Awards and Accolades

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Two University professors awarded with fellowship in National Academy of Inventors

The National Academy of Inventors has named Wolfgang Fink and Douglas Loy to its 2023 class of fellows. Being elected as a fellow is the highest professional distinction the organization offers and celebrates inventors who have made an impact on the quality of life and welfare of society.

Fink, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has engaged in multidisciplinary collaborations, developing productive and innovative projects with experts in medical technology and health care, aerospace, planetary science and systems design. His patented inventions include enhancements for prostheses for the blind, implantable devices to monitor glaucoma and a pupilometer to assess brain injuries and sleep apnea.

Loy, professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, holds 25 U.S. patents and has an additional 10 in process. He has contributed to polymer synthesis and sol-gel science development, focusing on producing solid materials from small molecules. In addition, he mentors 50 undergraduate students, 22 graduate students and 18 postdoctoral associates.

"The nomination of our faculty members to this illustrious association of inventors speaks to the continued excellence at the University of Arizona when it comes to supporting innovation and bold thinking," said University President Robert C. Robbins. "Dr. Fink and Dr. Loy are each impressive representatives of the University within their fields and I am proud to see them recognized."

The 2023 class of fellows will be honored in June in Raleigh, North Carolina. Read more about the fellowship and Fink's and Loy's research achievements in a story on the University news website.

Slepian appointed to federal patent advisory committee

Regents Professor Dr. Marvin J. Slepian, who holds appointments in the College of Medicine – Tucson and the College of Engineering, has been appointed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Patent Public Advisory Committee. His three-year term began Dec. 1 and runs until Dec. 1, 2026.

Slepian, a member of the BIO5 Institute, is the founder and director of the University's Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation, which focuses on developing solutions for unmet medical needs. His research has led to the development of innovative diagnostics and therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases, including drug-eluting stent technologies, novel heart valves and the only total artificial heart approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Slepian is a named inventor on more than 60 patents.

The committee is composed of private-sector intellectual property executives, who participate in regular meetings to discuss the office's patent and trademark operations. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo – in consultation with Kathi Vidal, the patent office's director and undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property – appoints committee members to serve rotating terms.

Read more about the appointment on the University's news website.

University marching band wins Sudler Trophy

The Pride of Arizona marching band and its director, associate professor of music Chad Shoopman, have won the 2024-2026 Sudler Trophy from the John Philip Sousa Foundation. The foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of band music, presents the Sudler Trophy every other year to recognize excellence in collegiate marching bands.

The Pride of Arizona was established in 1907 and has more than 250 members, including a battery-unit drumline, baton twirlers, a pom line and color guard. In 2009, the College Band Directors National Association named it one of the top five college marching bands in the country.

Shoopman joined the School of Music faculty in 2016 and was appointed director of athletics bands later that year.

Read more about the honor on the University's news website.

CAPLA faculty and students honored by American Institute of Architects

Teresa Rosano, assistant professor of practice in the School of Architecture, was named Educator of the Year in the Arizona Design Awards presented by the American Institute of Architects' Arizona chapter. The award celebrates the quality of a professor's and their students' work, the breadth of classroom briefs and an engaging classroom community.

The Arizona Design Awards honor outstanding projects and contributions to the architectural landscape. Other honorees from the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture and their prizes were:

• Laura Carr, senior lecturer in the School of Architecture, and her Master of Architecture students in the 510E design studio class won the Community Design Award, which celebrates contributions to community architecture and design.
• Michael Kothke, professor of practice in the School of Architecture, won a Design Pedagogy Award, which honors teaching and/or pedagogical excellence in a course, studio, project or other education program.
• Savannah McDonald, adjunct lecturer in the School of Architecture, and Charles Pifer, lecturer in the School of Architecture, were given the Goodwin Collaboration Award, which recognizes extensive planning and coordination and overcoming challenges in team projects. The award was given for their work on the Chemistry Building and The Commons project.

Three other faculty members received awards related to work done outside the University.

• Brian Farling and Shawn Swisher, both adjunct lecturers in the School of Architecture, received awards for work completed under Tempe-based Jones Studio.
  • Unbuilt Design Award – Citation (recognizing theoretical architectural design work)
  • Distinguished Architecture Award – Citation (celebrating outstanding execution of an architectural project)
  • Twenty-Five Year Award (awarded to a building that has set an architectural design standard of excellence for 25-35 years)
• Swisher also was presented with the AIA 10 Award, which celebrates early-career architects for outstanding work completed within 10 years of graduation. The award recognizes Swisher's work for Jones Studio.
• Oscar Lopez, senior lecturer in the School of Architecture, received a Merit Award for Interior Architecture, which recognizes great attention to detail and creative design of interior spaces. The award is for work by Lopez for Wendell Burnette Architects in Phoenix.

AIA is the world's largest network of architectural and design professionals, committed to the highest standards of practice and education. Read more about the awards on the CAPLA website.

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@arizona.edu.

Isabel Miranda Kidwell is a student assistant writer in the Office of University Communications.