Accolades: Faculty and Staff Awards and Honors

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

William "Bill" E. Bentley, director of the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices and Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech), was awarded the Amgen Biochemical and Molecular Engineering Award. It recognizes research excellence and leadership in biochemical and molecular engineering.

The Center for Global Business received the Secretary’s Citation from Maryland Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson, and Gov. Wes Moore honored CGB Executive Director Rebecca Bellinger with the Governor’s Citation. Both celebrated the center receiving the President’s “E” Award for Export Service. the highest recognition a U.S. entity can get for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.

Robert Buchanan, professor emeritus in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, was the first recipient of the new International Association for Food Protection’s Journal of Food Protection Exceptional Reviewer Award.

Pamela Callahan Ph.D. ’24, postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement, received an Early Career Fellowship from the Education Law Association in recognition of her work at the intersection of K-12 education and First Amendment rights.

Sean B. Carroll, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Biology, won the 2024 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Gold Award for Video In-Depth reporting for the documentary “The Battle to Beat Malaria,” which he co-executive-produced for NOVA. The former head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios was named a AAAS Kavli Laureate for his third win.

Meghan Comstock, assistant professor of education policy, was awarded the Outstanding Dissertation Award by the American Educational Research Association Division A (Administration, Organization and Leadership).

”The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) presented 2024 Best of CASE District II awards to: Lauren Biagini for the design of the “President’s Weekend Invitation Suite”; Chris Carroll for his article “The Dreams of Fatema;” John T. Consoli for his photograph “Baby Terrapin;” Maggie Haslam for her articles “Get Listening, Kids” and “Code ‘Read’: Inside the Triage Center for UMD’s Battered Books;” Annie Krakower for her article “Terp Trendsetters;” Jessica Lee and Rosemary Sutter for the student engagement strategy “University of Maryland Bucket List;” Sala Levin for her article, “An End to the Bleeding;” Karen Shih for her occasional series “What it Takes;” the staff of Terp magazine for overall excellence; and Jeff Williams and Wanda Alexander for their volunteer engagement strategy “Initiative with Intention: Engaging Alumni Experts to Advance University Priorities.”

Po-Yen Chen, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, received the 2024 Shining Star Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. The award recognizes outstanding volunteerism at the AIChE local section level. Chen served as chair of the institute’s National Capital Section for two years.

Mechanical engineering Professor Siddhartha Das was recognized as a Pioneering Investigator by the journal Chemical Communications.

Carla Della Gatta, associate professor and director of the M.A. and Ph.D. programs in theatre and performance studies, was recognized at the 2024 International Latino Book Awards as a finalist for Best Website for LatinxShakespeares.org and Honorable Mention for Best Academic Book, College Level - English for “Latinx Shakespeares: Staging U.S. Intracultural Theater.”

Physics Professor William Dorland posthumously received the American Physical Society’s 2024 James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics for “pioneering work in kinetic plasma turbulence that revolutionizes turbulent transport calculations for magnetic confinement devices and inspires research in astrophysical plasma turbulence." Dorland, who died in September, shared the honor with Greg Hammett, his doctoral adviser from Princeton University.

Merrill College of Journalism Lecturers Steve Drummond and Elissa Nadworny of NPR won a Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Narrative Human-Interest Storytelling for the project “Ukraine Kindergarten,” which uses audio, visuals and traditional journalism to tell the story of what it’s like to grow up during a war.

Rachel Ellis, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice, received the New Scholar Award from the American Sociological Association, Section on Religion as well as two awards for her 2023 book “In This Place Called Prison: Women's Religious Life in the Shadow of Punishment”: The Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and the Michael J. Hindelang Outstanding Book Award from the American Society of Criminology.

Clint Eury, program director for human resources strategic partnerships and communications, was selected to serve a three-year term on the board of directors of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.

Macarena Farcuh, assistant professor of horticulture in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, and her team received three Extension Division Education Materials Awards from the American Society for Horticultural Sciences under the following categories: Newsletter (Fruit Pulse), Blog (Extensión en Español) and Video (“Apple Maturity Assessments”).

Journalism Lecturer Elizabeth Feldman, who works for CNN, was inducted into the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Silver Circle. It honors media professionals who have devoted more than 25 years to the broadcast industry and have made significant contributions to the region. 

Josanne Francis Ph.D. '24, lead community engagement coordinator at the Center for Community Engagement, was selected as a mentor for the Strathmore Artist in Residence program, which supports musicians as they transition to professional careers.

Amy Gardner, professor emerita of architecture, and Associate Clinical Professor Brittany Williams made the list for Forbes’s Top 200 Residential Architects in the country.

Bruce Golden, the France-Merrick Chair in Management Science, and Distinguished University Professor Roland Rust, the David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing, were named ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholars, recognizing their productivity of research with profound impact and quality.

Dana Grosser-Clarkson Ph.D. ’16, associate clinical professor in the College of Education and senior lecturer in the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, was honored with the Outstanding College Educator Award by the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Anil Gupta, Michael Dingman Chair in Strategy and Globalization, was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame, recognizing his “three decades at the forefront of analyzing globalization trends.

Associate Professor of aerospace engineering Christine Hartzell and Assistant Research Professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering Michael T. Kio were elected associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Agustin Hurtado, assistant professor of finance, received the 2024 Dissertation Award from the American Society of Hispanic Economists, which recognizes a recently minted Ph.D. recipient who shows promise of achievement as a scholar and/or teacher.

A community planning studio taught by Urban Studies and Planning Program Director and Professor Clara Irazábal received the 2024 Outstanding Student Project Award from the American Planning Association Maryland and the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association.

Jeongeun Kim, associate professor of higher education, received a Congressional Fellowship from the American Education Research Association for 2024-25. As a fellow, Kim will work with a member of Congress and participate in policymaking based on her research and other educational research.

Elizabeth Lathrop, principal faculty specialist in the A. James Clark School of Engineering, won the National Organization of Research Development Professionals Rising Star Award for outstanding contributions to the organization and field.

Melinda Martin-Beltrán, associate professor in the College of Education, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Maryland TESOL Association. This award honors professionals in the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) field who have exemplified dedication to students and/or in teacher training.

Peter Noonan, principal of McInturff Architects and professor of the practice, won an honor award and a special recognition award at the AIA Potomac Valley Design + Leadership Awards celebration.

Navonne Owen, 4-H educator for the University of Maryland Extension (UME) in Caroline County, Lisa McKenna, 4-H program assistant there, and Crystal Terhune, family and consumer sciences educator for UME in Caroline, Dorchester and Talbot counties, were awarded the Search for Excellence in Teen Programming Award for the Northeast Region from the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals. They were recognized for excellence in programming conducted for and with teen audiences from their "#Adulting101" program.

Christi Parsons, director of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism's Capital News Service Annapolis bureau, was inducted into the University of Alabama’s College of Communication & Information Sciences Hall of Fame. Parsons earned her bachelor’s degree at Alabama. Before joining the UMD faculty this year, she was a journalist at CNN, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic and other publications.

The Association for the Study of Higher Education recognized “Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family,” by OiYan Poon, a faculty specialist in the College of Education’s Department of Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education, with its 2024 Outstanding Book Award.

Dana Priest, Knight Chair in Public Affairs Journalism, won a News and Documentary Emmy for outstanding investigative documentary as a member of the team behind the PBS “Frontline” documentary, “Global Spyware Scandal: Exposing Pegasus.” The film is an extension of the international “Pegasus Project” investigation into the powerful Israeli spyware sold to governments around the world.

School of Public Policy Professor Yueming “Lucy” Qiu, associate dean of research and faculty affairs, was recognized on Stanford University’s list of the world’s top 2% of scientists for her contributions to energy research. This inclusion emphasizes the global impact of her work addressing climate change and sustainable energy solutions.

Distinguished University Professor Peter Reuter has been honored on Stanford University’s list of the world’s top 2% of scientists for his influential work tackling drug policy reform and addressing public health crises worldwide. Reuter holds a joint appointment in the School of Public Policy and the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Sheila Somashekhar, director of the Purple Line Corridor Coalition at UMD’s National Center for Smart Growth, received the 2024 Leadership in Planning Award for Community Outreach and Engagement in Honor of Harold Foster from the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Associate Athletics Director and Strategic Communications Officer Jason Yellin received the 25-Year Service Award from the College Sports Communicators. It honors exemplary work in a quarter-century of service to college sports communications and the student-athletes they serve.

Siva Viswanathan, Dean's Professor of Information Systems and Digital Innovation, was a runner-up for Best Paper Award at the INFORMS conference for "Threatened by AI: Analyzing Users’ Responses to the Introduction of AI in a Crowd-Sourcing Platform."

The Financial Education Association awarded Professor Emerita Susan White of finance its 2024 Outstanding Leadership in Financial Education Award. White earned the honor for two decades of service to the organization. She currently is associate editor of the Journal of Financial Education.

Nicole Yunger Halpern will receive the 2024 Katharine B. Gebbie Young Scientist Award in December from the NIST chapter of Sigma Xi, recognizing her role as a leading figure in the emerging field of quantum thermodynamics.

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.