Awards and Accolades
Erika Hamden named to Arizona Space Commission
Erika Hamden, associate professor in the Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, has been named an inaugural member of the Arizona Space Commission, where she will advise Gov. Katie Hobbs in advancing Arizona's role in aerospace and space sciences. Hobbs announced her appointments to the commission on Feb. 14.
Erika Hamden, Associate Professor, Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory
Hamden, who is also director of the University of Arizona Space Institute, specializes in building space and stratospheric telescopes and developing technology to improve how they help scientists see stars, planets and galaxies.
The Arizona Space Commission is made up of 13 members, with seven appointed by the governor, three by the Arizona Senate president and three by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
Read more about Hamden's work and appointment in a story on the university's news website.
U of A earns prestigious award for global learning initiatives
The University of Arizona has earned the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization from NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Named for late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois – a longtime advocate for international education – the award honors colleges and universities that implement innovative strategies and partnerships fostering global learning opportunities.
The honor reflects the efforts of Arizona International, which recruits, welcomes and supports international students and faculty on campus, facilitates study abroad and exchange programs, operates microcampuses around the world and manages global partnerships.
The fall 2024 incoming class included students representing more than 130 countries. More than 3,500 international students are taking classes at U of A campuses in the U.S.
The honorees will be recognized in San Diego in May during NAFSA's annual conference. Read more about the award in a story on the university's news website.
Under the leadership of principal investigator Dante Lauretta, Regents Professor of planetary sciences, the OSIRIS-REx mission successfully delivered the largest-ever asteroid sample to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023.
OSIRIS-REx team honored by the National Air and Space Museum
The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has honored NASA's OSIRIS-REx team with the 2025 Michael Collins Trophy for Current Achievement. The award recognizes outstanding achievements in the fields of aerospace science and technology.
Under the leadership of principal investigator Dante Lauretta, Regents Professor of planetary sciences, the spacecraft successfully delivered the largest-ever asteroid sample to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023. Since then, scientists at the University of Arizona and around the world have been analyzing the sample to learn about the early solar system and potential origins of life on and beyond Earth.
Janko Nikolich, Professor and Head of the Department of Immunobiology
Representatives from the team will receive the award at a ceremony on March 27 at the museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. They will receive a miniature version of "Web of Space," a sculpture by artist John Safer. The award is named after Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins.
Janko Nikolich elected to Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Janko Nikolich, interim director of the Aegis Consortium, co-director of the University of Arizona Center on Aging, and professor and head of the Department of Immunobiology, is a new foreign member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, one of the highest honors a Serbian scientist can receive. Foreign members of the academy are foreign citizens who "have made an exceptional contribution to the general advancement of science and art and the development of scientific and artistic links between their country and the Republic of Serbia," according to the organization's website.
Nikolich, an internationally recognized immunologist and gerontologist, was elected to the academy in November following a selection process lasting more than a year.
He will travel to Belgrade, Serbia, over the summer to give a lecture relating to his work on immune aging and rejuvenation of the immune system.
Read more about the honor in a story on the University of Arizona Health Sciences website.