The Mississippi Theatre Association renamed two of its annual DramaFest awards in honor of longtime Mississippi State faculty members Wayne “Dur” Durst and Betty “Jo” Durst, recognizing their decades of service and lasting impact on theater education in Mississippi.

Mississippi State Assistant Professor Candace Lukasik has received the Alixa Naff Prize in Migration Studies for her debut book “Martyrs and Migrants: Coptic Christians and the Persecution Politics of US Empire,” published last year by NYU Press.

“My favorite memories at Mississippi State University all center on time spent with friends and fellow students. I have fond memories of those football games shared with friends! However, one academic moment stands out: achieving a breakthrough during my chemistry research in Professor Grimley’s laboratory,” said Wigley. “Though relatively modest, that discovery unexpectedly earned the respect of my fellow research students and advisor, and more importantly, it profoundly shaped my ambition to pursue a career in chemical research.”