KU Kudos celebrates recent external achievements by faculty, staff


LAWRENCE — It's time to celebrate Jayhawk colleagues' achievements: KU News Service accepted submissions and combed websites, social media and newsletters for recent external honors and awards for current faculty and staff at the Lawrence, Edwards and Medical Center campuses and affiliates. Have something to share? Submit by May 10 for the next edition. Self-nominations are encouraged, with more information available here.

Susan Carlson, University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Dietetics & Nutrition, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 in honor of her pioneering research in the field of maternal-fetal nutrition. 

Sally Maliski, dean and endowed professor in oncology nursing research, has been elected to serve on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Nominating Committee. The AACN is the national voice for academic nursing and works to establish quality standards for nursing education. 

Cynthia Mruczek, associate teaching professor of special education, served as a panelist for a webinar hosted by The Chronicle of Higher Education titled "The Laws of Attraction: Learning Design Methods That Captivate Students and Drive Outstanding Outcomes,” which explored the methods utilized by KU to create a collaborative, online-learning environment and the notable outcomes they achieved. 

Two KU Nursing faculty members recently received recognition from the Midwest Nursing Research Society for their outstanding research contributions. Shin Hye Park and Laura Klenke-Borgmann earned honors at the MNRS Annual Conference, held in person in Schaumburg, Illinois, March 30-April 2. 

Dorthy Pennington, associate professor of African & African-American studies and communication studies, was honored at the Central States Communication Association’s 2022 annual conference for her contributions to the association and the field of communications.

Melissa Peterson, director of tribal relations, was named to the 2022 class of Native American 40 Under 40 award recipients by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. The honorees represent the best and brightest emerging Indian Country leaders.

Andrew Porter, clinical assistant professor and sports medicine program director at the School of Medicine-Wichita, earned an Exemplary Teaching Award from the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians.

Dory Sabata, clinical associate professor and chair for the Department of Occupational Therapy Education, was recently honored by her alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis. Sabata received the occupational therapy program's 2022 Outstanding Alumni Award. 

Hyunjin Seo, Oscar Stauffer Chair in Journalism, gave a presentation on evidence-based COVID-19 vaccination campaigns at the Kansas COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Task Force meeting on April 13. 

Matt Tidwell, lecturer in journalism and assistant dean for graduate and professional studies, has been reelected to the board of directors for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). IABC is the largest global association for communicators with about 9,000 members on multiple continents.

Scott Watson, professor of tuba-euphonium, has just released his first album with his group Brown Shoe Tuxedo, titled "This is Your Eclectic Bill," now available on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Jomella Watson-Thompson, associate professor of applied behavioral science, has been elected as an executive council member with the Association for Behavior Analysis International. Since 1974, the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) has been the primary membership organization for those interested in the philosophy, science, application and teaching of behavior analysis.


ICYMI

Joe Colistra, professor of architecture, led an interdisciplinary team of graduate students through a proposal for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition. The KU team was one of four chosen across the nation as a finalist.

Brandon Davis, assistant professor of public affairs & administration, received a Faculty Early Career Development Program grant from the National Science Foundation to research how the Alabama Democratic Conference sustained a statewide legal campaign for voting rights between 1965 and 1989 amid racially exclusionary practices.

Agnieszka Międlar, associate professor of mathematics, received a Faculty Early Career Development Program grant from the National Science Foundation for her proposal to enable new algorithmic and software advancements to support technologies such as edge computing. The award also includes STEM outreach components.

James Walters, associate professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, received a Fulbright Scholar Award to conduct research for nine months in the Czech Republic.

Read more:

March 25 edition: KU Kudos
March 4 edition: KU Kudos 
Feb. 11 edition: KU Kudos 
Jan. 28 edition: KU Kudos.