Noah Jabusch Receives Richard L. Blanton Outstanding Capstone Award

By Chester Brewer

Each year, the staff of the University Honors Program is honored to select a student to receive the Richard L. Blanton Outstanding Capstone award. 

The Richard L. Blanton Outstanding Capstone Award recognizes exceptional work by University Honors Program students and encourages the highest levels of undergraduate scholarship and research at NC State. The award honors Richard L. Blanton, who served as the first permanent director of the University Honors Program and is currently a professor of plant and microbial biology and director of graduate programs in plant biology.

Nominations for the award are initiated by the student’s capstone mentor, who submits a letter that evaluates the capstone on the following criteria:

• The self-directed and independent nature of the research
• The importance and impact of the project
• The originality and creativity of the work
• The quality of the scholarship
• Any other factors which denote excellence in research

In 2021, the University Honors Program is delighted to bestow this honor upon Noah Jabusch, a recent graduate with degrees in Physics and Mathematics, who will be attending the University of Minnesota in the fall to pursue a Ph.D. in physics. 

When asked to describe his participation in the University Honors Program and the impact it had on him, Jabusch responded by saying that “My participation in the University Honors Program taught me how to extract additional value from my education, whether that be using honors seminars to both fulfill GEP requirements and advance my discursive abilities, or in laboratory classes coming up with questions to pursue outside the mundane parameters of the assignment. Even the most tedious classes can yield some joy if you find ways to connect them to a broader purpose, and making those connections was at the core of what I learned from my time in the UHP. My proudest accomplishment from college is the paper I wrote with my research advisor, stemming from work I did over multiple summers. Not only was the topic interesting to study, but going through the process of paper-writing greatly improved my self-confidence about my path towards becoming a researcher.”

Jabusch also offered some great advice for other students in the UHP.

“I would encourage students to take some time every semester, whether that be right before it starts or while signing up for classes, to reflect on their goals and attempt to explain for themselves how each of their classes and activities contributes to their growth and education. Being in the UHP means accepting a higher workload in pursuit of personal growth, and reminding myself of that clear, driving motivation has helped me to push through my most stressful moments.”

The staff of the University Honors and Scholars Programs are very proud of the work Jabusch has accomplished and the meaningful contributions he made to the program during his time as a Fellow. They wish him the best of luck in Minnesota and look forward to hearing about the process as it unfolds for him.