IN THIS ISSUE: aviation | broadcasting | communications| development | FAA | LAS
aviation
Douglas A. Wiegmann, professor and associate head of the Aviation Human Factors Division in the UI Institute of Aviation, received the 2003 Harry G. Moseley Award from the Aerospace Medical Association. The award is given annually for the most outstanding contribution to flight safety.
The award was presented to Wiegmann and co-recipient Scott A. Shappell, of Oklahoma City’s Civil Aerospace Medical Institute of the Federal Aviation Administration, at the 74th Annual Scientific Meeting of the association May 8 in San Antonio.
Wiegmann and Shappell were cited for significant contributions to aviation safety for their development and implementation of the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS). Although scientists report that from 60 to 80 percent of all aviation accidents can be attributed to human error, there had been few attempts to utilize a systematic approach to classifying the human factors associated with accidents until the development of HFACS.
The system originally was developed for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps as an accident investigation and data analysis tool. Other organizations such as the FAA and National Aeronautics and Space Administration are now using the system. Human error trends in accident data have been found, thereby shaping several of the safety programs currently supported by the FAA and NASA.
broadcasting
Two productions by VideoWorks, WILL-TV’s video production unit, were named finalists in the 24th Annual Telly Awards, the national competition for outstanding film and video productions.
John Paul, senior producer, and Jeff Cunningham, videographer and editor, received bronze statuettes for their promotional and informational video featuring the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, and for “A Bridge Between Two Worlds,” a fund-raising video for the Peoria-based medical mission, Haitian Hearts.
A Telly Award has become one of the most sought-after awards in the TV and video industry. Last year’s Telly winners included The History Channel, The National Geographic Channel and Walt Disney Studios.
VideoWorks provides fee-based video production services to the Urbana campus and private industry.
communications
John C. Nerone, research professor in the Institute of Communications Research, was honored by the International Communication Association at its 53rd annual conference May 23-27 in San Diego. Nerone and co-author Kevin G. Barnhurst, UI-Chicago, were recognized for “The Form of News: A History” (Guilford Press, 2001).
The book considers the history of U.S. newspapers through their changing physical elements and examines the role of newspapers in civic life. The book also has won the Covert Award (2001) for history and the Langer Award (2002) for symbolic analysis.
The association promotes the systematic study of communication theories, processes, and skills, and through its journals and annual conference, provides a forum for those in the field to share research findings and innovations.
development
Patricia Justice, UI assistant chancellor for development, is this year’s winner of the Medallion of Honor, the most prestigious annual award given by the Mothers Association at Illinois.
The award was presented at the spring Mothers Association banquet during Moms Weekend at Illinois.
Justice was chosen for the award in recognition of her “great integrity, care for others, energy, creativity” and for balancing her many roles outside the home with her roles as a wife and mother, according to the Mothers Association. “(She) has been described by her supporters as a positive mentor, a very successful professional, a community volunteer, and a loyal friend.”
fine and applied arts
Bruce Knight, adjunct lecturer in urban and regional planning, was inducted into the membership of the American Institute of Certified Planners’ College of Fellows on March 29. Knight was selected on the basis of individual achievement in the field of urban and rural planning. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the American Planning Association’s National Planning Conference in Denver.
Election to the fellowship may be granted to planners who have been longtime members of the institute and have demonstrated excellence in professional practice, teaching and mentoring, research, community service, leadership and communication. This year, 37 planners from 18 states and the District of Columbia were inducted into the AICP College of Fellows. Currently, more than 12,000 practicing urban and rural planners in North America and elsewhere have AICP certification. Of those, fewer than 260 have attained the status of fellow.
“Bruce Knight has spent his career advancing the cause of planning to citizens, planning officials and his professional peers. Because of his thoughtful, outspoken leadership and clear consistent advocacy for his profession, Bruce has helped his community and his professional organization achieve their highest potential,” said Daniel Lauber, AICP president.
liberal arts and sciences
Eric Jakobsson has been named the first director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences in Bethesda, Md.
At Illinois, Jakobsson is a professor in the department of molecular and integrative physiology, and of biochemistry. He also is a professor in the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, and a senior research scientist at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. He will continue to hold his appointments at Illinois while serving as director of the NIGMS Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology.
The center supports research and training in areas that join biology with the computer sciences, engineering, mathematics and physics. Examples include computer modeling of biological networks and dynamic processes; quantitative approaches to cellular, molecular and developmental biology; and the development of databases and other analytical tools.
Jakobsson’s research focuses on the computational and theoretical study of biological membranes. He is also a leader in the use of computers and other technology in education.
Jiri Jonas, an emeritus professor of chemistry, has been elected to the American Philosophical Society. Jonas, the director of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at Illinois from August 1993 to September 2001, was among 51 scholars and researchers elected April 26 to the learned society based in Philadelphia.
Jonas, an emeritus professor in the Center for Advanced Study at Illinois, is a pioneer in the use of high-pressure nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy to study structure and dynamics in liquids, modern theories of reaction rates in liquids, the behavior of molecules in confined geometries such as porous solids, and the changes of protein conformation with pressure.
The impact of his work covers the vast area from pure chemical physics through materials science to molecular chemistry.
