Awards and Accolades
Jennifer Kehlet Barton, director of the BIO5 Institute, has begun her tenure as president of SPIE.
Roberta Diaz Brinton, Regents Professor of pharmacology and founding director of the Center for Innovation in Brain Science
Saikat Guha, professor in the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences
Jeanne Pemberton, Regents Professor of chemistry and biochemistry
Sadhana Ravishankar, professor in the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Joyce Schroeder, professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Farid Matuk, associate professor in the Department of English
Rachel Gallery, associate professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment
Barton becomes president of SPIE
Jennifer Kehlet Barton, director of the BIO5 Institute, has begun her term as 2024 president of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.
Barton entered the SPIE presidential chain in 2021 with her election as vice president. She served as vice president is 2022 and as president-elect last year. Following her service as president, she will become immediate past president.
Barton, who holds the Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Chair of Biomedical Engineering, has helped develop miniature endoscopes that combine multiple optical imaging techniques that can detect early cancer development in patients and pre-clinical models. She is an inventor on five U.S. patents and five active U.S. patent applications.
SPIE is a global organization that partners with researchers, educators and industry leaders to advance light-based research and technologies through conferences, publications and professional development opportunities. Its membership spans 184 countries.
Barton is the seventh University faculty member to serve as SPIE president. Read more about Barton's work and elevation to president on the BIO5 Institute website.
Five University faculty members named to the National Academy of Inventors
The National Academy of Inventors has named five University faculty members as senior members. They are: Roberta Diaz Brinton, Regents Professor of pharmacology and founding director of the Center for Innovation in Brain Science; Saikat Guha, professor in the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences; Jeanne Pemberton, Regents Professor of chemistry and biochemistry; Sadhana Ravishankar, professor in the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences; and Joyce Schroeder, professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.
To be selected as a senior member, academic inventors must demonstrate rising leadership within their fields and show success in the patenting, licensing and commercialization of innovations stemming from their work.
The National Academy of Inventors is a member organization consisting of U.S. and international universities, government agencies and nonprofit research institutes. The academy currently has more than 4,600 individual members affiliated with more than 300 institutions around the world.
The 2024 class of senior members will be celebrated in June at NAI's annual conference. Read more about the new senior members and their work on the Tech Launch Arizona website.
University receives award for excellence in facilities management
The University of Arizona and Facilities Management have received APPA's 2023 Award for Excellence in Facilities Management.
The award aims to highlight the role of facilities operations in an institution's overall mission and vision. Each institution that applies for the award is visited and reviewed by campus facilities professionals, then evaluated using criteria including leadership, strategic and operational planning, customer focus and performance results.
The AFE designation is valid for five years. The University also earned the award in 2013 and 2018. The 2023 APPA awards will be celebrated in April during the organization's spring conference. Learn more about the award in University President Robert C. Robbins' congratulatory video.
APPA – formerly the Association of Physical Plant Administrators – is an organization of campus facilities professionals working toward "leadership in educational facilities."
Farid Matuk named USA Fellow by United States Artists
Farid Matuk, associate professor in the Department of English and director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, has been named a USA Fellow by United States Artists. Matuk's honor comes with an unrestricted $50,000 stipend.
Matuk was invited to apply for the fellowship for his contributions to modern American poetry. He is the author of the poetry collections "This Isa Nice Neighborhood" and "The Real Horse: Poems" and of several chapbooks, including "My Daughter La Chola" and "Riverside." His work has also been anthologized in "The Best American Experimental Writing," among others.
Artists are nominated and invited to apply for the fellowship by a rotating group of arts professionals. Applications are reviewed by discipline-specific panels, which recommend finalists for board approval. Artists are evaluated on their artistic vision, contributions to the field and the potential impact of the award on their practice.
United States Artists is a national arts funding organization with a mission to "illuminate the value of artists to American society." The organization supports individual artists through unrestricted awards, professional services and content development.
Learn more about Matuk and his achievement on the University news website.
Rachel Gallery joins New Voices Program for emerging STEM leaders
Rachel Gallery, associate professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, has been named a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine's 2024 New Voices Program cohort. The New Voices Program invites early- and mid-career scientists, engineers and medical professionals to engage in the organization's work.
Gallery and her 25 peers will serve two-year terms and are tasked with thinking beyond their institutional and geographic boundaries to develop interdisciplinary projects aimed at addressing national and global challenges. The organization says cohort members are selected through an open, merit-based competition.
The National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine – known collectively as the National Academies – provide independent, objective advice to inform policy relating to science, engineering and medicine.
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 in the Office of University Communications.