Awards and Recognition

University of Minnesota Twin Cities engineering professor Georgios Giannakis has been elected as a 2023 International Fellow for the Royal Academy of Engineering. He is one of only 73 leading figures in engineering and technology worldwide to be honored this year. The fellows are honored for their exceptional contributions to pioneering new innovations, leading progress in business or academia, providing high level advice to government agencies, or promoting wider understanding of engineering and technology.

Amy Hewitt, director of the Institute on Community Integration and professor in educational psychology, has been awarded the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) George S. Jesien Distinguished Achievement Award. The honor is in recognition of her career of excellence and leadership in support of AUCD’s mission to advance policy and practice for and with people living with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities.

Matt Simcik is quoted in an MPR News story about cities struggling with the costs of removing PFAS from drinking water; Sarah Jackson is interviewed in “Gifts aplenty at AppleHouse Holiday Boutique” at CBS Minnesota; Julie Weisenhorn is quoted in a Mankato Free Press story about gardeners preparing for hardiness zone changes; Tiffany Wolf is quoted in the New York Times story “There's a Moose on the Loose in Minnesota;” Jay Austin is quoted in a CBS Minnesota story about Lake Superior, now one of the fastest warming lakes in the world; Abby Schuft is quoted in a Post-Bulletin story about how expanded rural broadband could help combat bird flu; Clarence Shannon is interviewed at MPR News about the connection between chronic pain and cold weather; George John is interviewed in Fox Business about how a credit card debt crisis paired with potential record holiday spending threatens an uncertain economy; David Samuels is quoted in the Star Tribune story “Cargill speeds up timeline to end deforestation in Brazil. Will it be enough?;” Peter Neff is quoted in The Globe and Mail's "Unearthing climate history frozen in time;" Jason Wolff is highlighted in the Architectural Digest story "How to Move with a Child Who Has Autism Spectrum Disorder."

Researchers from the College of Veterinary Medicine along with collaborating institutions in the U.S. and UK received $3.5 million in funding from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, to study the transmission of viruses during “commingling events”—when unfamiliar animals or people come together in a defined space and time with intensive and sustained contact. The researchers, led by Noelle Noyes, associate professor in the U of M College of Veterinary Medicine, will work with partners to untangle these dynamics. 

Earth’s snowpack is shrinking, glaciers are losing mass, sea ice is declining, and Greenland is melting at an unprecedented rate. Ardeshir Ebtehaj, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering, is leading a $2.9 million NASA-funded project to better understand this decline in the cyrosphere.

Researchers at the Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) in the Institute of Child Development and the Department of Applied Economics were awarded a $1.4 million grant for "Coordinated Evaluation of Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Payment Policies," a research project evaluating child care subsidies in Minnesota. The grant for the four-year project was awarded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Alexandra Armstrong has received a $662,000 Career Development award (K01) from the National Institutes of Health to examine the contribution of growth cartilage to recovery and disease progression in Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD). LCPD is a condition that affects the hip joint, in which the femur doesn't get enough blood supply, so it can become weak and start to break down. But little is known about exactly how tissues related to bone growth impact the trajectory of the disease. To address this critical gap, Armstrong will use a piglet model of LCPD to identify genes within the growth cartilage associated with growth disturbances. She will also examine how tissues related to growth respond to transphyseal drilling, a treatment that may benefit children with growth disturbances resulting from LCPD.

William Jones is quoted in the New York Times story “How the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike Changed the Labor Movement;” Megan Kocher is quoted in a WJON radio story about Minnesota's holiday baking traditions as chronicled in cookbooks; Gabriel Chan is quoted in a Star Tribune story about excitement and concern around a second data center in Rosemount; Heidi Roop is quoted in a Minnesota Public Radio story on the impacts of climate change and a scientist's take on Minnesota's climate future; Rebecca Shlafer is quoted in the NPR story “A novel prison program for pregnant women and their babies;” Dziwe Ntaba is quoted in a Minnesota Public Radio story about how addiction is impacting Karen and Hmong communities; Sergei Katsev is quoted in the Newsweek story “Lake Superior Study Reveals 3-Billion-Year Secret About Earth;” Raphael Stern is quoted in the KARE 11 story “Phantom jams: When traffic comes to a halt because of nothing; Jake Jungers is quoted in an NPR story about Kernza, a climate-friendly grain that is getting the attention of brewers and distillers; Lisa Von Drasek is interviewed in a Minnesota Public Radio story about the best children’s books to give as gifts for the holidays.

The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award honors faculty who have done significant research, teaching, or service/leadership to advance justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University, in the person's field of study, or in the broader community. These awards are meant to advance and elevate equity work, provide funding in recognition of the value of that work, and showcase critical scholarship, pedagogy, and community engagement. Congratulations to the newly named recipients:

• Douglas Kearney, English, College of Liberal Arts, U of M Twin Cities
• Sarah-Jane (Saje) Mathieu, history, College of Liberal Arts, U of M Twin Cities
• Hessam Kassra Mirgolbabaei, mechanical and industrial engineering, Swenson College of Science and Engineering, U of M Duluth
• Mary J. Owen, family medicine and biobehavioral health, Medical School, U of M Twin Cities
• Heather Peters, psychology, Division of the Social Sciences, U of M Morris

Jean Abraham is quoted in a CNBC story about open enrollment tips and strategies for employees; Natalie Peterson is quoted in the Huffington Post story “9 Things Dentists Would Never, Ever Do To Their Teeth;” Jian-Ping Wang is mentioned in the Twin Cities Business story “Minneapolis Magnet Company Attracts Funding from Big Automakers;” Kyla Wahlstrom is quoted in an NPR story about teens and the importance of sleep and school start times; Eric Schwartz is interviewed in Minnesota Public Radio about paths toward peace in the Israel-Hamas war; Emily Fairfax is quoted in the New York Times story “Leave It to Beavers? Not if You're a Wolf.;” Joel Roberts quoted in a Minnesota Daily story about the U of M Solar Vehicle Project team winning second place in the World Solar Challenge; Brad Heins is quoted in a Minnesota Public Radio story about mixing solar and farming as a key to a clean energy future; Stephen Schondelmeyer is quoted in the MarketWatch story “The doctor lowering drug prices for 1 million patients, with help from Mark Cuban, Sam Altman–and Martin Shkreli;” Rui Zhang, Ju Sun, and Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos are mentioned in a Minnesota Daily story about a new $1.2 million grant to explore AI in breast cancer treatment; Matt Simcik is interviewed in the Minnesota Public Radio story about wastewater contributing to 'forever chemicals' pollution.