News Bureau

Illinois biofuels expert meets with President Bush

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Geneva Belford, professor emeritus of computer science, will receive the Mothers Association Medallion of Honor, the most prestigious annual award given by the Mothers Association at Illinois.

Six Urbana faculty members honored as University Scholars

CAS faculty fellows and associates announced Twenty-nine UI faculty members were selected as associates or fellows of the Center for Advanced Study for the 2007-2008 academic year. The appointment grants one semester of release time for creative work on self-initiated programs of scholarly research or professional activity. The center's annual competition culminated with 12 professors and associate professors receiving an associate appointment and 17 assistant professors receiving a fellow appointment. Six fellows also were named CAS Beckman Fellows. Named for UI alumnus and benefactor Arnold O. Beckman, the additional appointments recognized outstanding younger fellow candidates who have made distinctive scholarly contributions. The UI faculty members named associates and the research they intend to pursue:

Civic Commitment Research and Teaching Grants announced The first set of innovative Civic Commitment Research and Teaching Grants was awarded this year. In January 2006, Chancellor Richard Herman charged his newly created Task Force on Civic Commitment in the 21st Century with "creating a sharpened and sustained curricular and co-curricular emphasis on advancing the public good." The initiative aims to enrich research and teaching in ways that help explore how we as a university will help students and society meet the challenges of modern citizenship. Last fall, the task force issued a call for proposals from faculty members and administrators to address this ambitious campuswide goal. "The response to our request for proposals was extraordinary," said Jim Wescoat, professor and chair of the department of landscape architecture, who also serves as chair of the task force. "We received approximately 70 proposals from a wide array of academic and administrative units. The RFP process helped task force members appreciate the depth of commitment to civic engagement that already exists on our campus." Proposal topics range from a speaker series featuring global scholars who have put their lives at risk to lead their communities to a local K-12 program to help elementary students learn reading skills through science. The 16 projects that were awarded at least partial funding from the task force are listed below. For more information on the projects, go to www.oc.uiuc.edu/engagement.

Six academic professionals received the 2007 Chancellor’s Academic Professional Excellence award at an April 3 ceremony and reception. Now in its 19th year, the award program aims to honor contributions made by academic professionals on campus. Recipients are chosen for excellence in their work, personal and professional contributions to their fields and the positive impact they have on colleagues, students and the public. Each award winner received $2,000, a $1,000 increase in base salary and a $1,000 one-time budget increase for their department.

A number of UI units ranked highly in the 2008 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” published in the April 9 edition of U.S.News & World Report.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A University of Illinois history professor has won a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.

Eight staff employees were honored with the Chancellor’s Distinguished Staff Award at a banquet April 16. The award recognizes exceptional performance.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Fourteen faculty members, one academic professional and five teaching assistants at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be honored today (May 2) for excellence in teaching and advising. The award winners will be recognized during a reception in the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A University of Illinois student in the Medical Scholars Program in the College of Medicine has won a 2007-2008 Paul D. Doolen graduate scholarship for the study of aging.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Twenty University of Illinois students from the Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield campuses have won Avery Brundage Scholarships for excellence in academics and athletics. Each student will receive $2,500 for the 2007-2008 academic year.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Each of nine University of Illinois graduate students - including four from the Urbana campus - has been awarded a $9,000 FMC Technologies Inc. Fellowship for the 2007-2008 academic year.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - One hundred and twenty-one undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were honored for scholastic excellence during the 2007 spring semester. A total of $330,675 in prizes was awarded.

School of Social Work ranked high for scholarly productivity

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A record number of University of Illinois students - seven - have earned National Security Education Program (NSEP) Boren Undergraduate Scholarships for study abroad during the 2007-08 academic year.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -The White House said today that President Bush intends to name Linda Katehi, the provost of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to the President's Committee on the National Medal of Science.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The College of Business at the University of Illinois honored its students in April at its annual awards banquet.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Ryan Dick, a recent master's degree recipient in the University of Illinois School of Architecture from Elmhurst, Ill., is among 18 students nationwide to be named to the Luce Scholars Program for a yearlong experience in Asia.

Fellows embark on diverse projects with NCSA

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - One hundred and thirty-six freshmen and sophomores at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been designated Chancellor's Scholars, chosen for their academic excellence and leadership potential, in the Campus Honors Program this fall.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

The Distinguished Teacher/Scholar program recognizes outstanding faculty members who actively enhance teaching and learning on campus and supports innovative projects that recipients develop as part of the selection process. Award recipients serve as consultants and mentors to other faculty members and departments seeking to explore new instructional methods and revitalize their teaching programs.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Four professors at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been named Swanlund Chairs, the highest endowed titles at the university.

Cheryl Sullivan and Marilyn Nash, with Illinois Center for Soy Foods and the National Soybean Research Laboratory, won top honors for the UI with their Game Day Chili at the Sixth Annual International Beer and Chili Cook-Off in Urbana last month.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - "60 Minutes" newsman Mike Wallace will be the first recipient of the Illinois Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism, to be awarded Saturday (Oct. 13) in New York.

Four faculty members and three research scientists in the department of atmospheric sciences share in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize that the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded jointly to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A group of students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been honored with Dads Association Library Awards. Chosen from among students who have completed their sophomore year, the award winners were among the top three students in their respective colleges or had maintained a 4.0 (out of 4.0) grade-point average.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Dads Association at the University of Illinois recently presented its annual Certificate of Merit Awards - one each to an outstanding faculty member, staff member, student and student organization.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Ten members of the University of Illinois faculty and administration have been awarded 2007-2008 Fulbright Scholar grants.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Robert Ghrist, a professor of mathematics, and Nancy Sottos and Scott White, professors of engineering at the University of Illinois, are among Scientific American magazine's Top Fifty Innovators of the year. The SciAm 50 awardees are chosen on the basis of their contributions to technology and human health.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Nadya Mason, a professor of physics at the University of Illinois, has been named a Standout Scholar for 2008 by the publication Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - University of Illinois student athlete Jessica Galli has been named the 2007 Paralympian of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Robin Kaler, the associate chancellor for public affairs, is the winner of the 2008 Medallion of Honor Award, the most prestigious annual award given by the Moms Association at the University of Illinois.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - University of Illinois microbiology professors Jeffrey F. Gardner and James A. Imlay have been elected fellows in the American Academy of Microbiology.