Awards and Accolades

Awards and Accolades

By Shannon Strong and Amy WilliamsUniversity Relations - Communications
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Lynn Nadel
Lynn Nadel
From left: Jeffrey Pyun, Bibiana Law, TLA Vice President David Allen, UA President Ann Weaver Hart, Heather Gaines, Joseph Valacich, Anne Stratman, Lawrence Hecker, Manny Teran, Laura Todd Johnson, Laurence Hurley and Dominic Gervasio.
From left: Jeffrey Pyun, Bibiana Law, TLA Vice President David Allen, UA President Ann Weaver Hart, Heather Gaines, Joseph Valacich, Anne Stratman, Lawrence Hecker, Manny Teran, Laura Todd Johnson, Laurence Hurley and Dominic Gervasio.
College of Pharmacy students like Tek Neopaney (left) volunteer with the college's many outreach programs. (Photo: Margaret Hartshorn)
College of Pharmacy students like Tek Neopaney (left) volunteer with the college's many outreach programs. (Photo: Margaret Hartshorn)
Ming Li
Ming Li
M. Bonner Denton
M. Bonner Denton
Nancy Odegaard
Nancy Odegaard
Tim Bee
Tim Bee
Larry Head
Larry Head
Elisa Tomat
Elisa Tomat
Zhiping Zheng
Zhiping Zheng
Christopher Kopach
Christopher Kopach
Dr. Joe G.N. "Skip" Garcia and Dr. Bentley J. Bobrow
Dr. Joe G.N. "Skip" Garcia and Dr. Bentley J. Bobrow
Robert B. Fleischman (fourth from left) and his team with ASCE president and College of Engineering alumnus Mark Woodson (far right). (Photo: David Hathcox/ASCE)
Robert B. Fleischman (fourth from left) and his team with ASCE president and College of Engineering alumnus Mark Woodson (far right). (Photo: David Hathcox/ASCE)

Congratulations to these recently honored University employees.

UA Cognitive Scientist Honored for Lifetime of Memory Work

Cognitive scientist and UA Regents' Professor of Psychology Lynn Nadel has made extensive contributions to human understanding of memory and cognition. For his work, he was recognized with the 2016 Norman Anderson Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding achievement in experimental psychology, given annually by the Society of Experimental Psychologists. Nadel is considered one of the world's major contributors to scientists' understanding of the part of the brain known as the hippocampus, and the role it plays in memory and cognition. In 1978, he co-authored "The Hippocampus as a Cognitive Map," which has been described as the single most influential book in the field of cognitive neuroscience published in the last 50 years. Read more in this UANews article.

UA Employees Honored With I-Squared Awards

Eight UA employees received Tech Launch Arizona's I-Squared awards. The awards recognize those whose work directly affects quality of life through research, collaboration and innovation. Jeffrey Pyun, a professor in the UA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, won in the Chemistry and Physical Sciences category. Laurence Hurley, a professor in the UA Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology won in the Biomedicine category. Joseph Valacich, a professor of management information systems at the Eller College of Management, won in the Information Technology category. Dominic Gervasio, a professor in the UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, won in the Engineering category. Bibiana Law, an associate research professor in the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, won in the Agriculture & Life Sciences category. Laura Todd Johnson, Heather Gaines and Anne Stratman – all in UA Office of General Counsel –won in the Campus Collaboration category. Read more in this UANews article.

College of Pharmacy Receives Community Service Award

The UA College of Pharmacy has been named the recipient of the 2016 Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy annually presents the Weaver Award to a single college or school of pharmacy that demonstrates a major institutional commitment to addressing unmet community needs through education, practice and research. The college will receive a commemorative sculpture and a $5,000 honorarium for distribution among the college's community partners in support of their continued collaboration. The award will be presented at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy annual meeting in California later this year.

Engineering Professor Wins Navy Young Investigator Award

Ming Li, professor of electrical and computer engineering, is the first UA faculty member since 2010 to receive the Navy Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research. The award will support his work in reconfigurable antennas with wireless networks. The 47 winning proposals were selected from 280 submissions based on the researchers' past performance and long-term university commitment and on the potential for scientific breakthrough with the project. His research will work with wireless networks to improve transmission capacity and speed, to reduce the chance of lost data and to limit reliance on costly infrastructure.

Chemistry Professor Honored by American Chemical Society

M. Bonner Denton, professor in the UA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received the 2016 Distinguished Service in the Advance of Analytical Chemistry Award, given by the Analytical Division of the American Chemical Society. The Distinguished Service Award honors Denton's numerous achievements and his service to the community. He has served on multiple boards and committees in the society's Analytical Division. He has also served in a number of capacities for the Society of Applied Spectroscopy. Furthermore, Denton trained over 50 doctoral students who are successful in academia and laboratory research and he has helped improve the field of forensic science by determining which forensic practices were based on appropriate scientific methods and statistical foundations.

Nancy Odegaard Appointed to Preservation Board

Nancy Odegaard, professor in the UA School of Anthropology and Department of Materials Science and Engineering and head of the preservation division at the Arizona State Museum, was appointed to the Preservation Technology and Training Board. The purpose of the board is to provide leadership, policy advice and professional oversight to the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, a unit of the National Park Service that coordinates and promotes preservation research, distributes information, and provides training about preservation skills and technologies. Odegaard is also an elected fellow of both the American Institute of Conservation and the International Institute of Conservation.

Two UA Employees Appointed to Self-Driving Vehicle Oversight Committee

Gov. Doug Ducey appointed Larry Head, professor in the UA Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering, and Tim Bee, UA senior associate vice president for legislative and community relations, to the Arizona Self-Driving Vehicle Oversight Committee. Head and Bee will be a part of a nine-person team of transportation, public safety and policy experts who will research and develop self-driving technology that will allow vehicles to drive without direct or active human control. Ducey created the committee of experts to boost economic growth, create new jobs and encourage innovation. The committee will advise the Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Safety, universities and other public agencies on how best to advance the testing operation of self-driving vehicles on public roads.

Head Named 2016 Da Vinci Fellow

Head also has been awarded the College of Engineering's 2016 Da Vinci Fellowship, which is given to one faculty member each year for excellence in teaching or research. The fellowship includes a one-time grant of $10,000. Head, who is known for his research on connected vehicles and intelligent traffic signal control, will use the award to expand students' research opportunities and the UA's reputation as a major center for transportation research.

Assistant Professor Honored for Excellence in Campus Outreach Diversity

Elisa Tomat, assistant professor in the UA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was honored with the 2016 Excellence in Campus Outreach for STEM Diversity Award. The Women in Science and Engineering Program at the UA selected Tomat for the honor because of her work at the UA to engage students and build connections between the University and the greater southern Arizona community in the interest of promoting diversity in STEM. Tomat created the Chemistry Discovery course at the UA, in which graduate and undergraduate students create and lead chemistry workshops for local middle school students.

Professor Selected as Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry

Zhiping Zheng, professor and associate head of the UA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was recently selected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. The Royal Society of Chemistry, located in the United Kingdom, recognized Zheng for his outstanding contributions to the advancement of chemical sciences and the advancement of the profession. The Royal Society of Chemistry will welcome Zheng as a fellow during a celebration of its 175th anniversary year. 

Christopher Kopach to Lead National Professional Organization

Christopher Kopach, UA assistant vice president of UA Facilities Management, is the 2016-17 APPA President-Elect. Kopach will be considered the chief executive officer of APPA, the Association of Leadership in Educational Facilities. His work as president will include preparing the agenda for the board and the annual business meeting and he will provide leadership responsibility for the business aspects of the Association. Kopach will be installed as APPA's President-Elect during the 2016 Annual Conference and Exhibition held in Nashville, Tennessee, later this year.

UA Health Sciences Leaders Among Phoenix Magazine's Top 25 'Maestros of Medicine'

Two UA Health Sciences leaders were named "Maestros of Medicine" in the April edition of Phoenix Magazine and it's listing of "the 25 most influential people in Valley health care." The magazine recognized the "trailblazing, passionate and empowered individuals dedicated to keeping the Valley at the vanguard of medical science." Dr. Joe G.N. "Skip" Garcia, vice president for UA health sciences, and Dr. Bentley J. Bobrow, Distinguished Professor of Emergency Medicine, were nominated by a panel of impartial experts in Arizona's health care sector, including researchers, clinicians, executives and academics.

Engineering Professor's Team Wins Award from American Society of Civil Engineers

Robert B. Fleischman, a professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics, and his team of collaborators from industry and academia were given the 2016 Charles H. Pankow Award for Innovation by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The award was given for a 10-year project, completed in 2014, that provides new ways for concrete flooring to withstand seismic forces. A video celebrating the project debuted at the ceremony and is available on YouTube. Fleischman joined the UA faculty in 2000 and has led several influential research projects, published research papers and taught hundreds of students.

We want to know about your good news. If you, your department or a colleague have 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 or team receiving the honor.
  • Name of the organization granting the honor.
  • A description of the 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 affiliations.

Questions? Contact Amy Williams at 626-4407 or amywilliams@email.arizona.edu.

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