KU Kudos: Faculty and staff achievements, April 2025
LAWRENCE — It’s time to celebrate Jayhawk colleagues’ achievements: KU News Service staff accepted submissions and combed websites, social media and newsletters for recent external honors and awards for current faculty and staff at the Lawrence, Edwards and Medical Center campuses and affiliates.
KU Kudos is published 6-7 times a year. Have something to share? Submit by May 21 for the next edition. Self-nominations are encouraged. Learn more about how to submit your professional achievements.
April Blackmon Strange, director of KU’s Lt. Gen. William K. Jones Military-Affiliated Student Center, was named a board member for the Valor Partners Foundation, which works to honor the service and sacrifices of military and veteran families.
The Kansas Association of Broadcasters named Cal Butcher, the director of Media Crossroads, as the Dr. Ian Punnett Media Educator of the year on March 24. The annual honor recognizes exceptional Kansas educators who inspire a passion for media careers and make a transformative impact on their students.
The American Society for Nutrition selected Department of Dietetics & Nutrition faculty member Susan Carlson as one of the top reviewers for the Journal of Nutrition. She will be recognized at the society's annual meeting.
Phil Cunningham, assistant librarian and Kansas Collection curator, and MC Mack, circulation business specialist, were accepted into the Association of Research Libraries' Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Institute as KU Libraries’ representative delegation for 2025.
Bob Hagen, lecturer in environmental studies, received a Kansas Association for Conservation & Environmental Education Award.
Carol Holstead, associate professor of journalism, judged the Illustrated Story category for the National Magazine Awards for the American Society of Magazine Editors. Also known as the Ellies, the awards are the most prestigious given to American magazines and are adjudicated by magazine editors, creative directors and educators who are invited by the contest administrators.
Robin Kundis Craig, Robert A. Schroeder Distinguished Professor of Law, was invited to speak on "State 'Climate Superfund' Laws and Related Legal Issues" for a March event sponsored by The Federalist Society.
Jenny Kurth will receive the American Educational Research Association's Distinguished Special Education Research Award at this month's annual meeting.
Susan Lunte, Ralph N. Adams Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, is the 2025 recipient of the Charles N. Reilley Award in Electrochemistry from the Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry. She recently received the award at Pittcon in Boston.
Keith McMahon, professor in the Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures, received the 2024 Geiss Hsu Book Prize from the Society for Ming Studies for his book "Saying All That Can Be Said: The Art of Describing Sex in ‘Jin Ping Mei’” (Harvard University Press).
Meggie Mapes, associate teaching professor of communication studies, was named editor-elect for the Journal of Communication Pedagogy.
Shelli Nauman, Microbiology Lab coordinator, was elected madam president of the Kaw Valley Mycological Society, based in Lawrence and conducting outreach throughout the state of Kansas.
Nikki Nollen, professor of population health and co-leader of The University of Kansas Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention and Control research program, was accepted into the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco class of 2025 Fellows.
Uma Outka, William R. Scott Professor of Law, has been recognized as a Fulbright Specialist in Energy and Natural Resources Law and Environmental Law by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and World Learning.
Roberta Pokphanh, associate vice provost for international student support and academic services, received a Fulbright International Education Administrators Award to attend a two-week seminar in Taiwan for U.S. higher education administrators.
The Black Alumni Society of the University of Arkansas last month honored alumnus Stanley Redwine, KU track & field coach, with a Dr. Lonnie R. Williams Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nikia Robert, assistant professor of ethics & social justice in the Department of Religious Studies, was elected treasurer of the American Academy of Religion's Board of Directors.
Dr. Tessa Rohrberg, associate professor of family & community medicine, is the recipient of the Medical Society of Sedgwick County 2025 Dr. Joe Meek Young Physician Award. The Meek Award recognizes and encourages emerging physician leaders in Sedgwick County by financially supporting their participation in local, state and national leadership activities.
Tarun Sabarwal, professor of economics, will present research on influence propagation in networks at the 2025 NSF Network Science in Economics Conference at Stanford University. The National Science Foundation-sponsored event is among the top conferences in economics dedicated to the study of economic incentives in network formation and interaction of people in networks.
Irina Anatolyevna Six, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Slavic, German & Eurasian Studies, received the 2024 American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL) Award for Best Book in Second Language Acquisition for "Russian through Film," a co-authored textbook from Routledge.
Casey Smith, an investigator in the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX (OCRTIX), presented on a March 24 panel about the "Definition of Sex: the law, the reality, and the future," at the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) Spring CLE Workshop on Employment Discrimination.
Katie Tuck, associate professor of special education, received a national PBIS 40 under 40 award from the Association for Positive Behavior Support.
Stephen Wolgast, Knight Chair for audience and community engagement in journalism, will discuss his research into the raids on the Marion County Record at the International Festival of Journalism in Perugia, Italy, in April. He was invited to lead a discussion of journalists’ protections against government overreach at the 19th annual conference.
Recently in the news
Shannon Blunt, Radar Systems Laboratory center director and Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, received the IEEE/AESS 2025 Warren D. White Award for “fundamental and practical contributions to radar waveform design for advanced radar systems.”
Faculty members Michael Branicky from the School of Engineering and Timothy Jackson, Ward Thompson and Jon Tunge from the Department of Chemistry were elected as 2024 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellows, a distinct honor within the scientific community.
Stefan Bossmann, professor and chair of the Department of Cancer Biology, was selected to join the 2025 class of senior members of the National Academy of Inventors. He is the first senior member of the NAI from KU Medical Center.
Lisa Dieker, Williamson Family Distinguished Professor in Special Education and director of Flexible Learning through Innovations in Technology & Education, has been awarded the 2025 Romaine P. Mackie Leadership Award by the Division of Leaders and Legacy at the Council for Exceptional Children Special Education Convention & Expo.
Rana Esfandiary, assistant professor of design & technology in the Department of Theatre, received a commendation from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region V Festival for production work on KU Theatre's 2024-25 season opener, "Indecent."
Anthony Fehr, associate professor of molecular biosciences, and Gibum Kwon, associate professor of mechanical engineering, were chosen for the PECASE Award, the highest honor given by the U.S. government to early-career researchers who show great potential for leading scientific advancements in the 21st century.
Jian Li, professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering, was elected as a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The prestigious honor is only held by 3% of ASCE members.
Patrick McCormick, assistant professor of electrical engineering & computer science and scientist at I2S, won the IEEE/AESS Fred Nathanson Memorial Young Radar Engineer Award for “advancements in waveform design and algorithms for radar and communications spectrum sharing.”
Kansas Public Radio announcer Bob McWilliams was awarded the Governor's Arts Award for Excellence in Artistic Achievement, presented by the Kansas Arts Commission, for his career supporting the Kansas music scene.