Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Achievements

IN THIS ISSUE: ADMINISTRATIONENGINEERING | FAA | LIBRARY

administration

The White House announced June 21 that President Bush intends to name Linda Katehi, UI provost, to the President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science.

Her three-year term would expire Dec. 31, 2009.

The committee, which comprises 12 scientists and engineers appointed by the president, evaluates nominees for the National Medal of Science, established by Congress in 1959. To date, it has been awarded to 425 scientists and engineers.

In its news release, the White House said the president also intends to name four others to the medal committee.

engineering

Herman Krier, professor of mechanical science and engineering, will receive the Sustained Service Award of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics during the Joint Propulsion Conference of AIAA, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society for Automotive Engineers, July 9 – 12 in Cincinnati. The award recognizes longstanding dedication and contributions to the institute. Krier has attended every one of the institute’s Aerospace Sciences Meetings and Joint Propulsion Conferences since 1970, presenting a large number of technical papers, including 40 papers in the institute’s journals or book chapters, and has served on three AIAA Technical Committees.

fine and applied arts

Four faculty members of the School of Art and Design are exhibiting some of their work this summer at prominent galleries in Boston, Cleveland, New York and Scotland.

Anthony Ptak, visiting lecturer and sound artist, is involved in a group show at Miguel Abreu Gallery in New York City through July 28. “Agape” is an exhibition of experimental music scores and an accompany concert series that addresses aspects of the social acts of translation and collective interpretation in musical performance. The exhibition includes his “Insistentia.07” graphic score, an antenna installation and also a performance July 12. His work also was in other recent exhibitions in New York at the Kitchen on May 24, at Roulette Intermedium on May 20 and at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn, where he was artist in residence. He also participated in the 37th Festival Synthese Bourges on June 10 in France. He will have another exhibition at IPR in August.

Melissa Pokorny, professor of art and design, had a solo exhibition, “There/there,” on April 13-May 20 at the Front Room Gallery in Brooklyn, N.Y., and currently has works in a group exhibition through July 8.

Conrad Bakker, professor of art and design, had work featured in a show, “The Price of Everything: Perspectives on the Art Market,” at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, May 17-June 24.

Work by Joel Ross, professor of art and design, is currently in a group show, “(Un)Building,” at the Boston Center for the Arts, through July 29, and was in a solo show at RAW+Co in June in Cleveland. In August his work will be in a group show in Aberdeen, Scotland.

university library

UI archivist John Franch received the 2007 Book of the Year Award from the Illinois State historical Society in April for his book “Robber Baron: The Life of Charles Tyson Yerkes.” The book was published last year by the UI Press.

Four UI librarians were honored on campus in May at the Lavender Graduation and LGBTA Awards Ceremony sponsored by the Office for LGBT Resources. The event recognized graduating LGBT students, awards for LGBT students as well as awards for faculty and staff members who promote an LGBT-friendly environment on campus.

Honored with a group award: Betsy Kruger, head of circulation and professor of library administration; John Littlewood, retired government documents librarian, gay literature bibliographer and professor emeritus; Nancy Romero, retired rate book and special collections cataloger and professor emeritus, Beth Stafford, head librarian for the women and gender resources library and professor emeritus.The award was created especially for them, which recognized their efforts in building, cataloging, promoting and disseminating the resources of the library’s LGBT collection. The ceremony also emphasized the role of library collections in building an inclusive campus.

Read Next

Health and medicine Life sciences Veterinary medicine Two men in a lab. The seated man holds a hologram projection of a brain.

Mutation increases enzyme in mouse brains linked to schizophrenia behaviors

Researchers found a key role for an enzyme regulating glycine in the brain while investigating a rare genetic mutation found in two patients with schizophrenia.

Honors A photo collage featuring all three Sloan Fellowship awardees.

Three Illinois professors named Sloan Research Fellows

Three Illinois scientists are among 126 recipients of the 2025 Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. According to the foundation, the awardees represent “the very best of early-career science, embodying the creativity, ambition, and rigor that drive discovery forward.” This year’s Illinois recipients are chemistry professors Angad Mehta and Lisa Olshansky, and materials science and engineering professor Yingjie Zhang.

Life sciences Graphic with the title "42nd Insect Fear Film Festival" in a scary font and with a picture of a tarantula.

Insect Fear Film Festival to feature ‘hairy, scary’ tarantulas

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The 2025 Insect Fear Film Festival at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will feature “Tarantulas: Hairy, Scary Spiders” as its theme and a Hollywood bug wrangler who works with the 8-legged creatures as a special guest. The festival, which is hosted by the Entomology Graduate Student Association and is in its 42nd […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010