Awards & Accolades

Robert Groves given 'Excellence in the Teaching of Classics' award

Robert Groves, associate professor of religious studies and classics, is one of three educators to win the 2020 Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Classics at the College Level from the Society for Classical Studies.

The Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Classics at the College Level recognizes up to three college and university professors from the United States and Canada.

The official citation from the SCS calls Groves "an innovator in both his face-to-face and online classes, judiciously using technology and varied assignments to involve and assess his students, through collaborative learning, creative projects, peer review, and low stakes formative assessments specifically designed for skill development."

Groves' areas of expertise include ancient multilingualism in both reality and literary representation, classical linguistics, modern performance of ancient drama, and classical reception in American drama and Greek and Latin literature – especially the Greek prose.

The SCS "is the principal learned society in North America for the study of ancient Greek and Roman languages, literatures, and civilizations."

Groves will receive a certificate honoring his accomplishment and a cash prize of $500. The Department of Religious Studies and Classics will also be awarded $200, for the purchase of educational resources.

American Astronomical Society honors Chris Impey with 2021 Education Prize

Chris Impey, associate dean of the College of Science and Distinguished Professor of astronomy, has won the 2021 Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society.

The Education Prize "recognizes outstanding contributions to the education of the public, students, and/or the next generation of professional astronomers." Impey was given the award in recognition of his "national and international impact through his outstanding teaching of thousands of students at his home university and, via the web, worldwide."

Impey's research has attracted more than $20 million in grants from NASA and the National Science Foundation. As a professor, he has won 11 teaching awards and has played a key role in curriculum and instructional technology development.

Impey will receive a plaque and $1,500. You can read more about Impey and his work in this Q&A.

Thomas Gianetti wins the 2021 Cottrell Scholar Award

Thomas Gianetti, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is one of 25 recipients of the 2021 Cottrell Scholar Award, given by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement.

The Cottrell Scholar Program "honors and helps to develop outstanding teacher-scholars who are recognized by their scientific communities for the quality and innovation of their research programs and their academic leadership skills," according to the organization's website.

Gianetti joined the University in 2017. His research focuses are inorganic and organic chemistry, with specialties including chemical reaction dynamics and energy science.

The Research Corporation for Science Advancement is a private foundation that aids basic research in the physical sciences at colleges and universities.

Gianetti will receive $100,000 over three years to support his research in organic redox flow batteries for energy storage application and his new science/law curriculum, which aims to provide scientists and policymakers the expertise to communicate effectively with each other and inform judgments on complex societal challenges.

Jan Wehr earns Simons Fellowship

Jan Wehr, professor of applied mathematics, has been awarded a 2021 Simons Fellowship in Mathematics from the Simons Foundation.

Winners of the fellowship receive funds for a research leave of up to a semester. The foundation says it chooses winners "based on the applicant's scientific accomplishments in the five-year period preceding the application and on the potential scientific impact of the work to be done during the leave period."

Wehr focuses his research on mathematics applied to physics and other sciences, and collaborates with physics groups around the world on his work.

The Simons Foundation "exists to support basic – or discovery-driven – scientific research undertaken in the pursuit of understanding the phenomena of our world."

Daniel Stolte wins writing award from CASE

Daniel Stolte, science writer in the Office of University Communications, has won silver in the 2021  Council for Advancement and Support of Education District VII Awards of Excellence competition.

Stolte won in the writing/general news category for an article about a University study that looked at climate change and extinction, estimating that about one-third of plant and animal species face extinction by 2070.

The Office of University Communications won gold and silver in 2020 and silver in 2019.

The Awards of Excellence highlight best practices in fundraising, public relations, advancement services and communications. The district is made up of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Tucson Sunrise Rotary awards Monica Kraft a Paul Harris Fellowship

Professor Monica Kraft, chair of the Department of Medicine, has been awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by the Tucson Sunrise Rotary.

The Tucson Sunrise Rotary awarded the fellowship to Kraft in recognition of "her extraordinary service to the Tucson community in medical research and public health."

Kraft has contributed to more than 150 publications on topics including adult asthma and the role of infection in asthma. Her work has appeared in publications such as the Journal of the American Medical Association, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, The Lancet, and CHEST. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Lung Association for more than 20 years.

We want to know about your good news. If you, your team or a colleague has won any major awards, been honored nationally or internationally, or accomplished some other major feat that deserves recognition, let us know about it.

To submit your news, please send us an email with the following information:

• Name of the person, team or unit receiving the honor with full University titles.
• Information about the award/honor and the organization that granted it. Please include a link to the official announcement of the award/honor.
• When the honor was announced and when it will be presented (or was presented).
• A photo of the honoree. If others appear in the photo, please provide their names and identifying information, such as their University title or other affiliation.

Questions? Contact Lo Que Pasa at uaatwork@email.arizona.edu.