IN THIS ISSUE: BUSINESS | ENGINEERING | FAA | LAS | UNI HIGH | COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
business
Sharon Shavitt, the Stellner Distinguished Professor of Marketing and a professor of psychology, is co-chair of the Association for Consumer Research’s annual North American conference, Oct. 23-26 in San Francisco.
Founded in 1969 by a small group of consumer behavior researchers, the global association has 1,700 members with research interests spanning disciplines from economics to sociology. Shavitt, a research professor in the Survey Research Laboratory and the Institute of Communication Research, has published extensively on topics related to consumer information processing, persuasion and culture.
engineering
Steve Granick, the Founder Professor of Engineering and a professor of materials science and engineering, of chemistry, of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of physics, was awarded the Polymer Physics Prize of the American Physical Society. The prize is one of the highest honors in physical polymer science in the United States. He was cited for his “pathbreaking and elegant experiments that elucidate the structure and dynamics of polymers and liquids confined by surfaces.”
fine and applied arts
Mike Ross, director of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, was one of three new members elected to the Illinois Humanities Council Board of Directors. Each member will serve a three-year term and is eligible for two more terms. The council’s executive director, Kristina A. Valaitis, said about the selections, “They each bring a deep appreciation of the humanities, as well as creativity and individual expertise to the IHC.” Currently, the council’s board of directors comprises 34 members.
liberal arts and sciences
Fritz Drasgow, a professor of psychology and of labor and industrial relations, has been appointed to the joint committee for the revision of the Standards for Educational and Pyschological Testing, a set of testing standards developed jointly by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education. The standards are designed to establish criteria for the appropriate development, use and interpretation of tests in the fields of educational and psychological testing, and have been widely cited by states, federal agencies, private organizations, legislative bodies and the U.S. Supreme Court.
William Greenough, a Swanlund Endowed Chair, a CAS Professor of Psychology, professor of psychology, of psychiatry, and a professor at the Beckman Institute, received the Fragile X Research Foundation’s 2008 Dedication Award at the FRAXA Investigators Meeting Sept. 21-24 for his longstanding, unwavering commitment to Fragile X translational research and to growing the Fragile X research community. Fragile X is the most common inherited cause of intellectual impairment and the most common known genetic cause of autism, according to the foundation’s Web site.
university laboratory high school
Craig Russell, executive teacher of University Laboratory High School’s math department, has been named the winner of the Mathematical Association of America’s top award for high school math teachers. He is one of 23 teachers from the United States and Canada to be selected for the 2008 Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished High School Mathematics Teaching. Russell was nominated by three Uni students: seniors Geoffrey Beck, Ethan Berl and Alex Zhai, who submitted an essay explaining why Russell should be honored for his work. “Math has continued to be a big priority at our high school because of Mr. Russell’s leadership,” they wrote.
For the third consecutive year, University Laboratory High School has been named one of Newsweek’s “public elites” in the magazine’s annual listing of best American high schools.
Only 17 schools earned the distinction, down from 19 last year and 21 in 2006. Public elites are schools that did not make Newsweek’s list of 1,300 top public high schools because, “their students are just too good,” according to Newsweek. Newsweek ranks schools based on a “Challenge Index” devised by education reporter Jay Mathews of The Washington Post. The index consists of the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school divided by the number of graduating seniors. The purpose of the index is to “recognize schools that challenge average students, and not magnet or charter schools that draw only the best students in their areas,” said Newsweek.
communications and marketing
Public Affairs has granted Awards for Communications and Marketing Excellence to campus communicators. The inaugural recipients:
Lee Busselman, marketing director of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, received the Branding Leadership Award that recognizes an ambassador for the Illinois brand who displays excellence in presenting its unit’s distinct personality through visual identity and consistently uses the Illinois Identity Standards.
Melissa Edwards, director of communications in the Institute for Genomic Biology, received the Media Relations Award that recognizes her ability to communicate with administrators about the realities of media coverage and meeting the high expectations of faculty members.
Jim Paul, director of communications in the Institute of Government and Public Affairs, received the Crisis Communications Award that recognizes his leadership role in his unit to address crises and for his assistance to Public Affairs in addressing campus-level crises.
Tina Prow, director of engineering publications in the College of Engineering, received the Team Player Award that recognizes her outstanding efforts to respond to requests for help, for random information and calls for suggestions from Public Affairs and campus administration. The Team Player exemplifies a commitment to putting the good of the campus first.
Sharla Sola, assistant director of the annual giving program for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement, received the Communicator of the Year Award that recognizes outstanding qualities in service, innovation, advancement and excellence.
Kim Sugden, associate director of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership, received the Innovation in Marketing Award that recognizes a professional who has shown creativity in the use of new media and other vehicles to promote a unit, its events and news.
