KU Kudos: Recent faculty, staff honors at the University of Kansas

LAWRENCE — For the inaugural edition of KU Kudos, KU News Service accepted submissions and combed websites, social media and newsletters for recent external honors and awards for current Jayhawk faculty and staff at the Lawrence, Edwards and Medical Center campuses. Have something to share? Submit by Feb. 8 for the next edition. Self-nominations are encouraged, with more information available here.

Abiodun Akinwuntan, professor and dean of the School of Health Professions, was selected as a member of the National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 

Marco Caricato, associate professor of chemistry, and Brandon DeKosky, assistant professor of pharmaceutical chemistry, were included in the American Chemical Society’s Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research’s 2021 Class of Influential Researchers. 

Juliana Carlson, associate professor of social welfare, was selected to receive the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development Alumni Society Award of Excellence. Carlson was honored for her dedication to ending gender-based violence.

Yi-Yang Chen, assistant professor of music, received the Outstanding Teacher Award from the Future Stars International Piano Competition, where three KU piano majors were also named prize winners for this competition. The event attracted applicants from 19 countries.

Weizhang Huang, professor of mathematics and department chair, was elected president of the Central States Section of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. Huang will serve a two-year term in this role to promote the collaboration for both basic research and applications of mathematics to industry and science.

Mark Joslyn, professor of political science, is the author of “The Gun Gap: The Influence of Gun Ownership on Political Behavior and Attitudes,” which was listed as one of Choice’s Outstanding Academic Titles of 2021.

Jennifer Keomany, senior research associate and manager, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Wichita campus, is among the inaugural group of leaders in Kansas Future Fellows, the first structured statewide network of ambassadors dedicated to solving problems plaguing young children and families. 

Kathleen Lane, Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor in Special Education, was selected to receive the 2022 Special Education Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council for Exceptional Children. 

Jessica Li, Jack and Shirley Howard Mid-Career Professor, and Surendra Singh, AT&T Foundation Professor in the School of Business, co-wrote a paper that was a finalist for the AMA-EBSCO-RRBM Award for Responsible Research in Marketing.

Agneiszka Miedlar, associate professor of mathematics, was elected program director for the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Activity Group on Linear Algebra. Miedlar will serve a three-year term.  

Samuel Ofei-Dodoo and Colleen Loo-Gross, assistant professors of family & community medicine, Wichita campus, were accepted to participate in Society of Teachers of Family Medicine’s Antiracism Learning Collaborative. 

Uma Outka, William R. Scott Law Professor and associate dean, was invited to participate in the 80-member Scotia Group, a United Kingdom-based international network of leaders in politics, academia, law and business who convened for a series of dialogues during 2021 to contribute to the success of international climate action at the COP26 Summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

Sheldon Preskorn, professor of psychiatry, Wichita campus, was named Educator of the Year by the Psychiatric Times.

Tarun Sabarwal, professor of economics, was selected as associate editor for the International Journal of Economic Theory.

Hyunjin Seo, Oscar Stauffer Chair in Journalism, was a speaker for the National Science Foundation’s 2021 Awardee Meeting panel session titled “Challenges and Opportunities in Working with vs. for Communities and Audiences.” Seo and partners discussed her NSF project’s community partnerships in supporting marginalized women’s technology education.

Karrie Shogren, professor of special education and senior scientist in KU's Life Span Institute, was named as the Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities’ 2022 Burton Blatt Humanitarian Award winner.

Leo Smith, associate professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, was selected for the 2021 Margaret M. Stewart Award for Excellence in Ichthyology.

Kim Templeton, professor of orthopedic surgery, Kansas City campus, received recognition from the American Medical Women's Association for her outstanding leadership in the field of women's health. Templeton will accept the Bernadine Healy Award for Visionary Leadership in Women’s Health at the AMWA's conference in June.

Hong Vu, associate professor of journalism, was invited to join the editorial board for Digital Journalism and Online Media & Global Communication.

Frank Zilm, the Chester Dean Lecturer on Healthcare Design in the School of Architecture & Design, was featured as a Citizen Architect by the American Institute of Architects. He was lauded for efforts to build a scholarship program that fosters the next generation of architects and for helping students understand how architects can improve the health and safety of marginalized communities.

ICYMI

• Sharon Billings, Dean’s Professor, ecology & evolutionary biology, and senior scientist, Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research; Anil Misra, professor of civil, environmental & architectural engineering; and Eduardo Rosa-Molinar, professor of pharmacology, toxicology & neuroscience, were named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
• Jeff Chasen, assistant vice provost for employee growth, development, accessibility & inclusion at KU, was named the first-ever recipient of the Visionary Award, presented by the University Risk Management and Insurance Association (URMIA).
• Jack Cline, associate vice chancellor for federal relations, was among just 100 individuals to receive 2021 Top Lobbyist distinction from the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics, a national organization representing lobbying, public policy and government affairs professionals.
• Suzanne Shontz, associate professor of engineering, is the first woman to receive the 2021 International Meshing Roundtable Fellow Award.
• David Slusky, De-Min & Chin-Sha Wu Associate Professor of Economics, was selected as the executive director of the American Society of Health Economists, a professional organization for health economics research in the United States.
• Z.J. Wang, Spahr Professor of Aerospace Engineering, was awarded time on one of the world’s fastest supercomputers by the U.S. Department of Energy to research improved aerodynamics.