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The Peace Corps recognized the University of Houston
as the top historical volunteer-producing campus in Houston with
217 alumni volunteers since 1961.
 Charles
Henry, College of Pharmacy business administrator, received
the 2005 Charles F. McElhinney Distinguished Service Award, UH’s
highest staff honor. Henry, Staff Council vice president, will begin
his third term as the council’s president on Sept. 1. He held
the position from 1998 through 2000. Henry, who joined UH in 1979,
is a founding member of the Campus Cougars Alumni Association, a
staff constituent group of the Houston Alumni Organization.
Alumni
Mohamad Halawi (’05) was named a Jack
Kent Cooke Scholar and will receive $300,000 in scholarships over
six years. He also earned a 2005 Merage Foundation for the American
Dream Fellowship, which recognizes promising immigrants and awards
a $20,000 stipend. The Phi Kappa Phi honor society awarded him
a Walter and Adelheid Hohenstein Fellow and a graduate fellowship.
Halawi will attend medical school upon completion of a yearlong
National Institutes of Health fellowship.
Sean Hill (’03) was named a 2005 Bush
Artist Fellow, which carries a $44,000 stipend to support his
work in poetry.
Jani J. Maselli (’94), attorney and adjunct
professor of legal analysis, research and communication at the
UH Law Center, received the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’
Alumni Humanitarian Award in honor of her work representing death-row
inmates.
Carl S. Richie II (’89), city of Austin’s
Housing Authority board member, received the Southwest Regional
Council of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment’s
Commissioner’s Service Award for outstanding leadership.
Faculty/Staff
Edward Albee, Distinguished Professor of Theatre,
received a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in theater.
UH presented Staff Excellence Awards to Mary Brantley,
Faculty Senate staff associate; Tung Manh Ho,
journey locksmith in the Department of Residential Life and Housing;
Anna “Cuc” Nguyen, head cashier in
the College of Optometry’s University Eye Institute; Cecilio
San Miguel, lead carpenter in the Department of Physical
Plant; Floyd Robinson, Health Center director;
and Rebecca Szwarc, administrative assistant
in the Department of Residential Life and Housing.
Suncica Canic, professor of mathematics, received
a 2005 Top Houston Women in Technology Award from the Association
for Women in Computing for her career achievements.
Rebekah Connally, academic advising specialist
in the Division of University Studies, received UH’s 2005
George Magner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Academic Advising.
Nick Flynn, assistant professor of English,
received the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for the Art of the Memoir
for his book “Another Bullshit Night in Suck City.”
The Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded
a grant, totaling more than $800,000, to three professors to study
DNA probes for detecting emerging or engineered pathogens. Yuriy
Fofanov, assistant professor of computer science and
of biology and biochemistry and director of the UH Bioinformatics
Lab, is the principal investigator.
Co-investigators are George Fox, professor of
biology and biochemistry and adjunct professor of chemical engineering,
and Richard C. Willson, professor of chemical
engineering and professor of biology and biochemistry.
The Senegalese Agency for Telecommunications Regulations appointed
Alex Freundlich, research professor of physics
and a Texas Center for Advanced Materials project leader, to the
International Scientific Council for Veille Telecom magazine.
Freundlich also presented a speech, “Photovoltaics: An Answer
to the Energy-Telecommunications Dilemma of Rural Africa,”
at the Third Annual Conference of West African Telecom Regulators.
Rebecca Lee, assistant professor of health and
human performance, received a $3 million five-year National Institutes
of Health grant to study the effects of neighborhood environment
and group support on physical activity among African-American
and Hispanic women.
Simon C. Moss, M.D. Anderson Distinguished Professor
of Physics, received the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society’s
(TMS) 2007 William Hume-Rothery Award for his leadership and contributions
to the science of alloys. Moss also was selected to organize and
present a keynote address and paper at the 136th TMS Annual Meeting.
Haluk Ogmen, department chair and professor
of electrical and computer engineering, was invited to serve as
a member of the National Institutes of Health’s Central
Visual Processing Study Section, Center for Scientific Review.
John David Powell, assistant to the chancellor/president
for communication, won first place in the Houston Press Club’s
Lone Star Award in the category of Internet opinion writing for
the fifth year in a row.
Jerald W. Strickland, assistant vice chancellor
for international studies and programs and director of the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools Reaffirmation of Accreditation
at UH, received the Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service
from the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry
for his devotion and service to optometric education and the delivery
of eye and vision care services to the citizens of Missouri and
the region. The UH Faculty Senate also presented Strickland with
a plaque honoring him for outstanding leadership.
Students
The UH student chapter of the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) received high honors
at the IEEE Region Five Conference. For the second consecutive
year, the organization won all four awards for which it was eligible.
Professor and adviser Ovidiu Crisan received
the award for the Outstanding Student Branch Counselor of the
Year. Professor David Jackson received the Outstanding
Educator of the Year Award. Wahad Mehmood received
the Outstanding Student Member of the Year Award. The student
branch took home the award for Outstanding Large Student Branch
of the Year.
Barbara Nishae Brooks, technology leadership
and supervision student, and Irene Cooperstein Cole,
math and computer science student, were awarded a $10,000 Kathi
Bowles Scholarship from the Association for Women in Computing.
Computer science student Jonathan Dowdall has advanced to the
Imagine Cup 2005 U.S. Software Design Invitational world semifinals
in the visual gaming category with their Team ContAInment. Computer
science students and team members Thomas Nguyen,
Pavan Podila and Puneet Sarda
also placed first regionally in the competition, which is sponsored
by Microsoft.
Mechanical engineering student Sandy Geffert
is one of 20 national recipients of the NASA Harriett G. Jenkins
Predoctoral Fellowship Program.
In the 29th Semiannual Texas Center for Superconductivity at
UH Student Symposium, Prashant Gijavanekar, materials engineering
student, placed first; Hong-Yi Chen, physics
student, placed second; and Hugo Sanabria and
Xiangkun Yu, both physics students, tied for
third place.
The Smithsonian Institution awarded history student Trinidad
Gonzales a Latino Studies Fellowship.
The College of Pharmacy took first place again in the American
Pharmacists Association National Patient Counseling Competition.
Dana Hausmann won the contest.
History student Sonia Hernandez was named the
Northeastern Consortium for Faculty Diversity Visiting Dissertation
Scholar.
History student Jimmy Patino received the Ford
Foundation Predoctoral Diversity Fellowship.
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UHD
inaugurated its Information Center located on the
third floor of the One Main Building. The center provides information
to visitors and students.
The National Science Foundation has granted $240,000 to the College
of Sciences and Technology for a Quadrapole mass spectrometer
or a mass thermal analyzer. The tool will greatly enhance student
and faculty research in chemistry, geology and geosciences.
Administrators at Houston PREP, a UHD summer preparatory
and enrichment program in engineering, mathematics, science and
technology for middle and high school students, will make a presentation
on the program’s success at the National Council for Community
and Education Partnerships’ conference. The UHD Center for
Computational Sciences and Advanced Distributed Simulation administers
Houston PREP.
 Jacek
Turski, professor of mathematical science, was invited
to attend the semester program Modern Methods of Time Frequency
Analysis at The Erwin Schrodinger International Institute for Mathematical
Physics in Vienna, Austria. The Journal of Fourier Analysis and
Applications cited his article “Image Processing and Analysis
for the Silicon Retina Sensors” as its second most viewed
article. He made a presentation on the application of his research
in human-like robotic visual systems at the Society for Industrial
and Applied Mathematics Conference on Mathematics for Industry.
Alumni
Colin Fletcher (’05) was accepted into
Rice University Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management’s
master of business administration program for fall 2005.
Carmen Galvan (’04) and Melinda
Harkness (’03) were admitted into Texas Tech University
School of Medicine for fall 2005.
Jeeba Kuriakose (’05) and Larry
Bellot (’04) have been accepted into the University
of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston’s microbiology and
immunology graduate program.
Naresha Perryurban (’05) published her
first children’s book, “Zora’s Valentine,”
during her final semester as a UHD student. She teaches resource
language arts.
Vedangi Sample (’03) was accepted into
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Division of Clinical
Pharmacology.
Faculty/Staff
Joanne Pavletich, associate professor and director
of composition, will begin her term as a Fulbright Scholar at
the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar in January 2006.
Her research will focus on how the Malagasy view African-American
culture. She also will teach and advise graduate students.
David Beck Ryden, assistant professor of history,
was awarded a funded faculty leave to research a book on the British
slave trade and the economic and political developments that occurred
in the Caribbean sugar colonies.
Three members of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department of English received the 2004-2005 UHD Faculty Awards:
Nell Sullivan, associate professor, service award;
Kathryn Laity, assistant professor, scholarly
and professional activity award; Jane Creighton,
associate professor, teaching award. Anisul Islam,
professor of economics, was honored with the first Elias Deeba
Award in recognition of receiving all three faculty awards.
Students
BMC Software Inc. awarded to the College of Business
11 scholarships, four of which were named in honor of the late
Bobby Bizzell, the business college’s former dean. Recipients
of the Bizell scholarships are César A. Ramirez,
international business student; Robert M. Snyder,
finance student; Alexey Kurochkin, computer science
and marketing student; and Vicki J. Zahan, finance
student.
Business student Michele R. Wilson received
a Beta Gamma Sigma scholarship for her academic performance.
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UH-Clear
Lake is one of 10 institutions to receive the Council of
Graduate Schools/Sloan Professional Science Master’s Implementation
Award to help support programs in the sciences and mathematics.
The E.A. Smith Family YMCA honored President William A.
Staples for his commitment to the community. UH-Clear Lake
signed an agreement with Universidad La Salle in Mexico City to
develop study abroad, reciprocal student and faculty exchange programs.
The American Association of University Administrators (AAUA) presented
its Exemplary Model Award to UH-Clear Lake’s Success
Through Education Program. Glenn A. Goerke,
professor of educational leadership and former president of UH-Clear
Lake and UH, received AAUA’s Eileen Tosney Award.
Kevin McNamara, associate professor of literature,
received a Fulbright Fellowship to spend the 2005-2006 academic
year at Ege University in Izmir, Turkey. He is serving as a full
professor in Ege University's Department of American Literature
and Culture, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, advising
students on their research and assisting with program development.
Alumni
Barbara Eubank (’88) and Ruth Woodall
(’88) received the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent
School District’s Campus Teacher of the Year awards. Eubank,
reading peer facilitator at William B. Travis Elementary, also
received the $1,000 Amegy Bank/Baytown Sun Teaching Award. Woodall
teaches at Alamo Elementary.
Robert T. Pennington (’01) was named the
city of Palestine’s finance director.
Diane Sikkenga (’02) was accepted into
the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program.
Faculty/Staff
The Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society
named Gene Coleman, professor of fitness and
human performance and Houston Astros strength and conditioning
coach, the first recipient of its Nolan Ryan Award in honor of
his accomplishments and integrity.
Dorothea Lerman, associate professor of psychology,
received Behavior Analyst Certification Board approval for the
Applied Behavior Analysis course sequence offered in the School
of Human Sciences and Humanities. Lerman also received a $17,280
grant from Louisiana State University’s Department of Education
for the Autism Early Childhood Training Project.
Bonnie Mackey, assistant professor of early
childhood education, co-authored the book “Collaborating
for Real Literacy: Librarian, Teacher and Principal.”
Lee Revere, assistant professor of decision
sciences, and Ken Black, professor of decision
sciences, received the American College of Healthcare Executives
(ACHE) 2005 Edgar C. Hayhow Award for their article “Integrating
Six Sigma with Total Quality Management: A Case Example for Measuring
Medication Errors.” The article appeared in ACHE’s
Journal of Healthcare Management.
Randy Seevers, associate professor of special
education, was an invited professor in Singapore as part of its
Ministry of Education’s Training in Special Needs policy
initiative. Simone Tiu was named executive director
of the UHCL Office of Institutional Effectiveness. Tiu was the
assistant director for institutional effectiveness at Texas A&M
University.
Students
The student chapter of the Association for Childhood
Education International (ACEI) received Best Fund Raiser,
Best Children’s Event/Community Service and the Elizabeth
Breathwaite Mini-Grant awards. UH-Clear Lake’s ACEI President
Marlene Morgan also won the Elizabeth Breathwaite
Student Leadership Award.
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Texas
Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation recognized the Office
of Financial Aid as a pilot school for its Awards by Web
program. Administrators signed a memorandum of understanding that
will allow UHV students to earn college credit while studying in
Mexico’s Universidad Internacional.
President Tim Hudson has been nominated to serve
on the boards of directors of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, the
Victoria Economic Development Corporation and Victoria’s DeTar
Hospital.
Celena McGuill, Katy Mills’ marketing director;
Susan Armstrong Cain, vice president of marketing
and sales for Armstrong Warehouse and Transfer Inc.; and Jan
Clarke Jacob, retired educator, were appointed to the President’s
Advisory Council for three-year terms.
Letting Education Achieve Dreams (LEAD) staff
members were selected to present at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board’s 21st Annual Recruitment and Retention Conference.
Participants included Margaret Rice, Office of
Student Development and Regional Outreach director; Rachel
Trevino-Garcia, LEAD and Office of Career Services coordinator;
Ersilia Garcia, LEAD education awareness coordinator;
Kerry Mix, coordinator of LEAD ambassadors; and
Patricia Martinez, LEAD ambassador.
UH-Victoria joined the Texas International Education Consortium,
the largest group of Texas public universities focusing on international
issues.
 Jane
Fry, associate professor of education, was named editor of the
Texas Reading Report for 2005-06 by the board of directors of the
Texas Reading Association, for which she also serves as secretary.
Fry teaches pre-service and in-service teachers how to help their
students enjoy reading.
Alumni
Linda Light (’93) was chosen as Victoria
Independent School District Teacher of the Year. She teaches at
Juan Linn Math and Science Magnet School.
Karen Soehnge (’86, ’94) was named
Houston Independent School District’s chief academic officer.
Faculty/Staff
Cam Caldwell, assistant professor of business
management, and alumna Linda Richards (’05) co-authored
papers accepted for publication in a special edition of the Journal
of Business Ethics. The papers’ titles are “Principal
Theory and Principle Theory: Ethical Governance from the Followers’
Perspective” and “Ethics and the Auditing Culture:
Rethinking the Foundation of Accounting and Auditing.”
Carole Parks, UHV Small Business Development
Center (SBDC) director, was recognized for outstanding service
as an inaugural member of the Counselor Certification Committee
of the South- West Texas Border Region SBDC.
Rachel Trevino-Garcia, Office of Career Services
and Letting Education Achieve Dreams coordinator, and Eunice
Mesa, assistant in the Office of Career Services, attended
the Houston- Area Consortium Career Centers retreat.
Students
Business student Bridgett Bentley received the
2004 International Applied Business Research Conference’s
Best Paper Award for “The Efficacy of Remedial Education
Programs on Houston’s At-Risk Youth,” which was co-written
by Gbolahan Solomon Osho, UH-Downtown lecturer. The Journal of
College Teaching and Learning published the paper.
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