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Devin Ray Lee of Chapel Hill was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Western Carolina University. To qualify for the list a student must have at least a 3.5 grade-point average with no less than 12 hours of courses.

Anneke Oppewal of Chapel Hill participated in a weeklong scientific field study program this summer at Montreat College. Oppewal, a 10th-grader at Chapel Hill High School, participated in the Center for Learning and Investigating Mountain Backcountry Ecosystems program, which included hands-on field data collection, analysis and reporting on basic ecological and environmental concepts at remote research stations in the Mount Mitchell watershed.

Fulton Crews, director of the UNC Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and a professor of pharmacology and psychiatry in the UNC School of Medicine, has received the 2007 Distinguished Investigator Award for Scientific Excellence given annually by the Research Society on Alcoholism. In winning the award, Crews received $30,000 to further his research. The annual award is given to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to alcohol research.

Sara Ellington of Carrboro recently received a bachelor's degree from UNC-Greensboro. She graduated summa cum laude. She is a 2003 graduate of Chapel Hill High School and is the daughter of Alice and Richard Ellington of Carrboro.

Jessica Jalal Phelps of Chapel Hill was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Western Carolina University. To qualify for the list a student must have at least a 3.5 grade-point average with no less than 12 hours of courses.

Christine Lee Sailer of Chapel Hill has been named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Scott L. Sailer. To qualify for the list, a student must receive grades equivalent to a 3.5 grade-point average or better for the semester.

Raymond Calvin Olive of Hillsborough was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Western Carolina University. To qualify for the list a student must have at least a 3.5 grade-point average with no less than 12 hours of courses.

Sara Devota Swartzwelder received both dean's list and college scholar honors from Middlebury College for the spring semester. She is the daughter of Elizabeth and Scott Swartzwelder of Chapel Hill.To qualify for the dual honors, a student must achieve a 3.6 or higher grade-point average, take a full-time course load and receive no grade lower than a B.

Mary Bridget Chesson of Chapel Hill has been named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl G. Chesson. To qualify for the list, a student must receive grades equivalent to a 3.5 grade-point average or better for the semester.

Courtney Ann Ryan of Chapel Hill was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Western Carolina University. To qualify for the list a student must have at least a 3.5 grade-point average with no less than 12 hours of courses.

A Southern Season has received an award for excellence from the Regional Partnership Workforce Development Board for partnering with the Regional Consolidated Services.

Richard Orr Salmony graduated with highest honors from the Medical University of South Carolina's Physician's Assistant Program on Aug. 17 in Charleston, S.C. He is the son of Edie and Steve Salmony of Chapel Hill.

Michael Nolan Swikehardt of Chapel Hill was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Western Carolina University. To qualify for the list a student must have at least a 3.5 grade-point average with no less than 12 hours of courses.

Julia Eileen Howard of Chapel Hill was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C. She was also named an ITA scholar athlete. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M. William Howard. To qualify for the list, a student must have a 3.5 grade-point average for the semester.

Alyson Gene Glenn of Hillsborough was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Western Carolina University. To qualify for the list a student must have at least a 3.5 grade-point average with no less than 12 hours of courses.

Lowe's Home Improvement has received an award for excellence from the Regional Partnership Workforce Development Board for partnering with the Regional Consolidated Services.

Kimberly Raines, a post-doctoral student at UNC-Chapel Hill, has received a United Negro College Fund (UNCF)/Merck Science Initiative fellowship. Awards range from $25,000 to $85,000 each. Each fellow is paired with a mentor, a Merck scientist, who will provide research assistance and guidance. The Science Initiative also provides an institutional grant to the science department of the award recipient's university.
Raines is a postdoctoral researcher in the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. She received a bachelor's degree from Duke University and a doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Raines is one of three students in the state and 36 in the country to receive the award.

Jeffrey Peppercorn, assistant professor of medicine in the UNC School of Medicine's division of hematology and oncology, has received two grants. One is the American Society of Clinical Oncology Foundation Career Development Award in Health Disparities in Breast Cancer. Peppercorn's grant, $200,000 over three years, was one of 14 given in the United States.
Peppercorn also was named a Greenwall Foundation Faculty Scholar in Bioethics. The Greenwall Foundation, established in 1949, is an independent foundation recognized nationally for its interdisciplinary program in bioethics. Peppercorn's three-year grant is for $300,000, and he was selected as one of two scholars in the United States in 2007 for his research related to access to experimental therapy in oncology.