Awards & Accolades
Professor of geosciences Peter DeCelles, right, with his award plaque.
Andrew Cohen, University Distinguished Professor of Geosciences
Michelle Perfect, associate professor in the Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies
Matthew Mars, assistant professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Agricultural Education
Terrie Thompson, third from left, was presented with a Ben's Bell on June 12. Also pictured, from left: Ben's Bells Director of Education Laura Gronewold; Dick Thompson, Terrie Thompson's husband; and Martha Whitaker, associate professor of practice in the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences.
Congratulations to these recent honorees.
DeCelles Earns Award From Society for Sedimentary Geology
Peter DeCelles, professor of geosciences, has received the Francis J. Pettijohn Medal for Sedimentology from the Society for Sedimentary Geology. DeCelles was given the award at a ceremony in Salt Lake City in May.
The international organization, known as SEPM, aims to disseminate scientific information related to sedimentology and related disciplines. The Pettijohn Medal recognizes those "who have a significant record of outstanding contributions in sedimentary geology, including all aspects of sedimentology and stratigraphy."
DeCelles was recognized for his "ongoing record of leadership in tectonic basin analysis covering more than two decades of innovative and high-quality research on the links between tectonics, sedimentology, and basin evolution," according to the citation.
DeCelles began at the UA as an associate professor in 1993.
At the same ceremony, Brian Horton, a former student of DeCelles' who received his doctoral degree in 1998, received SEPM's inaugural William R. Dickinson Award. The award is named after a renowned UA sedimentologist who died in 2015. Horton is now a professor at the University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences.
Cohen Recognized by International Association of Limnogeology
Andrew Cohen, University Distinguished Professor of Geosciences, has been given the W.H. Bradley Medal by the International Association of Limnogeology. The medal was presented to Cohen at the organization's joint meeting with the International Paleolimnology Association, held in Stockholm in June.
The Bradley Medal recognizes "a limnogeologist who is outstanding in their field, shows dedication and service to the field of limnogeology and has contributed outstanding ideas and innovation to the field, including seminal publications."
Limnogeology is the study of modern lakes and lake deposits in the geologic record. Cohen's research focuses include studying climate history and paleoecology of rift lakes in Africa and arid-climate lakes in the U.S. He has been at the UA since 1986.
Perfect Wins Diabetes Association Award for Abstract
Michelle Perfect, an associate professor in the Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies, won an award from the Women's Interprofessional Network of the American Diabetes Association. The award recognized an abstract that Perfect presented at a network reception in Orlando, Florida, in June.
The American Diabetes Association funds diabetes research, delivers services for diabetes patients and provides information about diabetes. Its Women's Interprofessional Network includes members who are female clinicians, scientists, educators and other health professionals in the diabetes field.
Perfect's abstract, titled "The Effects of a Sleep Extension Intervention on Glucose Control in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes," won in the category of behavioral medicine, nutrition education and exercise.
Perfect began at the UA in 2006 as an assistant professor.
Mars Earns APLU Teaching Innovation Award
Matthew Mars, assistant professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Agricultural Education, was awarded a 2018 Innovation in Teaching Award by the Academic Programs Section of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
Mars' award is for a project he is developing with Jeni Hart, associate vice chancellor for graduate studies, associate vice provost for advanced studies, and professor of higher education at the University of Missouri. Together, they will create a graduate-level course at their universities that will bring together agricultural education and higher education graduate students to learn entrepreneurial skills to improve the economic and social impact of land-grant institutions.
Awards were issued to five groups of faculty at universities around the U.S., and are "intended to bolster innovation in the post-secondary teaching of agriculture and related fields," according to the APLU. Mars and Hart will receive $3,000 to share on project-related needs.
Mars earned his doctorate from the UA in 2006 and worked at the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship as an entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer specialist and later as a lecturer. He became an assistant professor in 2014.
Thompson Picked for Ben's Bells "Belling"
Terrie Thompson, a website designer and developer in the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, was honored by local nonprofit organization Ben's Bells. Thompson was surprised with the recognition on June 12.
Ben's Bells promotes the impact of intentional kindness. Its Weekly Belling Program recognizes a member of the Tucson community who inspires kindness on a daily basis. The organization also has similar programs in Phoenix and Connecticut. "Bellees" are presented with one of the organization's signature handmade ceramic bells.
Martha Whitaker, an assistant professor of practice in the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, nominated Thompson, noting Thompson's habit of purchasing snacks for students and anonymously leaving them in gathering areas around the department.
Thompson has been with the department for more than 30 years and was an academic adviser from 1987-2010.
We want to know about your good news. If you, your team or a colleague has won any major awards, been honored nationally or internationally, or accomplished some other major feat that deserves recognition, let us know about it.
To submit your news, please send us an email with the following information:
- Name of the person, team or unit receiving the honor with full UA titles.
- Information about the award/honor and the organization that granted it. Please include a link to the official announcement of the award/honor, when the honor was announced and when it will be presented (or was presented).
- A photo of the honoree. If others appear in the photo, please provide their names and identifying information, such as their UA title or other affiliation.
Questions? Contact Lo Que Pasa at uaatwork@email.arizona.edu.