PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 27, No. 14, Feb. 21, 2008

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

business | education | engineering | FAA | LAS | library | public affairs | vetmed

business

Jeffrey R. Brown, professor of finance, was nominated by President Bush Feb. 12 to serve on the board of trustees for the nation’s Social Security and Medicare programs, the White House announced.

If approved by the Senate, Brown will serve a four-year term as one of two public trustees, first added in 1984 to increase public confidence in the programs. The six-member oversight board also includes the secretaries of treasury, labor, and health and human services and the commissioner of Social Security.

The board monitors the financial status of the two major entitlement programs to ensure their trust funds are properly managed, presenting annual reports to Congress that forecast spending and revenue for more than 75 years.

education

Richard W. Justice, clinical professor of educational organization and leadership, and former director of the Office for Student Conflict Resolution and associate dean of students, has been awarded the Donald D. Gehring Award for exceptional individual contributions to the field of student judicial affairs by the Association for Student Judicial Affairs. He received the award at the international conference celebrating the association’s 20th anniversary in Clearwater Beach, Fla., on Feb. 9. Justice has been actively involved with the association since its inception, including serving on the association’s board of directors and legislative affairs committee, as seventh circuit representative, and presenting regularly at regional and international conferences.

engineering

Roman Boulatov, professor of chemistry, has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his proposal, “Physical organic approach to obtaining chemomechanical reaction parameters of diverse functional groups.”  The program offers the foundation’s “most prestigious awards in support of the early-career development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization.”  

Ioannis Chasiotis and Joanna M. Austin, professors of aerospace engineering, have been recognized with career-development awards. Chasiotis was selected for an National Science Foundation CAREER award from the Materials Design and Surface Engineering Program at the National Science Foundation. Austin recently received a Young Investigator Award from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

fine and applied arts

Sherban Lupu, professor of violin, received an honorary degree (Doctor Honoris Causa) from the University Al.I.Cuza in Iasi, the oldest university in Romania. The degree was awarded in a ceremony in Iasi on Dec. 6. Lupu was recognized for his worldwide performance and research activities. During the formal awards ceremony, Lupu presented a lecture on George Enescu’s violin music. Lupu also performed the Alban Berg violin concerto with the Iasi Philharmonic Orchestra and gave master classes for the students of the university.

liberal arts and sciences

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

Gardner and Imlay were among 38 scientists from seven countries honored for 2008. Fellows are elected annually through a peer-review process based on records of scientific achievement and contributions to the microbiology field.

Gardner’s research focuses on the genetics and biochemistry of DNA binding proteins. He teaches microbial genetics.

Imlay, who is a Romano scholar and associate director of graduate affairs in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, has focused his research on the molecular mechanisms of oxidative damage; cellular defenses against oxidants; and obligate anaerobiosis. He teaches advanced biochemistry.

James B. Kaler, professor emeritus of astronomy, was awarded the American Astronomical Society 2008 Education Prize. The prize recognizes Kaler for his outstanding contributions to the education of the public, students and the next generation of professional astronomers. As a professional research astronomer, he has studied stellar evolution, including planetary nebulae – the colorful remnants of dying stars. Kaler was cited for his significant contributions to many aspects of astronomy education throughout his career including his textbooks, other astronomy books, and a popular Web site with a wealth of useful material regularly consulted by astronomy teachers and students.

John Katzenellenbogen, Swanlund professor of chemistry, has won the 2008 Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest.  The award was given for Katzenellenbogen’s pioneering work on the structure, function and use of estrogen ligands and steroid receptors for analytical and biomedical diagnostic applications. Katzenellenbogen will receive the Esselen Medal and a $5,000 award at a ceremony at the meeting of the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society on April 17.

Ken Schweizer, professor of chemistry and of chemical and biomolecular engineering, was awarded the Polymer Physics Prize of the American Physical Society, the highest honor in physical polymer science awarded in the U.S. He was cited for his “outstanding theoretical contributions to the fundamental understanding of structure and dynamics in polymer melts, polymer blends, polymer-particle composites and glasses.”

Christina White, professor of chemistry, has received the 2008-2009 Pfizer Award for Creativity in Organic Chemistry. This award is given annually to members of the organic chemistry community who have distinguished themselves through significant creative contributions to the area of organic chemistry research and through excellence in graduate student training.  She also has been named the recipient of the 2008-2009 Bristol Myers Squibb Unrestricted Grant in Synthetic Organic Chemistry.  As part of the award, White will participate in a two-day symposium and present a lecture at BMS in the spring.

library

Shuyong Jiang has been selected to receive the 2008 Association of College and Research Libraries Samuel Lazerow Fellowship for Research in Technical Services or Acquisitions. Jiang, along with researcher Ping Situ of the University of Arizona, was selected for the award for a research project on vendor-provided records and the experience of a research library in outsourcing cataloging service for its Chinese language materials, including its backlogs. A $1,000 award and a plaque will be presented during the American Library Association’s annual conference in June.

Two library faculty members have been selected in a highly competitive process to participate in the Association of College and Research Libraries Institute for Information Literacy Immersion Program this summer. Kirstin Dougan, professor of library administration and music user services coordinator for the Music Library, has been selected for the Teacher Track. Paula Carns, professor of library administration and Spanish/Italian/ Portuguese librarian for the Modern Languages and Linguistics Library, has been selected for the Program Track. 

The immersion program provides instruction librarians with the opportunity to work intensively for 4 1/2 days on all aspects of information literacy.

public affairs

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 UI. Kaler will be presented the award at the Moms Weekend kick-off dinner April 11. Since 1977, the medallion has been given to a woman affiliated in some way with the UI. Nominations are solicited from deans, directors and departments on campus.

A supporter of her nomination said: “We could not have a better advocate for education or ambassador for the university. She truly understands the complexities of a major research institution and is able to articulate our work.”

veterinary medicine

Marie-Claude Hofmann, professor of veterinary biosciences, received an Independent Scientist Award from the National Institutes of Health.

The award is intended to foster the development of outstanding scientists and enable them to expand their potential to make significant contributions to their field of research. It provides three, four or five years of salary support and protected time for newly independent scientists who demonstrate the need for a period of intensive research focus as a means of enhancing their research careers.

Hofmann’s current research seeks to answer questions about stem cell biology using spermatogonial stem cells as a model.

Humphrey Yao, professor of veterinary biosciences, will receive the 2008 New Investigator Award at the annual meeting for the Society for the Study of Reproduction in May 2008. At the meeting, he also will make a presentation showcasing his research.

This award recognizes members of the society for outstanding research completed and published within 10 years after receiving a Ph.D. or other equivalent professional degree. Criteria include originality, conceptual breakthrough, contribution and significance to the field and development of new methodology, technology or clinical procedures.

The research focus of Yao’s laboratory is to understand the fundamental process for the formation of sex organs in mammals.

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