Show Printable VersionOf Note 2007
November 2007
FACULTY/STAFF
Jerald Strickland, assistant vice chancellor for international studies and programs, was elected Distinguished Scholar in the National Academies of Practice in Optometry for his significant and enduring contributions to health care practice. Strickland also is director of UH reaffirmation of accreditation for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. He also served as interim senior vice chancellor/senior vice president for academic affairs and provost and dean and professor in the College of Optometry. The National Academies of Practice is composed of 10 academies representing health care practices. Only 150 active distinguished practitioners may be members of each academy.
INSTITUTIONAL
The Cullen College of Engineering received a $600,000 National Science Foundation grant to provide scholarships for students in the college’s accelerated Bachelor of Science to graduate degree program. The program combines coursework for the bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and/or Ph.D.
ALUMNI
W. Benjamin “Ben” Fry, (’72) has been appointed president of the Texas State Board of Pharmacy by Gov. Rick Perry.
Dong Liang (’95), associate professor at Texas Southern University, has been appointed chair at Texas Southern University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences’ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Liang also was awarded an $838,600 U.S. Department of Defense research grant for his project titled “Predictors of Survival: Chemotherapy in Ovarian Cancer.”
Denise Martinez (’06) was named the Houston Area Pharmacy Association’s 2007 Young Pharmacist of the Year.
FACULTY/STAFF
Yuhua Chen, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, was awarded a three-year, $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop technology leading to the next-generation Internet infrastructure, making telemedicine and telesurgery possible in the future.
Agnes DeFranco, assistant vice president for undergraduate studies, was installed as immediate past president of Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals. DeFranco is also professor of hotel and restaurant management.
Meredith Duncan, research law professor, had her article “In-House Counsel’s Ethical Obligations When Supervising Non-lawyer Assistants” published in Volume 87 of the Bureau of National Affairs Inc.’s Corporate Practice Series.
Victor Flatt, A.L. O’Quinn Chair in Environmental Law, will be the keynote speaker at the Washington Bar Association’s Environmental and Land Use Law Section mid-year meeting. Flatt also will address the American College of Architects national meeting. Flatt’s article on U.S. climate change legislation has been accepted for publication in the Northwestern University Law Review Colloquy.
Kevin W. Garey, associate professor of pharmacy, has received several grants for his research on infectious diseases, including $112,000 from Viropharma, $77,000 from Salix Pharmaceuticals and $75,000 from AstraZeneca.
David Francis, Department of Psychology chair and Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics director, received an honorary degree from Moscow University.
Lonny Hoffman’s article “Burdens of Jurisdictional Proof” was accepted for publication by the University of Alabama Law Review. Hoffman is Butler Research Professor at the UH Law Center.
Ming Hu, professor of pharmacy, has received a $186,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study chemoprevention of lung cancer with Anti-tumor B. She also received a $75,000 grant to investigate biological and pharmaceutical considerations in herbal and supplemental product standardization. The Gustavus & Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation awarded the grant.
Paul Janicke, professor of law, had his commentary on the congressional patent law reform effort published in Max Planck Institute journal.
Craig Joyce, professor of law and co-director of the Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law, was appointed to the LexisNexis Law School Publishing Advisory Board.
Kishore Mohanty, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is being recognized as a Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Member for 2007. The designation goes to those “whose achievements and/or service to the society are deemed worthy of special recognition.”
Michael A. Olivas, William B. Bates Distinguished Chair of Law and the Institute of Higher Education Law & Governance director, was appointed to the American Bar Association Council Section on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar’s Special Committee on Security of Position.
Gordon L. Paul, Hugh Roy & Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor of Psychology, presented a lecture titled “Complex Recovery: Assessment and Strategies,” at the Thresholds Science, Service and Recovery Conference.
Cambridge University Press has published Jordon Paust’s book “Beyond the Law: The Bush Administration’s Unlawful Responses in the War on Terror.” Paust is the Mike and Teresa Baker Law Center Professor.
Ben Sheppard, director of the A.A. White Dispute Resolution Center at the UH Law Center, has been named to the Center for American and International Law Institute for Transnational Arbitration’s Academic Council.
Jerald Strickland, assistant vice chancellor for international studies and programs, was elected Distinguished Scholar in the National Academies of Practice in Optometry for his signifi ant and enduring contributions to health care practice. Strickland also is director of UH reaffi rmation of accreditation for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. He also served as interim senior vice chancellor/senior vice president for academic affairs and provost and dean and professor in the College of Optometry. The National Academies of Practice is composed of 10 academies representing health care practices. Only 150 active distinguished practitioners may be members of each academy.
Julianna Szilagyi, associate professor of pharmacy, and Jessica L. White, clinical assistant professors of pharmacy, were recognized among the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s 2007 Teachers of the Year.
Diana Velardo, supervising attorney of the Immigration Clinic at the UH Law Center, was a guest speaker at the Coalition Against Human Trafficking and Rescue and Restore’s Health Care Conference.
Sandra G. Webb, program manager for the UH Historically Underutilized Business Program, was named Small Business Advocate of the Year at the Houston area Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week. MED is a U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Development Agency initiative. In Houston, the Houston Minority Business Enterprise Center and its partners presented MED Week 2007.
STUDENTS
Sarah Garnaat, Justin Springer and Kaela Wilson, clinical graduate students in the Department of Psychology, each had research submissions independently selected for presentation at the Thresholds Science, Service and Recovery Conference.
Andrew Laegeler, pharmacy undergraduate, received the Houston Area Pharmacy Association 2007 Student of the Year Award and the Gulf Coast Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2007 Outstanding Student Award.
Rashim Singh, pharmaceutical graduate student, received a $30,000 fellowship from the Gulf Coast Consortia. Singh’s research is on fl avonoid metabolism under the supervision of pharmacy professor Ming Hu.
FACULTY/STAFF
JéAnna Abbott, Spec’s Charitable Foundation Professor in Social Responsibility at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, was one of only two people chosen nationally to participate in a weeklong faculty internship program, sponsored by Hyatt Hotels and Resorts. The internship matches faculty interests with company objectives, providing experiences so they can implement what they learned in the classroom.
Sharon Bode, Dietetic Internship Program director and associate clinical professor of health and human performance, received the 2007-2008 Houston Area Dietetic Association (HADA) Outstanding Dietetics Educator Award. She is the HADA’s nominee for the
Texas Dietetic Association Award.
Two faculty members of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture recently have published books relating to their field. Jeffrey Brown, assistant professor, wrote “Powers Brown Architecture: NeoArchitecture.” Rafael Longoria, professor, co-edited “The Green Braid: Towards an Architecture of Ecology, Economy and Equity.”
Juanita Copley, professor of curriculum and instruction, was named mathematics consultant for the national HeadStart program.
Robbie Evans, Urban Experience Program director, received a plaque from Alpha Phi Alpha for her “outstanding work” with the student body.
Jerome Freiberg, professor of education, celebrates the 30th anniversary of the publication Journal of Classroom Interaction, which he edits.
Gino Lim, professor of advanced linear optimization, received the Moving Spirit Award from the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science.
Dmitri Litvinov, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and of chemical and biomolecular engineering, was invited to serve as an associate editor of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. Transactions on Nanotechnology journal and joined the Open Applied Physics Journal editorial board. He also received the Cullen College of Engineering 2007 Junior Faculty Research Award.
Richard Liu, professor of electrical and computer engineering, was selected to serve on the National Academy of Science Committee on Radiation Source Use and Replacement.
Stuart Long, professor of electrical and computer engineering, was appointed to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Region IV board of directors. Long also is associate dean of undergraduate research and of The Honors College.
Gretta McClain, manager of general accounting operations, received the Division of Administration and Finance President’s Award.
David Mikics, professor of renaissance literature, had his book “A New Handbook of Literary Terms” published.
Dale Pease, professor emeritus in health and human performance, received the Honor Award from The Texas Association for Health, Physical Education Recreation and Dance. The award, which is the association’s second-highest honor, recognizes people who “demonstrate leadership, achieve excellence and represent the education profession well.”
Tyler Priest, professor of management and director of Global Studies in the C.T. Bauer College of Business, will receive the 2007 Geosciences in the Media Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists for his book “The Offshore Imperative: Shell Oil’s Search for Petroleum in Postwar America.” The award is given annually to recognize a journalistic work that contributes to the public understanding of geology, energy resources or the technology of oil and gas exploration.
Arlene Ramirez, lecturer in the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, spoke at the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) Annual Tradeshow and Convention. She also developed the first module of the Accounting Certificate Program that HFTP will launch this fall. The program is aimed at enevel staff to demonstrate competency in different areas.
Kamel Salama, professor of mechanical engineering, was inducted into the Materials Information Society 2007 Class of Fellows in recognition for his distinguished contributions to
materials science and engineering.
Stowe Shoemaker, associate dean of research and Donald Hubbs Professorship in the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, presented a session on pricing to the 2007 Revenue Conference. Shoemaker also had two books published, “Marketing Essentials in Hospitality and Tourism: Foundations and Practices” and “Marketing Leadership
in Hospitality and Tourism: Strategies and Tactics for a Competitive Advantage.”
Robert K. Wimpelberg, College of Education dean, has been elected to the Texas Public Education Reform Foundation board of directors.
Joanne Jung-Eun Yoo, assistant professor of hotel and restaurant management, was invited to join the Journal of Convention and Event Tourism editorial board.
STUDENTS
Allegra McGrew, doctoral educational leadership student, has been invited to speak at the Association of Texas Professional Educators annual conference.
Blanca Snyder, doctoral educational leadership student, has been selected to participate in the 28th Annual Graduate Student Policy Seminar.
Ogechi Ukazu, Moores School of Music student, was awarded a Preparatory and Continuing Studies Teaching Internship to teach a program on instruments of the band and orchestra at the after-school program at Yellowstone Academy. This internship is in conjunction with the Abiola Initiative in Music Education.
August 2007
INSTITUTIONAL
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at the University of Houston was honored with the Buildings Magazine Citation of Excellence Award, while the UH Welcome Center was the recipient of the publication’s Projects Innovations Award. Each will be featured in the October issue of the magazine.
ALUMNI
Ed Horton (’74), owner of Tanglewood Pharmacy, was installed as Texas Pharmacy Association president.
Lourdes M. Cuellar (’73, ’79), was re-elected as president of the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists Research & Education Foundation.
Carrie M. Sacky (’80) received the Texas Pharmacy Association Pharmacy Enhancement Award for rendering exceptional service to support the pharmacy profession through industry public media.
FACULTY/STAFF
Kim K. Birtcher, clinical associate professor of pharmacy, was awarded diplomate status with the Accreditation Council for Clinical Lipidology. Birtcher is one of the first pharmacists in the nation to earn the clinical lipid specialist credential.
Joel Bloom, associate professor of health and human performance, was selected chair of the Mayor of Houston’s Wellness Council Senior Wellness Committee.
Diana Shu-Lian Chow, associate professor of pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences, received a $45,000 grant from the Gillson Longenbaugh Foundation for her research into the treatment of breast cancer.
The International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER), in collaboration with KPMG, awarded $25,000 to Kaye Newberry, professor of accounting, and her research team. The award was one of five given worldwide as part of IAAER’s Research on Defining, Recognizing and Measuring Liabilities grant program.
The U.S. Office of Naval Research awarded a $400,000 grant to Kirill Larin, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering, to develop a noninvasive tool that can diagnose decompression sickness for scuba divers, submarines and airplane pilots. Larin also was selected to participate in the Office of Naval Research's Young Investigator program.
Stuart Long, associate dean of educational activities in the Cullen College of Engineering, received the Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.’s Antennas & Propagation Society Outstanding Service Award. Long also is professor of electrical and computer engineering and associate dean of undergraduate research and of The Honors College.
Norma Olvera, associate professor of health and human performance, received the Houston chapter of Phi Delta Kappa’s Advocate for Education 2007 Bridge to the Future Award. The organization promotes high-quality education, in particular, publicly supported education.
Gerhard Paskusz, electrical and chemical engineering professor emeritus, received the DuPont Minorities in Engineering Award from the American Society for Engineering Education. The award honors an engineering educator who shows leadership in the conception, organization and operation of pre-college and college activities designed to increase participation of underrepresented students in engineering and engineering technology.
AstraZeneca awarded a $219,000 grant to Vincent H. Tam, assistant professor of pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences, to investigate the use mathematical modeling and simulation of microbial response to antimicrobial agents.
Jerry J. Waite, associate professor of information and logistics technology, received the International Graphic Arts Education Association Fred J. Hartman Award. The award recognizes outstanding service to the organization and contributions and accomplishments in graphic arts teaching, research and/or service.
STUDENTS
Pharmacy students earned awards and other honors. Kandi Icenhower and Simi Bassett won first and second place, respectively, in the Patient Counseling Competition at the Texas Pharmacy Association’s (TPA) annual meeting. Ngocanh (Jennifer) Phan placed second in the TPA Innovative Pharmacy Project competition for “Proper Assessment of Smoking Status for Hospitalized Patients.”
The C. T. Bauer College of Business’ National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) Chapter took first place at the NABA National Case Study Competition—the first time that a team from a non-historically African American college won. George Gamble, professor of accounting, coached the team. Student team members were Jerrica Lewis, Ayodeji Ebunlomo, Chrystal Osborne, Brittany Washington and Brittany Webb.
INSTITUTIONAL
The UH Welcome Center and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at UH were chosen to appear as outstanding designs in the American School & University Educational Interiors Showcase August edition. The Mitchell Center was honored for interior renovation. The Welcome Center was commended for outstanding design in the Student Centers/Service Areas Category. UH also received the Associated Masonry Contractors of Houston Golden Trowel Award for Design Excellence in the Use of Masonry for an Educational Facility Category for the Welcome Center and parking garage.
ALUMNI
Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Ruby Kless Sondock (’61) received the Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism Sandra Day O’Connor Award for Professional Excellence.
FACULTY/STAFF
William Dupre, associate professor of geosciences, and Randolph Thummel, professor of chemistry, were awarded the 2007 College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics John C. Butler Excellence in Teaching Award.
Marc Garbey, chair and professor of computer science; Victoria Hilford, instructional assistant professor of computer science; and student Sravan Vadakattu received the Best Paper Award in the data engineering track for “WIMI-Web Interface to Medical Information” at the Software Engineering and Data Engineering Conference.
Kishore Mohanty, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, will receive the 2007
Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Member Award.
Laura Oren’s paper “Honor Thy Mother?: The Supreme Court’s Jurisprudence of Motherhood” was listed on Social Science Research Network’s top 10 download list for women, gender and the law. Oren is a Law Foundation Professor of Law and co-director of the Center for Children, Law & Policy.
Julie Martin Trenor, research and instructional assistant professor and director of undergraduate student recruitment and retention for the Cullen College of Engineering, was appointed to the Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network board of directors.
Staff members in the Office of University Relations received numerous state, local and national awards. Creative Services and University Marketing offices received the Texas Public Relations Association (TPRA) Best of Texas Silver Award for the University of Houston Magazine fall 2006 inaugural edition in the External Magazine Category. The offices also garnered the National Admissions Advertising Gold Award in the Annual Report Category for the 2006 President’s Annual Report. The offices also received the National Admissions Advertising Merit Award and the Public Relations Society of America Houston (PRSA Houston) Excalibur Gold Award in the Collateral – Brochure Category for the Be admissions view book.
Phyllis Gillentine, graphic designer 2 in the Office of Creative Services, garnered the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education District IV (CASE) Special Award for design improvement for the University Career Services folder. Doris Huang, graphic designer 2 in the Office of Creative Services, received two International Association of Business Communicators Houston (IABC Houston) merit awards for publication design for the annual report and the admissions view book. Huang and Jo Anne Davis-Jones, managing editor in of the Office of Creative Services, received the PRSA Houston Excalibur Gold Award and the Houston Press Club Lone Star Gold Award for overall publication for the annual report. Thomas Shea, photographer 2 in the Office of Creative Services, received CASE District IV Excellence and Grand awards for color photography and black and white photography, respectively.
The Office of University Marketing received the TPRA Best of Texas Merit, PRSA Houston Gold Excalibur Award and an IABC Bronze Quill Award for The Jump ad campaign summer 2006 series.
The Office of University Relations garnered a CASE District IV Grand Award for Cougar e*Link in the Electronic Newsletters Category. The office also won the Houston Advertising Federation Silver ADDY in the Direct Marketing-Flat Category for the Discover Houston brochure for direct marketing.
Darcie Champagne, university marketing director, received the PRSA Houston Bronze Excalibur Award in the External Communications Category for the alumni communications plan. Greg Holland, marketing manager in the Office of University Marketing, received the IABC Bronze Quill for creative writing of the university’s planned giving ad campaign and a PRSA Houston Excalibur Silver Award in the Electronic Newsletter/E-zine Category for Cougar e*Link.
Lisa Merkl, senior science writer/editor in the Office of University Communication, won an IABC Bronze Quill Award and a PRSA Houston Excalibur Gold Award for news release writing.
Cheryl Amoruso, Justin Dart, Jr. Center for Students with DisABILITIES director, was re-appointed to the Houston Commission on Disability for a two-year term.
Carlo Deason, College of Technology academic adviser 2, was recognized as the Cross-Cultural Studies Program Outstanding Graduate Student for 2006 at UH-Clear Lake School of Human Sciences and Humanities.
STUDENTS
Senior Ebonie Floyd was named the Conference USA Female Athlete of the Year. She is the third Cougar and the first conference track and field athlete to win the award.
Optometry student Juan Menjivar received a Varilux® Student Grant Award from Essilor of America Inc. for his case study.
Construction management student Jason Perez won a silver medal in the 2007 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships.
INSTITUTIONAL
KUHT-TV, HoustonPBS, received numerous awards, including several National Communicator Awards, which honors creative excellence in the communication field.
“Living with the Lion: Childhood Cancer” won a National Communicator Award of Excellence and a Silver Telly. The Telly Awards recognize outstanding local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs as well as video and film productions. “The connection” won a National Communicator Honorable Mention Award.
“Living Smart with Patricia Gras” earned a Silver Telly, a National Communicator Honorable Mention Award, two National Videographer Awards of Excellence and a National Videographer Award of Distinction. The show received the 2007 Texas Medical Association Anson Jones M.D. Citation of Merit Award. This competition honors Texas news media for excellence in communicating health information to the public. The show also was presented with a 40th Worldfest Independent Film Festival Silver Remi Award.
“InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse” and the show “Art is All Around Us: Downtown” featuring Fujio Watanabe received Communicator Awards of Distinction and Bronze Tellys.
The Association for Continuing Higher Education Region VII presented its 2007 Distinguished Non-Credit Program Award to UH Continuing Education for its Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) Accelerated Learning English-as-a Second-Language program. Mercedes Suraty-Clarke is the director of the program, designed for engineers at the petroleum company PDVSA.
FACULTY/STAFF
The “Connecticut Insurance Law Journal” accepted for publication law professor Seth Chandler’s article “Genetically Modified Liability Insurance.” His article “Restricted Non-Cooperative Games” was accepted for publication in Lecture Notes in Computer Science and was presented at the Fifth International Workshop on Computer Algebra Systems and Their Applications at Beijing’s Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Graduate College of Social Work Dean Ira C. Colby was named the U.S. representative to the International Association of Schools of Social Work board of directors.
Paul Janicke, Houston Intellectual Property Law Association Professor of Law and director of the UH Law Center Intellectual Property and Information Law Program, spoke about patent law reform efforts at the Biotechnology Industry Organization Conference. He also was the keynote speaker at the San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association’s annual institute.
Marcus Karl Maroney’s song “Shiloh” was a finalist for the 2007 Sacred Voice competition in the Sacred Song Cycle category. The international competition is for new faith-based vocal compositions.
Beverly McPhail, Women’s Resource Center director, received the 2007 Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council Community Award.
Steven Mintz, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of History and director of the American Cultures Program at UH, was elected president-elect of the Society for the History of Children and Youth, an international organization of scholars. Mintz also received a $45,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant to fund a weeklong digital history seminar at the New York Public Library.
Jordan Paust, Mike and Teresa Baker Law Center Professor, was re-elected to the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict’s executive committee. The “Catholic University Law Review” published his presentation titled “Responding Lawfully to Al Qaeda,” in its 2007 Volume 56 publication.
Susan K. Rogers, visiting assistant professor of architecture and director of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture Community Design Resource Center, was a juror in the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Seventh Annual Student Design Competition.
The University of California-Davis Law Review accepted for publication Sandra Guerra Thompson’s article “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt?: Reconsidering Uncorroborated Eyewitness Identification Testimony.” Her article “Immigration Law and Long-Term Residents: A Missing Chapter in American Criminal Law” appeared in the “Ohio State University Journal of Criminal Law.” Guerra Thompson is Law Foundation Professor of Law and Criminal Justice Institute director.
Alan A. Phillips, purchasing director, received the National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP) Neil D. Markee Communicator of the Year Award. The award recognizes members who make outstanding contribution to the profession through teaching or writing published articles or representing the profession or NAEP to the public.
STUDENTS
Music students Devin Collins and Bradley Sayles are winners of the 2006 Louisa Sarofim composition competition. Collins won the undergraduate division for his “String Quartet No. 2.” Sayles won the graduate division for his “The Lily.”
ALUMNI
Harkishin Aswani (’84), managing director of Tolaram Group, was appointed Singapore’s honorary consul-general to Nigeria.
The Texas Commission on the Arts appointed poet Larry D. Thomas (’70) as the 2008 Texas State Poet Laureate.
Xiuli Wang (’00) received a 2007 Asian American Engineer of the Year Award from the Chinese Institute of Engineers-USA in cooperation with the National Engineers Week Foundation.
FACULTY/STAFF
Vladimir Zaitsev, laboratory supervisor, received the Department of Chemistry Outstanding Staff Award.
Anthony R. Chase, associate professor of law, was reappointed to the Dallas Federal Reserve board of directors for a three-year term. Chase is the board’s deputy chair.
Gary Cheng, assistant professor of engineering technology and assistant professor of industrial engineering, received the 2007 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award.
Richard H. Dickerson, university archivist in the M.D. Anderson Library Special Collections, was appointed to the Houston History Association board of directors.
Augustina Reyes, professor of educational leadership and cultural studies, received a National Museum of Mexican Art Women of Achievement Award.
STUDENTS
The Department of Chemistry recognized outstanding students. The Outstanding Freshman Award was presented to Mackenzie Green. Outstanding Sophomore awards went to Joseph and Timothy Krill and James Writer. Danish Haque and Ngoc Pham received Outstanding Junior awards. Birte Wolff and Saba Javed received Outstanding Senior awards.
The Dr. James R. Cox Scholarship for Synthetic Chemistry was given to Saba Javed. The department presented Outstanding Seniors First Place Major Fields Test awards to Nathaniel Reisinger and Birte Wolff. The department named Laurent Fremond and Dinesha Weeratunga Outstanding First-Year Teaching Assistants and Minh Nguyen, Yu Shin Park and Ramakrishana Ponnapati Outstanding Teaching Assistants for organic chemistry. William Bryan and Dana Gheorghe were named Outstanding Teaching Assistants for the upper-level laboratory. Graduate Research awards went to Hendrich Chiong, Katherine Cimatu, Timothy Fulghum and Marzena Zaczek. Henry Justin Moore received the Research Scholarship.
Gary Bryant, doctoral student in history, received a Mellon Research Fellowship to conduct research at the Virginia Historical Society. Bryant’s research focuses on the increase in wage labor among women in the Confederate South.
Kelly Love, graduate music student, placed second in the Texas Music Educators Association’s graduate division essay contest on music education. Her essay is titled “Concepts in Music Education.”
Julita Rincon, undergraduate student, received the National Museum of Mexican Art Young Visionary Award.
ALUMNI
Xiuli Wang (‘00) received a 2007 Asian American Engineer of the Year Award from the Chinese Institute of Engineers-USA, in cooperation with the National Engineers Week Foundation.
FACULTY/STAFF
Christine Agnew, assistant professor of law, was nominated to serve on the Council of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation.
Janok Bhattacharya, Robert E. Sheriff Professor in Sequence Stratigraphy, will receive the Grover E. Murray Memorial Distinguished Educator Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
Xiaoping Cong’s book “Teachers’ Schools and the Making of the Modern Chinese Nation-State” was published recently. She is an assistant professor of history.
Meredith J. Duncan, George Butler Research Professor of Law, presented her article “Rape Sans Rapist: The Need for Clearer Lines Between Forcible Rape and Nonconsensual Sex” at the Mid-Atlantic People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference held at the University of Richmond School of Law.
Fredell Lack, C.W. Moores Jr. Endowed Professor of Music, received the TexASTA Phyllis Young Outstanding Studio Teacher of the Year Award for 2007. The award recognizes excellence in private studio string teaching.
Aibing Li, assistant professor of geophysics, received a $450,000, five-year National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award, which supports teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the mission of their organization.
Thomas Oldham, John H. Freeman Professor of Law, co-produced a new edition of “Texas Family Code and Related Provisions.”
Michael A. Olivas, William B. Bates Distinguished Chair of Law and Institute of Higher Education Law & Governance director, delivered a paper on germaneness in academic freedom norms at the Association of American Law Schools’ annual meeting.
Ioannis Pavlidis, Eckhard Pfeiffer Professor in the Department of Computer Science, and the Computational Physiology Lab received contracts totaling $1.7 million from the Department of Defense to research the psychophysiology of stress with emphasis on its facial manifestations.
Irene Rosenberg, Royce R. Till Professor of Law, wrote the article “The Bible for Lawyers—Legal Principles in the Story of Creation,” which has been accepted for publication by the Criminal Law Bulletin.
STUDENTS
Kelly Love, graduate music student, placed second in the Texas Music Educators Association’s graduate division essay contest on music education. Her essay is titled “Concepts in Music Education.”
FACULTY/STAFF
Rudy Casparius, senior lecturer in the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management and director of the Latin American Hotel and Hospitality Management programs, received the Angel of Merit medal from Mexico’s Cessa University. The award recognizes his lifetime contributions to the hospitality industry and education.
Sara Haynes, manager of donor and alumni records in the Division of University Advancement, was named president of the Texas Gulf Coast Affiliate of the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization board of directors.
Rupa Iyer, director of Biotechnology Programs and research associate professor in the College of Technology, was awarded a $141,156 grant from the National Science Foundation for the development of two undergraduate biotechnology laboratory courses.
Jeremy Pettit, assistant professor of psychology, received a $525,000 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study factors that predict depression in teenagers, as well as the transmission of parental depression to children.
Lynn Simpson, clinical associate professor of pharmacy and executive vice chair of pharmacy practice, will receive the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists’ Outstanding Chapter Adviser Award.
STUDENTS
Maureen Alika, Gloria Orozco and Mesias Pedroza received awards for research they presented at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students organized by the American Society for Microbiology.
INSTITUTIONAL
The Black Leadership Network (BLN), an organization of African-American faculty and staff, received The Texas Association of Partners in Education Gold Award in the Texas Collegiate Partnership category for The Event, the organization’s college readiness conference. The award recognizes BLN as a leader in developing innovative partnerships with schools.
The UH Writing Center received a $250,000 grant from the Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation to broaden research and implementation of its Writing in the Disciplines initiative.
ALUMNI
The Texas Pharmacy Association named Texas Rep. Chuck Hopson (‘65) Pharmacist of the Year; Stephanie Erwin (‘02) Young Pharmacist of the Year; and /UH%20-%20Web%20Site/uh-today-new/applause/of-note/of-note-2007/index(‘91) Outstanding Consultant Pharmacist.
Carol Lewis (‘89, ‘92), Olympic athlete and sports commentator; Jack B. Moore (‘77), president of Cameron Inc.; and Texas Sen. John Whitmire (‘75, ‘76) received the Houston Alumni Organization (HAO) Distinguished Alumni Awards. Jeff Fuller (‘95), UH’s associate director of admissions, received HAO’s Outstanding Volunteer Award. The organization’s Distinguished Service Award went to Cathy Coers Frank (‘80), co-founder of Reunions by Class Act.
FACULTY/STAFF
Andy Achenbaum, professor of history and social work, was named an Association for Gerontology in Higher Education Fellow.
Kyung-Hee Bae, assistant director of the UH Writing Center, will receive a Leadership Mentoring Program Award from the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages organization. She also will present a paper dealing with the evolving perception of nonnative English speaking teachers at the organization’s annual conference in March.
A UH sponsored team won the 2006 AIR-Houston Rally’s top trophy for creating the most accessible Web site in its division. The team created the Woodlands Civic Ballet’s Web site. Members included Web developers Komal Agrawal, Office of the Dean of Students; Jonathan Bruder and Cathy Burkholder, both in the Department of Information Technology; Oscar Martinez, Office of Creative Services; and Nahn Nguyen and Suganya Ramadas, both in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
Joel A. Bloom, associate professor of health and human performance, was named Physical Education Division editor for the Journal of the Texas Association
for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
Head football coach Art Briles was named Conference USA Coach of the Year.
Paul M. Collins Jr., assistant professor of political science, was presented with the Council of Graduate Schools/University Microfilms International Distinguished
Dissertation Award. The award cites his dissertation for making an unusually significant contribution to the social sciences.
Ronald S. Harwerth, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Optometry and chair of the Department of Vision Sciences, received the American Academy of Optometry Charles F. Prentice Medal Award in honor of his contributions in vision sciences. The academy’s Cornea and Contact Lens Section presented its Max Schapero Memorial Lecture Award to Jan P.G. Bergmanson, professor of optometry.
Ming Hu, professor of pharmaceutics, received a $22,500 grant from the Parenteral Drug Association Foundation for “Effect of Formulation Processes on Stability and Activity of Parenteral Administered Sirna.”
Joan Krause, George Butler Research Professor of Law and Health Law and Policy Institute co-director, spoke on “Fraud in Universal Coverage: The Usual Suspects (and Then Some)” at the Kansas Law Review 2006 Annual Symposium.
Martin Melosi, Distinguished University Professor of History and Center for Public History director, received a Fulbright Senior Specialist Award. Melosi will give a keynote address at the Fifth International Water History Association Conference in Finland. He also will participate in a postgraduate research program sponsored by Finland’s Tampere University of Technology.
Tom Oldham, John H. Freeman Professor of Law, was named a member of the American Bar Association Family Law Quarterly board of editors.
Nancy B. Rapoport, professor of law, was named to the American Board of Certification board of directors.
Jeff T. Sherer, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy, was appointed to the editorial board of the Texas Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists Journal and to the Sturge-Weber Foundation’s medical advisory board.
Kelly M. Standifer, associate professor of pharmacology, was named a 2006 Teacher of the Year by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
Vincent H. Tam, assistant professor of clinical sciences, received the Young Investigator Award and a one-year, $20,000 grant from the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists for his work in “Modeling Combination Antimicrobial Therapy.” Tam also has received a one-year, $25,748 grant from Merck to study “Comparative Susceptibility of Various Betalactams to the Inoculum Effect.”
Thomas T. C. Hsu, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Civil Engineering, received the American Concrete Institute and the Reinforced Concrete Research Council 2007 Arthur J. Boase Award. The award recognizes his extensive research advancing the understanding of torsion in structural concrete members, and for his contributions to codification of design for shear and torsion.
Ira Wolinsky, professor of health and human performance, emeritus, co-edited “Sports Nutrition: Vitamins and Trace Elements” second edition that was recently published.
STUDENTS
Four students in the School of Theatre and Dance won awards at the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology Southwest regional symposium. Nara Lesser took first place in the Graduate Make-Up Designer category. McKay Talley earned first place as prop designer in the Graduate Technical category. Beverly Vega received first-place costume designer for undergraduate design, and Stormy Mitchell won an honorable mention in the Graduate Costume Design category.
Graduate optometry students Heather Anderson, Ling Huang, Jason Marsack and Danielle Robertson received the American Academy of Optometry William C. Ezell Fellowships.
Senior Kevin Kolb was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year and 2006 Media Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year.
College of Technology received the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. Region Five Student Branch Membership Growth Award for 2005, which recognizes outstanding leadership and results in membership development activities.