October 30, 2020

Achievements | Honors, appointments, publications for Oct. 30

Fall campus
Craig Chandler | University Communication

Craig Chandler | University Communication
Students chat outside Love Library.

Recent achievements for the campus community were earned by Jeffrey Day, Lesley Esters, David Forsythe, Priscilla Grew, Jordan Stump, Robert Twomey and Martin Centurion.

Honors

  • Jeffrey L. Day, professor of architecture, and the Fall 2019 FACT studio, in the College of Architecture, are among the honorees at this year’s AIA Central States Region Design Excellence Awards Celebration earning a Merit Award for their project “Sheridan County Fairgrounds 4-H Campus.” Their submission was an outgrowth of FACT’s spring 2018 project with the Sandhills Institute in nearby Rushville, Nebraska. The studio’s project partner, the Sheridan County 4-H Foundation, sought a master plan with new and repurposed buildings to replace disconnected existing structures in disrepair. Read the full story here.

  • Lesley Esters has been named permanent director of the William H. Thompson Scholars Learning Community after accepting the position of interim director in August. Esters has served the university for more than three decades within Student Affairs beginning with a long stint in University Housing and Residence Life, time as interim director for the Center for Civic Engagement, and as special projects manager for the office’s strategic initiatives. A first-generation college student herself, Esters will work with faculty, staff, peer mentors, campus and community partners to support low-income, first-generation, and ethnically diverse scholars who attend Nebraska with scholarships from the Buffett Foundation.

  • David Forsythe, emeritus Charles J. Mach distinguished professor of political science, was recognized with the Wisherd Award for Outstanding Service by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Emeriti and Retirees Association. The award recognizes contributions to university-affiliated organizations. Since retiring in 2010, Forsythe has continued engagement in the Nebraska Chapter of the United Nations Association, been active in leading Osher Lifelong Learning Institute classes, and has organized the annual Winter Lecture Series sponsored by the Unitarian church.

  • Priscilla Grew, professor emerita of Earth and atmospheric sciences, was recognized with the Wisherd Award for Outstanding Service by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Emeriti and Retirees Association. Grew is former vice chancellor for research, former director of the University of Nebraska State Museum, and the university’s coordinator for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Since retiring in 2015, Grew has continued as NAGPRA coordinator in a volunteer capacity; remained active in Friends of the University of Nebraska State Museum; and is a stalwart supporter of the arts, including the Lied Center where she helped start the Dance Circle, which brings major dance companies to Lincoln.

  • Jordan Stump, professor of French, won the 2020 National Translation Award in Prose from the American Literary Translators Association for his translation of “The Cheffe: A Cook’s Novel,” by Marie NDiaye. The award is the only national award for translated fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction that includes a rigorous examination of both the source text and its relation to the finished English work.

  • Robert Twomey, assistant professor of emerging media arts in the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts, is one of three organizers for a workshop at International Symposium on Electronic Art 2020, one of the most significant electronics arts conferences in the world. Read the full story here

Appointments

  • Martin Centurion, Susan Rosowski Associate Professor of physics, was elected a 2020 Fellow of the American Physical Society. Fellowships recognize members who may have made advances in physics through original research and publication; significant, innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology; significant contributions to the teaching of physics; or service and participation in the activities of the Society.

This column is a regular feature of Nebraska Today. Faculty, staff and students can submit achievements to be considered for this column via email to achievements@unl.edu. For more information, call 402-472-8515.

Jeffrey Day
Jeffrey L. Day
David Forsythe
David Forsythe
Priscilla Grew
Priscilla Grew
Dr. Jordan Stump
Jordan Stump
Robert Twomey
Robert Twomey
Professor Martin Centurion
Martin Centurion