Congratulations to Ben Klayman, recipient of the 2005 W.G. Characklis
Award. Ben is a wonderful example of the type of truly interdisciplinary student that the
Center is proud to count among its ranks. There is no doubt that
Ben's contributions to the Center have been significant in his two years here. His excellent work, enthusiasm, broad perspective, volunteer ethic, good heart
and great sense of humor have affected just about everyone at the CBE.
While Ben is an excellent student, what makes him a stand-out is his
almost overwhelming intellectual curiosity and desire to collaborate. When Ben
gets fantastic images of biofilms on the confocal microscope, he is not only
excited to share the results, but will also teach anyone who would like to
know how to do exactly what he's just done. Not only that, he'll probably offer
to do whatever he can to help you with your work, then agree to give a seminar
or workshop if that's useful too! Ben can be counted on for his integrity,
his willingness to teach, or to improve the world even in a small way.
As examples of this, Ben has become one of the anchor instructors in the
CBE's workshop program, sharing his biofilm/confocal microscope expertise (and Spanish skills) with Chilean students in PASI workshops, with the
Center's Industrial Associates, Research Experience for Undergraduate students
and visiting researchers.
As for K-12 education, Ben has been seen leading a class of 4th graders through the
Center labs with the goal of showing the kids how cool his work is….you only
have to watch for a minute to know he really believes it and he's getting them
to believe it too!
Ben has natural leadership abilities. Whenever CBE graduate students have
needed a voice at the departmental or college level, he has been there. In
addition to his CBE activities, he has taken the Civil
Engineering honor society, Chi Epsilon, to a higher level. Under his leadership,
this organization has organized tutoring sessions for undergraduates,
continued to offer review sessions for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, and
has become active in the community through Habitat for Humanity. Along with
these tangible measures, he has also exhibited the spirit of collaboration and
teamwork that exemplifies the intent of this award.
W.G. Characklis Scholarship
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