The front page of the February 6, 1997 issue of USA Today featured Supinda Bunyavanich '99-'98, who was named on the newspaper's 1997 All-USA College Academic First Team, an honor she shares with only 20 other undergraduates in the nation.

"She's a great student because she's really excited and passionate about what she does," said Bunyavanich's roommate, Mari L. Ryono '99. "I have a lot of respect for her."

Bunyavanich, 19, is the youngest recipient on the First Team, "representing all of the nation's outstanding college undergraduates," according to USA Today.

Bunyavanich accepted the award at USA Today's headquarters in Arlington, Va. last Friday at a lunch banquet which was attended by Congressional representatives, employees of USA Today and representatives from educational associations, she said.

The 20 recipients of the $2,500 award were selected from 1,253 students nominated by their schools, according to USA Today.

"Judges looked at grades, academic awards, leadership roles and public service," wrote Pat Ordovensky in the USA Today article. "They put most weight on students' abilities to use their talents outside the labs and classrooms."

Bunyavanich said she believes that the judging committee was also looking at the dedication of the candidates.

"I think in general they were looking for college students who were really dedicated to both their academics and activities and whose activities had an impact on people's lives, and that they really cared about what they were doing," she said.

Bunyavanich is an environmental science and public policy concentrator and hails from Port Washington, NY.

"I'm really happy she received this award," said Sanga Bunyavanich, her father. "She was really active in high school."

Her father also said Bunyavanich did research in water treatment during high school and was a Westinghouse finalist.

"She's a responsible person," said Sommai Bunyavanich, her mother. "She's very nice and I love her."

Bunyavanich was nominated for the award by Michele N. Holbrook, assistant professor of biology. Bunyavanich traveled with Holbrook to Chile this past summer on a research partnership through the Radcliffe Research Partnership Program. They did research on a plant named nolanamollis, a desert shrub which grows in northern Chile.

"[Professor Holbrook] is a valuable mentor and role model," Bunyavanich said.

Holbrook is currently doing research in Panama.

Bunyavanich is one of the organizers of an annual conference to be held in May sponsored by the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR).