Faculty Awards and Honors: December 2015
John Badding, professor of chemistry and physics, has been selected to receive the 2015 Penn State Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Physical Sciences. Established in 1980, the award recognizes scholarly or creative excellence represented by a single contribution or a series of contributions around a coherent theme. A committee of faculty peers selects candidates after reviewing nominations together with outside evaluations from peer institutions.
Augustin Banyaga, professor of mathematics, has been named a Distinguished Senior Scholar. The title is given by Penn State's Eberly College of Science in recognition of a sustained record of extraordinary achievement in research and education. Holders of this position have had a profound effect on their fields through creative innovation and internationally acclaimed scientific leadership, as well as exceptional accomplishments in teaching and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students.
Squire J. Booker, professor of chemistry and of biochemistry and molecular biology, has been named an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), a science philanthropy whose mission is to advance biomedical research and science education for the benefit of humanity. As one of 26 new HHMI investigators chosen from 894 applicants, Booker joins a group of scientists, including 17 Nobel laureates, widely recognized for their creativity and research accomplishment. The HHMI chooses investigators based on a “people, not projects” philosophy allowing its investigators the freedom to explore creative approaches to difficult biomedical problems. Booker will receive flexible support designed to enable him to move his research forward in creative new directions.
Jane Charlton, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, has been selected to receive the 2015 President's Award for Excellence in Academic Integration. The award is given to faculty members who excel at integrating teaching, research, and service to the University. The award is presented by the Office of the President of the University, based on the recommendations of the President's Council and academic deans.
Charlton has also been selected to receive one of three Penn State Teaching Fellows Awards for 2015/2016. The Teaching Fellow Award was established jointly in 1986 by the Penn State Alumni Association, the Undergraduate Student Government, and the Graduate Student Association with the purpose of honoring distinguished teaching and providing incentive for teaching excellence at Penn State.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) announced the election of Eric D. Feigelson, professor of astronomy and astrophysics and of statistics, as the president of its new Commission on Astroinformatics and Astrostatistics at its General Assembly in August. The IAU is the world’s largest scholarly society in astronomy. Together with G. Jogesh Babu, professor of statistics, Feigelson is one of the founders of the field of astrostatistics that endeavors to improve applications of sophisticated methodology to the analysis and interpretation of astronomical data. Feigelson and Babu have organized research conferences, graduate-level summer schools, and co-authored a prize-winning textbook in the field.
Charles Fisher, professor of biology and associate dean for graduate education in the Eberly College of Science, has been named a Distinguished Senior Scholar. The title is given by Penn State's Eberly College of Science in recognition of a sustained record of extraordinary achievement in research and education. Holders of this position have had a profound effect on their fields through creative innovation and internationally acclaimed scientific leadership, as well as exceptional accomplishments in teaching and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students.
Kin Fai Mak, assistant professor of physics, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science to receive funding for his research as part of the DOE's Early Career Research Program. With this funding, Mak will study a new method for transmitting information by controlling a parameter of electrons known as the “valley degree of freedom” in two-dimensional crystals. The research has potential application in next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices, such as spin and valley transistors and polarization-sensitive LEDs.
Gerald D. Mahan, distinguished professor of physics, has been honored with the 2015 Outstanding Achievement in Thermoelectrics Award from the International Thermoelectric Society (ITS). The award recognizes the outstanding achievements of a senior scientist for contributions to the field of thermoelectricity. The award was presented at the banquet of the 2015 International Conference on Thermoelectrics in Dresden, Germany, where Mahan presented a plenary lecture.
Jennelle L. Malcos, lecturer in biology, has received the George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award honors excellence in teaching at the undergraduate level across all Penn State colleges and campuses. Malcos is one of six awardees for 2015. Malcos teaches introductory courses in physiology, mammalian anatomy, and cell biology. She uses an innovative approach to ensure that students are actively engaged in learning despite the large size of these classes.
Thomas Mallouk, Evan Pugh Professor of Chemistry, Physics, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Penn State University, has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Election to membership in the academy is one of the highest honors accorded to U.S. scientists or engineers by their peers.
Andrew F. Read, Evan Pugh Professor of Biology and Entomology and Eberly Professor in Biotechnology at Penn State, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, the leading academy of sciences of the United Kingdom. The Royal Society is a self-governing fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists.
Mercedes Richards, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, has been elected as a Councilor of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). The AAS was founded in 1899 and is the major organization of professional astronomers in North America with over 7,000 members. Richards is one of three Councilors elected this year from among the membership of the AAS. She will serve a three-year term on the AAS Council, which is the governing body of the AAS and is responsible for the management of the affairs and property of the society.
Marylyn Ritchie, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and the director of the Center for Systems Genomics, has been named the Paul Berg Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The professorship was created in 1995 by an anonymous donor in honor of Paul Berg, a 1948 Penn State graduate who was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1974 and earned the Nobel Prize in 1980 for developing a method to map the structure and function of DNA.
Song Tan, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, has been selected to receive the 2015 Penn State Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Life and Health Sciences. Established in 1980, the award recognizes scholarly or creative excellence represented by a single contribution or a series of contributions around a coherent theme. A committee of faculty peers selects candidates after reviewing nominations together with outside evaluations from peer institutions.
David Weiss, professor and associate head of the Department of Physics, has been elected as chair of the Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (DAMOP) of the American Physical Society (APS). DAMOP is the oldest and third largest division of the APS, with over 3,000 members. The chair is an elected position with administrative responsibility for all the division's operations, including the 1,100-attendee annual meeting.