March 2018
I love celebrating success, especially the academic and professional achievements of our faculty, staff and students. I’m delighted to share a few examples of researchers and scholars at the U of I who have not only distinguished themselves among their colleagues at our premier research institution, but also globally among peers in their disciplines.
Lee Ostrom, our Associate Dean of Engineering, was awarded a Fulbright scholarship this year to share his nearly four decades of safety, ergonomic, and risk assessment work with Aalto University in Finland to bolster the safety at their laboratories.
Amaya Amigo and Mary Ortman are two recent U of I graduates who were awarded Fulbright scholarships for the 2017-18 academic year. Amaya is pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree in Italy, and Mary is assisting teachers in Croatian classrooms. Fulbright recipients like Mary and Amaya stand out as academic and professional achievers, as well as demonstrated leaders in their respective fields.
Just this month, Ron Hardy, Director of the Aquaculture Research Institute, was granted the title of distinguished professor for his sustained excellence in teaching, scholarship, outreach and service in the field of aquaculture. He has been absolutely central and instrumental in the development of our university’s world class aquaculture research program — and one of the world’s top researchers in aquaculture, fish nutrition and feed production technology.
And as many in our Vandal community know by now, Lisette Waits, distinguished professor and department head of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences in our College of Natural Resources, was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She was given this high and prestigious honor for her outstanding work in conservation genetics, wildlife and conservation biology and for the development of non-invasive DNA sampling techniques.
There are few things more satisfying than seeing our faculty, staff, and students get recognized for their accomplishments. I hope you agree and help celebrate these victories.
Go Vandals!
Janet E. Nelson
Vice President
Research and Economic Development
