 16 and 17.

Alexei Mlodinow, of Pasadena, who has a major in business economics, 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.

James Proffitt, of Los Osos, who is graduating with a degree in geology with an emphasis on paleobiology, 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.

Brian Karvelas, of Palo Alto, who has completed degrees in linguistics and music, 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.

Janet O'Neill, of Bow, Wash., who is graduating with degrees in theater and German, will receive the Deans' Outstanding Senior Award in recognition of her outstanding scholarship and contributions to the campus community. The award is given on behalf of the deans of the College of Letters and Science.

O'Neill will be the student speaker at the Humanities and Arts commencement ceremony at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 17, on the Faculty Club Green.

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.