Honors and awards
Lauren Schalinske is student employee supervisor of the year
Gansemer-Topf honored for work in higher education
Ann Gansemer-Topf, School of Education director and Frances S. and Arthur L. Wallace Professor, received a prestigious Pillars of the Profession award by the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Foundation. The award recognizes individuals who have served as leaders, mentors, and scholars in student affairs and higher education.
Vet Med faculty serving as association officers
Dr. Locke Karriker, Morrill Professor in veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine and the Dr. Douglas and Ann Gustafson Professor for Teaching Excellence in Veterinary Medicine, was installed as president of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians during the group's annual meeting this month. At the same time, Dr. Chris Rademacher, clinical professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, was elected vice president of the association.
Hashemi named senior member of inventors academy
Nicole Hashemi, associate professor of mechanical engineering, is one of just 162 inventors named a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors for 2025. The honor recognizes the nation's top emerging leaders in turning innovative discoveries into new technologies and products. Senior members are also educating and mentoring the next generation of inventors.
Ceylan receives highest honor in transportation engineering
Halil Ceylan, Pitt-Des Moines, Inc. Endowed Professor in Civil Engineering, has received the Francis C. Turner Award from the Transportation and Development Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for significantly advancing the field of transportation engineering. Under his leadership, interdisciplinary groups of engineers have pioneered innovations in pavement and transportation infrastructure research.
Elder appointed to national post
Abbey Elder, open access and scholarly communication librarian, has been appointed to the steering committee for the newly announced Open Education Association Development Project. Elder leads Iowa State's open education program and is the open educational resources (OER), open access and copyright contact at university library.
Halbur named outstanding swine academic
Dr. Pat Halbur, professor and chair of the department of veterinary diagnostic medicine and executive director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL), is the 2025 recipient of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians' Outstanding Swine Academic of the Year award. It recognizes an association member employed in academia who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and service to the swine veterinary profession. Halbur's contributions include his leadership in strengthening the nation's diagnostic capacity through the development and evolution of Iowa State's VDL, and his pivotal role in the career paths of many students, mentees, professional staff and faculty.
Bryden named fellow of mechanical engineering society
Mark Bryden, professor of mechanical engineering and founding program director of the Division of Simulation, Modeling and Decision Science at Ames National Laboratory, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, an honor held by less than 5 percent of its members and conferred to recognize outstanding engineering achievements.
Datta receives Medallion Award
Mridul Datta, clinical associate professor in the food science and human nutrition department, received the Iowa Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' 2024 Medallion Award. The award recognizes a member of the association who has demonstrated leadership above and beyond job requirements in either the Iowa Academy or their place of employment and has made outstanding contributions to the dietetic profession.
Alipour named structural engineering fellow
Alice Alipour, associate professor and Thomas M. Murray Family Faculty Fellow of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers' Structural Engineering Institute (SEI). SEI fellows represent less than 1 percent of the society's total membership, recognized as leaders and mentors in structural engineering.
Squire honored by Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture
Mitchell Squire, a Morrill Professor of architecture, is one of five faculty members nationwide to receive Distinguished Professor recognition in the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture’s (ACSA) 2025 Architectural Education Awards. The ACSA Distinguished Professor award highlights individuals who have had a positive, stimulating and nurturing influence upon students. Squire will be honored at the 113th ACSA Annual Meeting in New Orleans in March.
Pedestrian bridge receives national design award
The Jack Trice Gateway Bridge on University Boulevard received a 2025 Honorable Mention Design Award from the Chicago-based Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute in the category of Best Non-Highway Bridge. Each year panels of construction professionals, including architects, designers and concrete producers, honor the best precast concrete projects in a variety of categories.
Three faculty receive White House early career award
Three faculty have received the 2025 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor the U.S. government bestows on outstanding scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their careers. Each Presidential award winner receives funding from their national agency for up to five years. In the case of each ISU recipient, the funding agency is the National Science Foundation. In addition to recognizing innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology, the award highlights the scientific missions of the participating agencies and the importance of science and technology for the country's future. Among the 400 scientists honored this year, Iowa State's recipients are:
- Soumik Sarkar, Walter W. Wilson Faculty Fellow in Engineering, professor of mechanical engineering and director of Iowa State's Translational AI Center
- Dipali Sashital, professor in biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology
- Zengyi Shao, Hershel B. Whitney Professor for Global Initiatives and professor in chemical and biological engineering
Neuhold-Ravikumar named technical assistance coach for national pilot arts program
The National Endowment for the Arts named Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar, professor of practice in graphic design, one of six technical assistance coaches for a new program, ArtsHERE. In this role, she will advise nearly 20 of the 112 nonprofit organizations selected to receive an ArtsHERE grant to strengthen their capacity to sustain community engagement and increase arts participation for underserved groups and communities. The pilot program is managed by Atlanta-based South Arts in collaboration with the other five U.S. regional arts organizations.
