Honors and awards
March 2018
Bookstore captures industry award for third year
The ISU Book Store, Memorial Union, received the Excellence in Course Materials Management Award for 2016-17 from the Independent College Bookstore Association. The bookstore was recognized for implementing several initiatives aimed at making course materials more affordable for students while controlling its expenses. This is the third consecutive year Iowa State has won the award.
Toth named 2019 Fulbright Scholar
Amy Toth, associate professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology, was named a 2019 Fulbright Scholar to support her upcoming sabbatical studies at the Universidad Nacional del Comahue in Bariloche, Argentina. She will collaborate with Argentine ecologists to study “Bombus dahlbomii,” the giant Patagonian bumblebee. Populations of this bumblebee, a keystone species in Patagonia, have crashed in recent years, landing the bee on the endangered species list. Toth and her collaborators will generate the first genetic information for the bee, to better understand and counteract the causes of the population decline. Through research, teaching and outreach, the goals of her year abroad will be to build bridges to facilitate ecological genomics research in Argentina, and to establish a trans-American partnership for bee conservation.
Wendel named 2019 Fulbright Scholar
Jonathan Wendel, Distinguished Professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology, was awarded two international professorships for 2019, including a Fulbright Scholar. During the first half of the year, he will be a Leverhulme Professor at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, London. He will mentor early career researchers to help enhance their scientific productivity and understanding of career opportunities, deliver a course of Leverhulme Lectures at Kew and seminars elsewhere in the UK, co-organize two 1-day meetings and teach masters of science students in plant and fungal taxonomy, diversity and conservation. He also will initiate additional new research collaborations with Kew scientists, and contribute to Kew’s outreach agenda. During the fall semester, Wendel will be a 2019 Fulbright Scholar at the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid and visit other research-intensive institutions in Spain. Planned activities include mentoring early-career researchers; teaching a short course in plant evolutionary genomics; presenting public as well as research lectures; and organizing a scientific conference on ecological and evolutionary genomics of plants, with a focus on early-career and female scientists as invited speakers.
Womyn of Color group shows promise
ISU's Womyn of Colour Sister Circle meet-up, an informal opportunity for undergraduate and graduate women of color to interact and network, was featured as of one of "11 Projects That Will Empower Women" by the American Association of University Women. The program is an AAUW grant-funded project in the Margaret Sloss Women's Center for the 2018-19 year.
Levitas receives international plasticity award
Valery Levitas, Vance D. Coffman Faculty Chair of aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering, was named the 2018 recipient of the Khan International Award, also known as the Khan Plasticity Award. Levitas was noted for outstanding contributions to the field of plasticity, especially for pioneering works on interaction between phase transformations and plasticity in materials under high pressure at multiple scales. The award was presented at the recent International Conference on Plasticity, Damage and Fracture in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Meyendorf named fellow in optics and phonics society
Associate professor Norbert Meyendorf, aerospace engineering, was elected a fellow in SPIE, the international society for optics and phonics. The honor recognizes his achievements in nondestructive testing.
Arts and events
'Die Fledermaus' is a farce of mistaken identity, flirtation and a practical joke with unanticipated consequences. It opens Nov. 7 in Fisher Theater.
