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UB celebrates academic excellence
Student flag bearers line up to enter the Mainstage theater. Photo: NANCY J. PARISI
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Members of the UB community gathered April 1 in the Center for the Arts for the university’s sixth Celebration of Academic Excellence, an annual event that honors the work and achievement of students, staff and faculty in research, teaching and service.
The festivities began in the early afternoon with a poster display in the atrium and basement featuring research and creative projects completed by UB undergraduates. For more than two hours, student researchers stood by their posters, explaining their area of study and expertise to peers and guests.
Following the formal poster presentation, President John B. Simpson kicked off an awards ceremony in the Mainstage theater by telling an audience of hundreds that while UB, like other research universities, is facing an uncertain future, “there is still much to celebrate.” The accomplishments of students and employees over the past year serve as an “inspiring reminder” of why the work of the university matters, Simpson said.
“But much more than that,” he said, “we are here to celebrate the promise that their achievements hold for the future.”
From exploring alternative energy sources to searching for treatments for such disorders as Parkinson’s disease, research institutions like UB are tackling society’s most pressing problems, and investing in these institutions is critical, Simpson said. Provost Satish K. Tripathi also stressed the practical importance of UB’s mission, saying the university is making a positive impact on the health and well being of people in places from Western New York to Haiti and Zimbabwe.
A number of faculty and staff members were honored at the event.
Recognized for being named SUNY Distinguished Professors, the highest faculty rank in the SUNY system, were Joan K. Copjec, UB Distinguished Professor, Department of English, and director of the Center for the Study of Psychoanalysis and Culture, and Esther S. Takeuchi, Greatbatch Professor in Power Sources Research, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Also honored were faculty and staff who received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence. They included:
• The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching: Paul E. DesJardin, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering; Michael P. Farrell, professor of sociology and associate dean, College of Arts and Sciences; and Dimitrios A. Pados, professor of electrical engineering.
• The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service: Amy Loucks-DiMatteo, manager, library network support, University Libraries, and Dinesh K. Sukumaran, director, Magnetic Resonance Center, Department of Chemistry.
• The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities: Carol S. Brewer, professor of nursing and clinical professor of family medicine; Matthew S. Dryer, professor of linguistics; and Myung Mi Kim, professor of English.
• The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service: Candace A. Carroll, secretary, College of Arts and Sciences; Lucille H. Kierejewksi, secretary, School of Management; and Angela G. Reibel, secretary, employee relations, University Human Resources.
Eleven faculty members were honored as UB Exceptional Scholars. The were:
• Sustained Achievement Award: Alexander N. Cartwright, professor and chair, Department of Electrical Engineering; James A. Gardner, Joseph W. Belluck and Laura L. Aswad Professor of Civil Justice; director of the Jaeckle Center for Law and Democracy; and vice dean of academic affairs, UB Law School; Li Lin, professor of industrial and systems engineering; Jerome A. Roth, professor of pharmacology and toxicology; Mark T. Swihart, professor of chemical and biological engineering and director of the UB 2020 strategic strength in Integrated Nanostructured Systems; and Georgirene D. Vladutiu, professor of pediatrics, neurology, and pathology and anatomical sciences.
• Young Investigator Award: Matthew R. Bonner, assistant professor of social and preventive medicine; Murat Demirbas, assistant professor of computer science and engineering; Matthew D. Disney, assistant professor of chemistry; Gabriela Popescu, assistant professor of biochemistry and anesthesiology; and Sheng Zhong, assistant professor of computer science and engineering.
Honored with the UB Teaching Innovation Award were Daniel A. Brazeau, research associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences; and Albert H. Titus, associate professor of biomedical and electrical engineering.
UB students also were recognized during the ceremony, including the recipients of the UB Undergraduate Awards for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creativity; the University Libraries Undergraduate Research Prize; the Sigma Xi Research Awards; and two “scholars of excellence, each of whom received or was a finalist for a highly prestigious and competitive national fellowship or scholarship.
The recipients of the Undergraduate Awards and Citations for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creativity were Hamzat A. Feshitan, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Leslie Fisher, School of Nursing; Chelsey Hartley, College of Arts and Sciences; Bridget Hughes, College of Arts and Sciences; Allie Matarasso, Dhwani Patel, Aris Otminski and Jessica Tobin, School of Public Health and Health Professions; Kyle P. McHugh, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Shenita Ann McLean, Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program; Monique Mickiewicz, College of Arts and Sciences ; Fan Xun Ong, School of Management; Jonathan Rivera, Collegiate Science and Technology Achievement Program; Stephen Shchurowsky, School of Architecture and Planning; and Andrew Tong, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Recognized as undergraduate “scholars of excellence” were Maria Sian Lew, Fulbright finalist, and Jasmine Louise May, recipient of a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.
Other honorees included:
• Lye Lin Lock, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, received the University Libraries Undergraduate Research Prize.
• Mee Rim Choi, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Amber M. Dewey, School of Public Health and Health Professions; Jasmine Louise May, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; and Ravinder (who goes by one name), School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, all UB representatives to “SUNY Undergraduates Shaping New York’s Future: A Showcase of Scholarly Posters at the Capitol.”
• UB Engineers for a Sustainable World, UB Student Organization Award for Excellence in Academics and Service.
• Matthew Farren, immunology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Lye Theng Lock, chemical and biological engineering; Anushree Sharma, social and preventive medicine; and Jinying Wang, pharmacology and toxicology, Sigma Xi Research Awards.
The celebration featured performances by Laura A. Hodsdon and Jennifer M. Leibowitz, music theatre students, and screenings of short film selections by media study students Samuel S. Avery, “Light Movement,” and Yuen H. (Liz) Chow, “Hula.”
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