Twelve USC faculty and staff members and students have received Remarkable Women Awards sponsored by the Office of Campus Activities and Women’s Student Assembly.

Recipients of the fifth annual awards, presented on March 7, were selected after nomination by peers and students for their contributions in their fields and to the university. Other criteria included their commitment to students, women’s issues and community involvement as well as their leadership and professional recognition or honors.

Honorees were:

• Margarita Artavia, clinical associate professor in the USC School of Social Work, places students into social agencies and acts as a liaison for them.

• Jennifer Boicic, a senior in industrial and systems engineering, chairs the Viterbi Student Council. She also has worked in the Women in Engineering office and the Center for Engineering Diversity Office.

• Amanda Ebner, academic integration model coordinator in the Office of Residential Education, works to promote issues facing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. A master’s candidate in the USC Rossier School of Education, she also volunteers for Planned Parenthood.

• Kirsty Morrell, dietician in health promotion and disease prevention, helps people obsessed with diet and weight. She also works at New Directions, an eating disorder treatment facility.

• Meghna Patel, doctoral candidate in molecular biology, helped created the organization Graduate Women in Biology to aid women in making their career plans.

• Nazia Rashid, graduate student in pharmacy and president of the professional pharmacy fraternity Phi Delta Chi, helped organize a health fair at USC at which free cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes screens were performed for people without health insurance.

• Hanna Reisler, professor of chemistry, has headed the provost’s Women in Science and Engineering Task Force, which worked to increase the number of tenured women faculty members. She also holds the Lloyd Armstrong Jr. Chair in Science and Engineering.

• Andrea Schwartz, a senior in communication, has served as vice president of membership and the new member educator for her sorority Delta Delta Delta and is the co-director of election and recruitment for the Undergraduate Student Government.

• Estella Torres, cashier for TrojanHospitality, works in the downstairs Commons and was commended for making an extra effort to make purchases more enjoyable.

• Allison Trefz, a senior in accounting and business administration, has served as the co-executive director of fund-raising for Troy Camp, a student-run organization that works with USC neighborhood children. She is director of community affairs for the Undergraduate Student Government and plays on the women’s water polo team.

• Alison Trope, adjunct professor in the USC Annenberg School for Communication, works with students in classes pertaining to gender, popular culture and media industries.

• Akiko Yamaguchi, resident coordinator for Parkside International Residential College, was honored for striving to create a positive environment for residents. She also helps train resident advisers and coordinators.

Applications for nominations for the Remarkable Women Awards are available each January through the Office of Campus Activities, directed by Heather Larabee.