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Five University of Arizona faculty members have been recognized with some of the nation's highest honors for their contributions to science, education and mentorship. The prestigious Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and Mentoring and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers highlight the university's commitment to fostering excellence in teaching, research and community impact.

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"We are very proud to have our colleagues awarded such prestigious honors for their work that is so central to our mission as Arizona's flagship, land-grant university," said U of A President Suresh Garimella. "Having leaders of this caliber supports our central focus on student success, enables our impact in service to the state and the nation, and inspires all of us to strive for excellence in advancing our mission."

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"These awards recognize the exceptional potential for leadership early in a researcher's career," said Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, senior vice president of research and innovation. "The University of Arizona is a world-class research institution because of the innovative and transformative work of faculty at all stages of their careers dedicated to advancing the frontiers of knowledge and addressing society’s greatest challenges."

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Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and Mentoring 

Rodrigo Gutierrez, director of the U of A Center for Recruitment and Retention of Mathematics Teachers, received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, announced Jan 13. The award highlights his dedication to mentoring underrepresented students and fostering diversity in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines. His professional and research interests lie at the intersection of teacher development, mathematics education and teaching for social justice, paying particular attention to Latinx and emergent bilinguals, who are learning English while developing their first language.

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Ariel Beggs, a program coordinator for the Center for Recruitment and Retention of Mathematics Teachers and a mathematics educator, was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. This prestigious award recognizes her innovative teaching methods and her ability to inspire students to excel in STEM fields. She recently led the center's Making Manipulatives Make Sense series, which explored how to use manipulatives to make abstract mathematical concepts more understandable for students.

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers 

Three U of A faculty members received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, announced Jan 14. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent research careers.

Paloma Beamer, a professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and director of the WEST Environmental Justice Center, was honored for her work on environmental health disparities. Her research, supported by the National Institutes of Health, focuses on the exposure of vulnerable populations to environmental contaminants, addressing critical public health challenges and driving policy change.

Gurtina Besla, a professor in the Department of Astronomy and an astronomer at Steward Observatory, was recognized for her groundbreaking work in theoretical astrophysics. Her research, supported by the National Science Foundation CAREER award, delves into the evolution of the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies, advancing our understanding of galaxy evolution and the properties of dark matter. Besla is also the director of the TIMESTEP undergraduate professional development program and the MESCIT math tutoring program for Native American scholars.

Kaitlin Kratter – a professor in the Department of Astronomy, astronomer at Steward Observatory and affiliate of the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Applied Mathematics – was celebrated for her innovative theoretical studies of star and planet formation. Her work, supported by NASA, leverages large-scale numerical simulations to help explain the origin of the diverse populations of multistar systems and exoplanets in our galaxy.