Accolades: Faculty and Staff Awards and Honors

Below are awards and honors University of Maryland faculty and staff have earned since mid-November:

Myles Alexander, coordinator for leadership development in the Stamp Student Union, will be awarded the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators NOW Award for Innovation.

Distinguished University Professor Thomas Antonsen Jr. of the Departments of Physics and of Electrical and Computer Engineering received the American Physical Society’s James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics for his pioneering contributions in the theory of magnetized plasma stability, radio-frequency current drive, laser-plasma interactions and charged particle beam dynamics.

Electrical and computer engineering Professor Alexander Barg was named the 2024 recipient of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Richard W. Hamming Medal for his contributions to the theory of error-correcting codes and their applications in distributed storage, nonvolatile memory and digital fingerprinting.

Bill Bowerman, professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology, is the inaugural recipient of the Phi Kappa Phi Mary Todd Sabbatical Award from the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. It supports one faculty member for a sabbatical year; Bowerman will conduct research on the effect of avian influenza on sea eagles and its transmission to domestic poultry flocks.

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education received the National Association for Student Personnel Administrators’ Gold Award in the Equity, Inclusion, Social Justice, and Related category.

Electrical and computer engineering Professor Yanne Chembo, director of the Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, was elected a 2023 fellow of the American Physical Society for his contributions to the understanding and application of complexity in time-delayed and spatially extended systems.

Naomi Cohen, coordinator for social action and engagement in the Stamp Student Union, was named to the 2024 Students Learn Students Vote Advisory Board, which will lead national nonpartisan strategies to ensure access for, register, educate and turn out students to vote.

Susan De La Paz, professor of special education, received the Distinguished Researcher Award from the Special and Inclusive Education Research Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association.

Brittany Devies, program manager for leadership studies and development, and lecturer in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, received the Dr. Susan R. Komives Research Award from National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. It supports professional, doctoral and master’s-level scholarly research.

Claire Dunning, assistant professor in the School of Public Policy, received a $50,000 grant from the Russell Sage Foundation to support her research project, “Moving to Mobility: A Philanthropic History of Housing Policy 'After' Civil Rights.”

Fischell Department of Bioengineering Department Chair and Fischell Family Distinguished Professor John Fisher was elected a fellow of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering, becoming the first UMD researcher to earn the distinction.

Trevor Foulk, associate professor of management and organization, received the Society of Industrial Organizational Psychology’s early career award in science.

Mohammad Gharipour, professor and director of the Architecture Program, received the 2024 Distinguished Professor Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.

Bruce L. Golden, France-Merrick Chair in Management Science, received the Glover-Klingman Prize for the best paper published in Networks: An International Journal in 2022. The prize was announced in December 2023.

For the third year in a row, College of Education Dean Kimberly Griffin was named by Education Week as one of the nation’s most influential education scholars.

Abba Gumel, professor and Michael and Eugenia Brin Endowed E-Nnovate Chair in Mathematics, was elected a fellow of the UNESCO World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries. Gumel also won the 2023 Arthur Beaumont Distinguished Service Award from the Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematics Society. He was honored for his contributions and for being an exemplary ambassador for the society.

Distinguished University Professor and Minta Martin Professor of mechanical engineering Ashwani Gupta was one of 73 people in engineering and technology elected 2023 fellows of the United Kingdom’s Royal Academy of Engineering. He was recognized for his role as a leading international authority on swirl flows and volume-distributed combustion.

Sahar Khamis, associate professor in the Department of Communication, was elected president of the Arab-US Association for Communication Educators as well as chair of the Spiritual Communication Division at the National Communication Association.

Distinguished University Professor of psychology Arie Kruglanski was invited to participate in The Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center Residency Program, which will bring together approximately 100 intellectuals in Italy for four weeks to develop potential solutions to the world’s greatest challenges.

Mary Harms, associate clinical professor in the Department of Marketing, received the 2023 Direct Marketing Association of Washington Educational Foundation’s 2023 O’Hara Leadership Award.

Fischell Department of Bioengineering Professor Xiaoming “Shawn” He was elected a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts for his contributions in developing multiscale materials and devices to engineer normal and cancer stem cells for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and cancer theranostics.

Fischell Department of Bioengineering Associate Professor Catherine Kuo was named president-elect of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society Americas chapter.

Ionic Devices, a startup cofounded by Professor Sang Bok Lee of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Professor Gary Rubloff of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering was awarded the Phase 1 Microbattery Design Prize by the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office. They received a $75,000 cash prize and the opportunity to conduct battery performance and safety testing at a DOE national laboratory.

Fischell Doron Levy, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics, was elected a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. He was recognized for his contributions to mathematical oncology and mathematical biology.

Jeff MacSwan, professor of applied linguistics and language education, and Kellie Rolstad, associate professor of education, were named co-recipients of the James E. Alatis Prize for Research in Language Policy and Planning in Educational Contexts. The honor from the International Research Foundation for English Language Education recognizes authors of published articles or chapters on language policy or planning in educational settings.

Fischell Department of Bioengineering Assistant Professor Katharina Maisel received an American Lung Association Innovation Award for her project, “Exploring Adjuvant Immunotherapy to Treat Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.” The award supports up-and-coming investigators with high potential to advance lung disease science and research.

Marinel Martinez-Benyarko, coordinator for curriculum, training and development at the Stamp Student Union, will be awarded the 2024 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Latinx/a/o Knowledge Community Outstanding Doctoral Student Award.

Celina McDonald, government information and criminology librarian, received the 2024 Bernadine Abbott Hoduski Founders Award for Federal Government Information by the Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association. It recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to local, state, national or international government documents librarianship.

Electrical and computer engineering and physics Professor Howard Milchberg received the American Physical Society’s 2024 Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science for his pioneering contributions in the fields of plasma optics, guiding ultra-intense laser beams, and developing compact, high-gradient laser-driven accelerators.

Fire protection engineering Professor Emeritus James Milke received the American Fire Sprinkler Association’s 2023 Henry S. Parmelee Award. The association’s highest honor is given to individuals who have committed to strengthening the fire sprinkler industry.

Distinguished University Professor Dinesh Manocha, who holds appointments in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Department of Computer Science and UMD’s Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, and Distinguished University Professor Lai-Xi Wang of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry were elected to the National Academy of Inventors.

Geographical sciences Assistant Professor Catherine Nakalembe was named to the American Geographical Society Council.

Megan Peercy, professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, received the Leadership Through Research Award from the Second Language Research Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association.

Assistant Professor Carlos Rios Ocampo in materials science and engineering and electrical and computer engineering was the 2023 recipient of the Young Scientist Prize in Optics, awarded by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics through the International Commission for Optics.

Kellie Rolstad, associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, received the Mid-Career Research Award from the Second Language Research Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association.

Roland Rust, Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing, was named one of the top 86 most impactful researchers in business and economics worldwide in 2023 by Clarivate. He was also awarded Research.com’s Business and Management in United States Leader Award for 2023.

Hanan Samet, Distinguished University Professor of computer science and affiliate at the Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, was honored with the inaugural Lifetime Impact Award from the Association for Computer Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Spatial Information for his pioneering work in spatial databases and related fields.

Mechanical engineering Professor Peter Sandborn received the Prognostics and Health Management Society’s 2023 Scott Clements MVP Award for his significant, sustained contributions to the society. He has served as an elected member of its board of directors since 2010, and in 2019 was elevated to the rank of fellow.

The Society for Historical Archaeology named anthropology Professor Paul Shackel the 2025 recipient of the J.C. Harrington Medal, its highest honor, in recognition of a person’s lifetime of contributions to the discipline.

Research by Ido Sivan-Sevilla, assistant professor in the College of Information Studies, earned an Honorable Mention for the Future of Privacy Forum's annual Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award. His work discussed how digital ad and tech companies are bracing for a world where third-party tracking will be restricted by design or by law.

School of Public Policy Associate Clinical Professor Brandi Slaughter received the Malcolm Funn Award in recognition of her commitment to the Strong Schools Maryland movement, the state’s largest grassroots education advocacy group. She serves as program director of the Karabelle Pizzigati Fellows Initiative in Advocacy for Children, Youth and Families.

Seyma Intepe Tingir, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, received the Tom E.C. Smith Early Career Award from the Council for Exceptional Children's Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities.

Morphic, open-source software developed by Gregg Vanderheiden, professor of information studies and director emeritus of the Trace R&D Center, will receive a 2024 Zero Project Award for its groundbreaking innovation in enhancing cross-disability computer access.

Professor and R.F. and F.R. Wright Distinguished Chair Chunsheng Wang in chemical and biochemical engineering and materials science and engineering was named a 2023 fellow of the Electrochemical Society for technological contributions to the fields of electrochemistry and solid-state science and technology.

The Count Basie Orchestra, which counts Acting Director of Jazz Studies Mark Williams as a resident trombonist, won a 2024 Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for “Basie Swings the Blues.”

Peggy Wilson, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, was named editor of the Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar Journal.

Distinguished University Professor, Clark Distinguished Chair and Department of Materials Science and Engineering Chair JC Zhao received ASM International’s 2023 J. Willard Gibbs Phase Equilibria Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to the field.

Bobby Zhou was one of the 12 recipients of the 2023 Marketing Science Service Awards for its premier journal, Marketing Science.

Know of a faculty or staff honor that should be included in this quarterly compilation? Please contact your unit’s communications lead and accolades@umd.edu.