Honors and Awards - 2018

December 2018

Professor Frank Bates (chemical engineering and materials science) was elected a National Academy of Inventors fellow.

Professors Christian Teyssier and Chris Paola (earth sciences) were each named 2018-2023 George and Orpha Gibson Chair of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Marc Hirschmann (earth sciences) was named 2018-2023 Gunn Professor

November 2018

Professor Susan Mantell (mechanical engineering) was appointed head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, effective January 1, 2019 through June 30, 2023.

Student Andrey Rainchik (computer science and engineering) won a trip to Boston and placed third in The IBM Vault game, a worldwide interactive hacking contest hosted by the computer giant.

Professors Dihua Jiang and Sasha Voronov (mathematics) were named American Mathematical Society Fellows for 2019.

The History of Science Society honored Professor Sally Gregory Kohlstedt (earth sciences, History of Science and Technology) with the 2018 Sarton Medal for lifetime scholarly achievement.

Professors Marc Hillmyer (chemistry); William Arnold and Paige Novak (civil, environmental, and geo- engineering), Alptekin Aksan (mechanical engineering), and Timothy Smith (bioproducts and biosystems engineering) received a $94,000 planning grant from the NSF Engineering Research Center program for their project, “Engineering Research Center for Advancing a Circular Water Economy (ACWa-Econ).”

Alumnus Ed Chi (computer science) accepted the InfoVis 20 Year Test of Time Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for a paper he co-authored in 1998 with his advisor, the late McKnight Distinguished Professor John Riedl.

October 2018

Associate dean for research and planning Chris Cramer (chemistry), formerly CSE associate dean for academic affairs, was appointed the University of Minnesota's vice president for research, effective November 12, 2018. 

Physics and Astronomy Professor Chick Woodward has been appointed to a two-year term on the NASA Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC), a Federal Advisory Committee on Science, managed under the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

Professor Rhonda Franklin (electrical and computer engineering) received the 2019 N. Walter Cox Award of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society for exemplary service "in a spirit of selfless dedication and cooperation."

Professor Theresa Reineke (chemistry) was awarded the 2018 DuPont Nutrition & Health Science Excellence Medal from the Danisco Foundation "for advancing science and technology relevant to the future of food, nutrition, and health."

September 2018

Department head Uwe Kortshagen (mechanical engineering) was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society.

Professor Boris Shklovskii (physics) was jointly awarded the 2019 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize for pioneering research in the physics of disordered materials and hopping conductivity.

Professor Donald Truhlar (chemistry) has received the 2019 American Chemical Society Award in Theoretical Chemistry for developing new density functionals for practical calculations of thermochemistry, thermochemical kinetics, and noncovalent interactions.

August 2018

Researcher Anette Von der Handt (earth sciences) was elected 2018-2020 director of the Microanalysis Society.

Professor Frank Kulacki (mechanical engineering) is editor-in-chief of the recently published, expanded version of Handbook of Thermal Science and Engineering.

Senior Doug McKune-Zierath (civil engineering) was selected to represent USA in the 8+ men's rowing team at the World University Games in Shanghai, China. 

Engineers Without Borders won a 2018 NCEES Engineering Education Award for its "Multistage Drip Irrigation System in Ethiopia," which will improve irrigation for the Filakit Geregera community of 500. Assistant professor Paul Capel (civil, environmental,and geo- engineering) co-advised the team. 

July 2018

Alumna Jeannette Brown (chemistry) has written her second book, African American Women Chemists in the Modern Era

Assistant professors Wei-Kuo Chen (mathematics), Lindsay Glesener (physics and astronomy), Lauren Linderman (civil, environmental, and geoengineering), Soheil Mohajer (electrical and computer engineering), and Cara Santelli (earth sciences) received CAREER awards from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program.

The American Solar Energy Society honored alumna Richa Pandey (chemical engineering) with the 2018 Women in Solar Energy Award.

Graduate student Courtney Olson (chemistry) received the 2018 William G. Fateley Student Award by the Coblentz Society.

Graduate student Julie Vievering (physics and astronomy) received the 2017-2018 Sharon L. Doherty Award for outstanding volunteer service addressing women's issues on campus or in the broader community.

June 2018

The National Center for Earth-Surface Dynamics has been selected for the 2018 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The award largely recognizes the efforts of St. Anthony Falls Laboratory researchers Diana Dalbotten and Chris Paola (earth sciences).

Professor Maria Gini (computer science and engineering) received the Harrold and Notkin Research and Graduate Mentoring Award from the National Center for Women & Information Technology.

The National Center for Women and Information Technology selected alumna Aarti Sathyanarayana (computer science and engineering) for an honorable distinction. She was recognized for a recent sleep science project that leverages wearable technologies.

Alumnus Michael Roman has been selected CEO of 3M, starting July 1. 

May 2018

Assistant professor Rafael Fernandes (physics) wins a McKnight Presidential Fellowship for his scholarly accomplishments.

Professor Martin Greven (physics) was named a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Fellow of the Neutron Scattering Society of America.

Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center director Art Erdman (mechanical engineering) was honored with the naming of an eight-person racing shell after him. A former men's rowing coach (1973-77), he played a part in building the Minnesota boathouse.

The American Society of Civil Engineers named Professor Catherine French (civil, environmental, geo- engineering) a "Distinguished Member," the highest honor given by the organization.

Professor Mikhail “Misha” Shifman (theoretical physics) was elected to the National Academy of Sciences for his excellence in original scientific research.

Undergraduate students Aliza Beverage (physics and astrophysics) and Elizabeth Zudock (chemical engineering and chemistry) were named 2018 Astronaut Scholars.

Professor Bethanie Stadler (electrical and computer engineering) was named an MRS Fellow by the Materials Research Society for her pioneering work in magneto-photonics integration and magnetic nanowire devices, and her distinguished service to materials research.

Doctoral candidates Kriti Agarwal (electrical engineering) and Meghna Mankalale (electrical and computer engineering) are recipients of the 2018-2019 Louise T. Dosdall Fellowship.

Alumnus Bodhisatwa Sadhu (electrical and computer engineering) led the IBM Research team to the Lewis Winner Award for Outstanding Paper at the 2017 International Solid-State Circuits Conference.

April 2018

Assistant Professor Lana Yarosh (computer science and engineering) won a 2017 Google Faculty Research Award in the Human-computer Interaction category—for her ongoing study on virtual voice assistants. The honor includes an opportunity to work directly with Google researchers and engineers.

Professor Christy L. Haynes (chemistry) received a prestigious 2018 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.

Seniors Haley Beech (chemical engineering), Kendra Bergstedt (math/physics), Merrick Pierson Smela (chemistry/biochemistry), and Lucy Yang (math) were awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships.

Staff member Sharon Kressler (earth sciences) received the President’s Award for Outstanding Service. She has served her department for 22 years, providing administrative support to faculty, staff, and students.

March 2018

Professors Michael McAlpine (mechanical engineering) and Chris Kim (electrical and computer engineering) received the 2018 George W. Taylor Distinguished Research Award, which recognizes younger faculty members who have shown outstanding ability in research.

Professors Jim Kakalios (physics and astronomy) was honored with the George W. Taylor Distinguished Service Award for outstanding service to the University and voluntary public service to governmental or other public groups.

Professor Paul Crowell (physics and astronomy) received the Taylor/CSE Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching, which recognizes outstanding contributions to undergraduate and/or graduate teaching.

Assistant professor Stephen Guy (computer science and engineering) was presented the Charles E. Bowers Faculty Teaching Award, which recognizes an outstanding CSE professor who has demonstrated exceptional interest and commitment to teaching.

Professor Rhonda Franklin (electrical and computer engineering) was among 11 educators recognized by the Minnesota African American Heritage Calendar Committee for significant contributions to the state’s African American community.

February 2018

Alumnus and former Medtronic vice president Paul Citron (electrical engineering) was named chair-elect for the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows. His two-year term begins after the AIMBE Annual Meeting on April 9.

Associate professor David Fox (earth sciences) received the 2017-18 Horace T. Morse-University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education.

Professors Chris Paola (earth sciences), E. Dan Dahlberg (physics and astronomy), and Victor Barocas (biomedical engineering) received the University of Minnesota’s 2017-18 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate and Professional Education.

Professor Theresa Reineke (chemistry) was recognized as a 2018 POLY Fellow by the American Chemical Society's Division of Polymer Chemistry for her outstanding scientific accomplishments and service to the profession.

Undergraduate student Merrick Pierson Smela (chemistry) was named a Churchill Scholar by the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States. He will spend the 2018-19 academic year at Churchill College of the University of Cambridge.

Professor emerita Efi Foufoula-Georgiou (civil, environmental, and geo-engineering) was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for her “contributions to hydrology and hydroclimatology with applications to engineered systems across scales.” Adjunct professor John A.L. Napier (civil, environmental, and geo-engineering) was also elected as a foreign academy member for his “contributions to computational simulation of rock fracture around underground excavations.”

Professor Tianhong Cui (mechanical engineering) was awarded Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for his distinguished accomplishments on micro and nano electro mechanical systems (M/NEMS).

Assistant professors Filippo Coletti (aerospace engineering and mechanics), Ian Tonks (chemistry), Mehmet Akcakaya (electrical and computer engineering), and G.-H. Crystal Ng (earth sciences) received a University of Minnesota McKnight Land-Grant Professorship. This award is designed to advance the careers of new assistant professors. The two-year appointment, 2018-2020, includes a research grant of $50,000.

January 2018

Alumnus Jeff Gorski (geological engineering), executive vice president and chief operating officer of Tidewater Inc., was recognized with the 2017 Spindletop Founders Award. The honor, formerly the Don E. Waggener–Butch Griffin Award, is presented to an individual within the service sector of the oil and gas industry for contributions to both the industry and community at large.

Harvey Thorleifson (earth sciences) received the 2017 Presidential Award from the Association of American State Geologists.

Ph.D. student Kate Jensen (computer science and engineering) earned the John Bowers Excellence in Teaching Assistance Award. The award honors an outstanding teaching assistant who has demonstrated exceptional interest and commitment to the teaching of College of Science and Engineering students.

Assistant professor William Pomerantz (chemistry) received the 2018 Guillermo E. Borja Career Development Award from the College of Science and Engineering. This award recognizes promising young faculty members for their research and scholarly accomplishments during their probationary period as assistant professors.

Assistant professor David Flannigan (chemical engineering and materials science) received the George Taylor Career Development Award from the College of Science and Engineering for exceptional contributions to teaching by a candidate for tenure during the probationary period.

Professor Jane Wissinger (chemistry) and MRSEC participants Cassandra Knutson and Cassidy Javner were presented an American Chemical Society Committee on Environmental Improvement Award for incorporating sustainability into chemistry education.