With another academic year drawing to a close, Carleton College prepares for the 2013 edition of its annual honors convocation, held on the last Friday of spring term to recognize faculty and students for their accomplishments and service. This year’s Honors Convocation will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 31 in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. This event is free and open to the public.
The 2013 Honors Convocation keynote address will be delivered by Kai Knutson ‘11, who, as an undergraduate, was awarded both the Larson International Fellowship and the Watson Fellowship. Knutson will discuss that impact that winning these two prestigious awards has had on his educational and career trajectory.
Knutson graduated from Carleton in 2011 with a BA in biology. Knutson, a National Merit Finalist, was twice awarded the Kolenkow/Reitz Fellowship for Undergraduate research and performed in the American College Dance Festival and the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Knutson was awarded a Larson International Fellowship his junior year and traveled to Iceland, where he explored the connections between food traditions and storytelling. Knutson was particularly fascinated by styr, a variety of yogurt native to Iceland, which tied in with his study of biology.
The Watson Fellowship, a highly competitive award given to 40 college graduates each year, consists of a $25,000 grant for a year of independent international travel to explore a particular subject. Knutson traveled throughout ten countries in Europe and Asia, looking at the history and practice of making fermented milk products and learning about the use of microbes in conventional and traditional production. He now works at Land-O-Lakes, a Minnesota-based cooperative that is one of the largest producers of butter and cheese in the United States.
For more information about this event, including disability accommodations, contact the Carleton College Office of College Relations at (507) 222-4308. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located on First Street between College and Winona Streets in Northfield.
