Recent achievements for the campus community were earned by Ken Bloom, Sheri Fritz, Timothy Gay, Iker González-Allende, Lambroz Karkazis, Danner Li, Wei Lu, Holli Luff, Mackensie Minniear, Amelia Montes, Bingnan Mu, Kristen Olsen, Kang Phan, Jordan Schmitz, Trieu Hung Tran, Zach Warneke, Mingyu Yang, Backyard Farmer and the College of Architecture.
Faculty/Staff
Ken Bloom, professor of physics and astronomy, has been selected to serve on the advisory board of the National Science Foundation-funded Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment. The initiative is the most advanced and robust collection of integrated digital resources and services in the world. It offers a single virtual computing system that scientists can use to interactively share resources, data and expertise. The advisory board is tasked with guiding the initiative so that it can provide a maximum impact across diverse scientific disciplines and communities.
Sheri Fritz, George Holmes Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Biological Sciences, received the Israeli C. Russell Award from the Limnology Division of the Geological Society of America for her work in lake research.
Timothy Gay, Willa Cather Professor of Physics and Astronomy, received a 2018 Outstanding Postdoctoral Mentor Award from the Office of Graduate Studies.
Iker González-Allende, Leland and Dorothy Olson Professor of Spanish and graduate chair, published his monograph “Hombres en movimiento: Masculinidades españolas en los exilios y emigraciones, 1939–1999” (“Men in Motion: Spanish Masculinities in Exiles and Migrations, 1939-1999”) with Purdue University Press. The publication delivers the first sustained study of how the Spanish masculine identity, of both homosexual and heterosexual men, is impacted when men are compelled to leave their country.
An excerpt of Amelia Montes’ upcoming memoir was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. The prize honors the best poetry, short fiction, and essays published by small presses each year. Montes is an associate professor of English and ethnic studies.
Kristen Olson, Leland J. and Dorothy H. Olson Associate Professor and vice chair of sociology, was appointed to the National Center for Health Statistics Board of Scientific Counselors. The Board provides advice and makes recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the Director of the National Center for Health Statistics regarding the scientific and technical program goals and objectives, strategies and priorities of the National Center for Health Statistics.
Students
Student programming teams AllAccepted and Huskers 11 received first and second place at the Association for Computing Machinery’s regional International Collegiate Programming Contest, which was hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering. The contest was comprised of 27 teams from across the Midwest. Team members of AllAccepted are Danner Li, Khang Phan and Trieu Hung Tran. Huskers 11 team members are Zack Warneke, Jordan Schmitz and Lambros Karkazis.
Wei Lu and Bingnan Mu, doctoral students in Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, were recently awarded research grants from the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists Foundation. Li received $2,000 for a study on “Completely Stereo-complexed PLA Fibers with Good Dyeability and Retention of Mechanical Properties for Textile Applications.” Mu received a $1,400 award to support “Natural Colorants from Sorghum Hulls for Cotton Dyeing.”
Holli Luff, a masters student in special education and communication disorders, received a Delta Gamma Foundation Graduate Student Fellowship. The award will allow Luff to attend the 2019 American Foundation for the Blind Leadership Conference, Feb. 28 to March 1 in Arlington, Virginia. She will be honored during a luncheon at the conference. Luff, who earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from Nebraska, plans to continue her work with individuals with visual impairments.
Mackensie Minniear, graduate student in communication studies, and Jordan Soliz, associate professor of communication studies, received a Top Paper award from African American Communication and Culture Division of the National Communication Association.
Mingyu Yang, doctoral candidate in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, received the best student poster award from the Sedimentary Geology Division of the Geological Society of America.
Departments/Units
Nebraska’s Backyard Farmer team received the Omtvedt Innovation Award for Team at the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources awards luncheon on Nov. 30. The award recognizes innovative faculty or a team led by faculty who have demonstrated exceptional abilities and innovation in teaching, research or extension education. Backyard Farmer is a cooperative production between Nebraska Extension and NET. It is entering its 67th season and is believed to be the longest running educational program in broadcast television history.
The Master of Science in Architecture with Interior Design Specialization was recently ranked among the best online master’s degree programs. In the OnlineMasters.com Best Online Master’s in Interior Design rankings, the Nebraska program was No. 5 and earned a special distinction for Best Faculty, Additionally, the program was ranked ninth by Value College’s Top 25 Online Interior Design Programs 2019 list. Learn more about the rankings.
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.
