June 4, 2009
Etc.: Campus news & notes
SCIENCE STAR: Joseph Felsenstein, professor of genome sciences and biology, has received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Institute of Biological Sciences. This award is presented to individuals who have made significant scientific contributions to the biological sciences. Felsenstein has worked in theoretical population genetics, but is best known for work on statistical inference of phylogenies (evolutionary trees), including likelihood and bootstrap methods and phylogenetic comparative methods. He is author of PHYLIP, the first widely-distributed package of programs for inferring phylogenies, and the book Inferring Phylogenies.
Felsenstein also received the John G. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science, given by the National Academy of Sciences for noteworthy and distinguished accomplishments in any field of science within the charter of the academy. His citation reads: “For revolutionizing population genetics, phylogenetic biology, and systematics by developing a sophisticated computational framework to deduce evolutionary relationships of genes and species from molecular data.”
UNDERGRAD RESEARCH CHAMP: Undergraduate Academic Affairs Associate Dean and Undergraduate Research Program Director Janice DeCosmo was recently re-elected a councilor in the Undergraduate Research Program Director Division of the national Council on Undergraduate Research. As a councilor, DeComso will lead development of a handbook for self-study and program evaluation for undergraduate research programs. The handbook will also contain comparison data and undergraduate research program guidelines endorsed by the Undergraduate Research Program Directors Division. The division also connects new directors of undergraduate research programs to mentors and offers a consultancy program for institutions looking to establish an undergraduate research program.
RETIRING TO SERVICE: What does a professor do when he’s retired? Walton Fangman, professor emeritus of genome sciences, provided this answer recently: “What was I, a 70-year-old Bellevue resident, doing in the Central American country of El Salvador last March 15 during its presidential election? I was with the U.S.-based organization CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador) acting as an international election observer.” Fangman’s account of his experience was published in the Bellevue Reporter recently; click here to read all about it.
FORESTRY STANDOUTS: The College of Forest Resources gave out its annual awards to faculty and staff last week. Faculty awards went to Monika Moskal for teaching, Josh Lawler for research, Rob Harrison for student credit-hour production and Kern Ewing for service. Dean Bruce Bare’s Exemplary Award went to faculty members Bruce Lippke for faculty contribution and Steve West for leadership. The media/public relations award went to Jerry Franklin. Administrative staff awards went to Sally Morgan and to the student services team of Amanda Davis, Debra Salas-Haynes and Michelle Trudeau. The staff award for outreach went to Debbie Livingstone. Rob Norheim earned the Research Staff Award and Ernesto Alvarado earned the Research Staff Award for Most New Research Dollars. Bare’s Exemplary Award for staff went to Bev Anderson, Cecilia Paul, and Michelle Trudeau.
Do you know someone who deserves kudos for an outstanding achievement, award, appointment or book publication? If so, send that person’s name, title and achievement to uweek@u.washington.edu.
