IN THIS ISSUE: ACES | clubs & organizations | engineering | FAA | foundation/purchasing | interdisciplinary research | LAS |
agricultural, consumer and environmental sciences
Karen Chapman-Novakofski, professor of nutrition, received both the Distinguished Service Award and the Outstanding Research Paper Award at the annual September meeting of the American Dietetic Association for her work with diabetes education.
The Distinguished Service Award, given by the association’s gerontological nutritionist practice group, recognized Chapman-Novakofski’s leadership and service in working toward the promotion of dietitians in nutrition work among the elderly.
The Outstanding Research Paper Award, given by the association’s diabetes care and education practice group, recognizes a member who has published an outstanding research article demonstrating the effectiveness of diabetes medical nutrition therapy.
“Dr. Chapman-Novakofski’s work is vital in the fight against diabetes,” said Faye Dong, head of the department of food science and human nutrition. “We’re extremely pleased that her work was honored in this way, and we know that Illinois residents will benefit from her continuing efforts,” Dong said.
clubs and organizations
The UI Women’s Club was honored at the Illinois Centennial and Distinguished Service Awards Banquet in Chicago on Oct. 13. The club was honored with the Illinois Centennial Award. Carl Larson, professor emeritus of mechanical science and engineering, and his wife, Vivian, attended the banquet and Vivian accepted the award on behalf of the Women’s Club. The award was presented during a slide show illustrating the club’s 100-year history.
engineering
William H. Sanders, professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Information Trust Institute, was selected as the United States academic lead of a new series of EU-U.S. summit meetings on “Cyber Trust: System Dependability and Security.”
The first meetings are under way in Dublin, Ireland, and the second are in April at the UI. The summit is by invitation only and involves six panels with equal representation between U.S. and EU experts.
In addition to his organizing role, Sanders is chairing a panel on “Evaluating the Dependability and Security of Networked Systems - Modeling, Simulation, Predictive Evaluation, Assurance Cases.” Also participating is David Nicol, professor of electrical and computer engineering and research professor in the Coordinated Science Laboratory. CSL director Ravi Iyer will be on the panel addressing architecture and design issues in the security and dependability of future complex networked systems.
fine and applied arts
Jeffery Poss, professor of architecture, received the top two prizes from a jury of nationally recognized designers at the 2006 Design Awards of the Central Illinois Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
“Meditation Hut II ‘Le Cadeau,’ ” a small structure designed and constructed by Poss, received the 2006 Honor Award. The jury described the project as “beautifully presented and conceived … a restrained concept with careful attention to craft and framed views.” The World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial, a project designed by Poss in affiliation with IGW Architects of Urbana, received the 2006 Merit Award. The jury described the project as “very well conceived and executed … the elegance of the scheme warrants a level of thought by the users.”
foundation/purchasing
Raymond K. Cunningham Jr. and Molly Spencer Shoaf will be awarded the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award, sponsored by the Illinois Humanities Council. Cunningham is the manager of records services at the UI Foundation. Shoaf is a retired UI purchasing manager.
They will be awarded the medal at the dedication of the new Homer Village Hall in December. Mayors nominate individuals, primarily volunteers who have championed the humanities in their communities.
Among their activities earning them this honor, Cunningham and Shoaf are the authors of a history of the village of Homer. Volume I, “From the Timbers to the Prairie,” covers the period from the 1820s to 1920. The book also was awarded the Illinois State Historical Society’s Award of Superior Achievement this year.
Volume II is to be released in December.
In addition to their work on this project, both were cited for other contributions. Village President David Lucas said, Cunningham and Shoaf “have a love of history and work tirelessly to preserve and make available local history to the community.”
interdisciplinary research
William D. O’Brien Jr., a Donald Biggar Willett Professor of Engineering, received an eight-year MERIT Award (Method to Extend Research in Time) from the National Institutes of Health for his project “Ultrasound-Induced Tissue Damage Assessment.” The program provides long-term, stable support to investigators whose research competence and productivity is distinctly superior and who are likely to continue to perform in an outstanding manner.
Co-principal investigator on the project is James F. Zachary, professor of pathobiology, bioengineering and a Beckman Institute affiliate; and co-investigators are John W. Erdman Jr., professor of food science and human nutrition and of internal medicine; Douglas G. Simpson, professor and chair of statistics; Michael L. Oelze, professor of electrical and computer engineering and in the Beckman Institute; and Leon A. Frizzell, professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering.
liberal arts and sciences
May R. Berenbaum, professor and head of entomology, was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching by the Entomological Society of America and was recognized by the society as the outstanding teacher of the year.
The award will be presented Dec. 10-13 at the 2006 annual meeting in Indianapolis.
Tyehimba Jess, professor of poetry in the department of English, was one of 10 U.S. writers to win the 2006 Whiting Writers’ Award. The award, given annually to “emerging writers of exceptional talent and promise,” includes a cash prize of $40,000 to each winner.
The 2006 Whiting Award recipients were announced in New York Oct. 25.
John A. Lynn, a UI history scholar who specializes in French and military history, will receive the Moroccan Order, the Ouissam Al Alaoui, the highest order granted by the Moroccan monarchy, at the rank of commander. The Order was established in 1913 and is given for “exceptional civil and military accomplishments.”
The ceremony with King Mohammed VI takes place Nov. 27 at the Royal Palace in Rabat. A French admiral and Portuguese general also will receive the Ouissam. More
Émile Talbot, professor emeritus of French, recently received a Prix du Québec award jointly from the American Council for Québec Studies and Québec’s Ministère des Relations Internationales. The award is given once every two years to recognize a U.S. citizen who has made outstanding contributions to Québec studies. The citation was read by Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, the current international affairs minister, at a plenary session of the biennial conference of the ACQS, held Oct. 12-14 in Cambridge, Mass.
Talbot is editor of Québec Studies, a refereed academic journal published by ACQS and featuring articles on all aspects of Québec and Francophone Canadian society and culture.