The 17th annual Achiever Award banquet will be held May 1 at Greenville’s First Baptist Church.

The event recognizes top student-athletes from area schools who not only excel in the classroom and on the playing field, but are also involved in church and the community.

Student-athletes from Fort Dale Academy, Georgiana School, Greenville High School and McKenzie School will be recognized, and two students – a male and a female – will walk away with a $1,500 scholarship.

Chuck Karr, dean of engineering at the University of Alabama, will serve as the keynote speaker at this year’s event.

Karr is a three-time graduate of Alabama, completing a bachelor’s of science in mechanical engineering in 1984, a master’s degree in engineering mechanics in 1987, and a PhD in engineering mechanics in 1989.

He went on to work for the U.S. Bureau of Mines as a research scientist before joining the faculty of the College of Engineering in 1995.

Considered a leading expert in the area of intelligent systems, Karr is the author of three books and 20 book chapters, and he has published 44 refereed journal articles and more than 90 conference papers.

He has become widely known for his pioneering work in combining genetic algorithms and fuzzy logic, and he has successfully applied these techniques in the aerospace, mineral processing, manufacturing and steel industries.

In addition, he holds six international patents in the area of intelligent systems for locating the sources of radio signals.

The deadline to purchase tickets, which cost $20, is Friday. They can be purchased at the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce or from the following committee members Allen Stephenson, Ann Steiner Gregory, David Saliba, Joann Mathews, Matt Elliott, Rod Cater, Tina Caver or Tracy Salter.

The event is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.