DECATUR, Ill. – Millikin University College of Arts & Science faculty members Dr. Jennifer Schroeder and Dr. Kyle Knust recently received 2024 Phi Kappa Phi Love of Learning Awards.
The Love of Learning Award is designed to help fund post-baccalaureate professional development for active Phi Kappa Phi members, including graduate or professional studies, doctoral dissertations, continuing education, travel related to teaching and research, career development, and more.
The honor, which includes a $1,000 award, is given by the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Schroeder and Knust are two of 200 national recipients to receive the award.
Schroeder, Millikin’s Director of the School of Biological and Environmental Studies, will use funds from the award to support thyroid cancer research being performed in collaboration with undergraduate students.
“I am honored to be a recipient of a 2024 Love of Learning Award from Phi Kappa Phi. As a past recipient, I know how critical this type of funding can be to support Performance Learning experiences,” Schroeder said. “The funding I received will support several student projects examining the potential toxic or protective effects of phytochemicals like punicalagin, ellagic acid, and saffron on a thyroid cancer cell line.”
Knust, the Director of the School of Chemistry & Physics, also heads the Knust Research Group, undergraduate research group that collaborates with the University of Notre Dame on the Distributed Pharmaceutical Analysis Lab (Project DPAL), which provides high-quality, validated chemical analysis of pharmaceutical samples from partners in the developing world.
“The Knust Research Group is all about student professional development. We have a variety of research avenues, and the award will help support the Knust Research Group's work with Project DPAL so we can expand our research on pharmaceutical ingredients,” Knust said.
Established in 2007, the Love of Learning Program gives 200 awards annually in support of post-baccalaureate professional development. The selection process for a Love of Learning Award is based on the applicant's academic achievement, campus, and community service, intended use of award funds as it relates to academic and career goals and a personal statement.
For the complete 2024 Love of Learning Award recipients list, visit HERE and to learn more about Phi Kappa Phi's award programs, visit their webpage HERE.
About Phi Kappa Phi
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff, and alumni annually. The Society has chapters on more than 300 select colleges and universities in the United States, its territories, and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The Society's mission is to "cultivate a community that celebrates and advances the love of learning.
