Two graduates win American Creativity Association awards

College of Education doctoral graduates Selcuk Acar and Kristy Kowalske have received 2014 E. Paul Torrance Graduate Student Research awards from the American Creativity Association (ACA).

The award is named for the late native Georgian and UGA Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor Emeritus who was a pioneer in research on the identification and development of creative potential. It honors Torrance's lifetime commitment to supporting graduate student studies by recognizing a graduate student whose completed research (at the doctoral or master's level) demonstrates a unique and significant contribution to the field. The recipient receives an Honorary Lifetime Membership in the ACA, which includes registration at the annual ACA World Conference.

Acar wrote a dissertation entitled, "Empirical Studies of Literal Divergent Thinking." He was an advisee of Mark Runco, professor of educational psychology. He is currently an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Kowalske wrote a dissertation entitled, "Educational Impact on Spiritual Growth: A Case Study." She was an advisee of Bonnie Cramond, professor of educational psychology. She is currently Teacher of the Gifted at Rugby Middle School in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

The pair, who both earned Ph.D.s in educational psychology in 2013, received the awards Sept. 12 at the ACA's 2014 World Conference in Philadelphia.