The Jerry Manion Outstanding Student Award
2022 Recipient: Taylor Coulson
Taylor Coulson, a native of Alma AR, is graduating from the University of Central Arkansas with an American Chemical Society certified chemistry degree, biochemistry concentration. Further, she is completing a second major in English, and a minor is mathematics. She has served the chemistry department as a teaching assistant, an assistant in the stock room, and as a Supplementary Instruction leader for the Organic Chemistry class. Taylor did her undergraduate research with Dr. Richard Tarkka, where she worked on a project correlating the antibiotic properties of Arkansas honeys with their chemical fingerprints, determined by 1-H NMR spectroscopy. Taylor embodies the qualities that made Jerry Manion, the namesake of this award, a dynamic educator and colleague: an unbridled enthusiasm for learning, a curiosity about new topics, and a joyful personality that makes her a pleasure to work with. Taylor begins her graduate work in chemistry at the University of Oregon in Fall 2022.
All of the past winners can be viewed here.
Dr. Manion enjoyed playing banjo and was in a group known as The Professors. The other members of the group were Denver Prince (bass), Neal Buffaloe (fiddle), Faril Simpson (mandolin), and Ralva Bass (guitar). For your listening pleasure, here are a few tracks from the UCA Dixieland Concert from September 26, 2012, with Jerry playing banjo.
Dr. Jerry Manion
In loving memory of Dr. Jerald M. Manion our dear colleague, professor, and friend.
(UCA service 1965-2014). A memorial service was held July 24, 2014 at the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center at UCA. The UCA Jazz Ensembles performed a tribute to Dr. Manion and featured the Dixieland Band on his birthday September 24, 2014.