Berkeleyan

Awards

26 January 2005

AAPT honorees

Two Berkeley professors were honored this month by the largest association of physics teachers in the U.S. for their contributions to educating students and the public about physics.

Eugene Commins, professor emeritus of physics, was honored by the American Association of Physics Teachers at its annual conference with its most prestigious award, the Oersted Medal, for his contributions to the advancement of physics teaching. Carlos Bustamante, professor of molecular and cell biology, physics, and chemistry, received the association’s Richtmyer Award for conveying physics to public audiences.

Ananya Roy

City and regional planning assistant professor and alumna Ananya Roy has received the 2004 Prytanean Faculty Award. Made to an outstanding woman junior faculty member at Berkeley, the award recognizes scholarly achievement, a record as a distinguished teacher, and success as a role model for students. Each recipient receives a grant of $15,000 to apply to her work. Executive Vice Chancellor Paul Gray presented the award at a special reception in the Morrison Library.

Ronald W. Yeung

The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers presented its Davidson Medal to Ronald W. Yeung, a distinguished professor of mechanical engineering, at a banquet in Washington, D.C., last fall. Yeung is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in the field of ship hydrodynamics. His work in this field has previously been honored with a Fulbright Senior Fellowship (1981) in Australia, two Alexander von Hum-boldt Distinguished U.S. Scientist Awards (1988, 1998) in Germany, and the Georg Weinblum Memorial Lectureship (2002-03). Between 1989 and 1996 he served as chair of the Department of Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering.

Dorit Hochbaum

Dorit S. Hochbaum, professor of industrial engineering, was awarded an honorary doctorate in natural sciences by the University of Copenhagen at a November ceremony with the queen of Denmark in attendance. The degree recognizes Hochbaum’s groundbreaking achievements and leadership in optimization in general, and, specifically, in the field of approximation algorithms for intract-able problems .

Damon Runyon Fellowship Awards

Among the 20 recipients of Damon Runyon postdoctoral fellowships — awarded to outstanding young scientists conducting theoretical and experimental research relevant to the study of cancer and the search for cancer causes, mechanisms, therapies, and prevention — are two Berkeley postdoctoral scientists. David Halpin will be researching “development of reconstitution assays for mitotic spindle assembly” under the sponsorship of Rebecca Heald, associate professor of cell and developmental biology; Paul Liu’s focus will be “exploring novel cell fate decisions and cell fate changes in Parhyale neuroblasts” under the sponsorship of Nipam Patel, professor of integrative biology.

Van Carey

Van P. Carey, professor of mechanical engineering, was presented with the 2004 James Harry Potter Gold Medal in November by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The Potter Medal recognizes eminent achievement or distinguished service in the application of the science of thermodynamics in mechanical engineering.

Arup Chakraborty

Arup Chakraborty, chair of chemical engineering and professor of chemistry, has received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Professional Progress Award for Outstanding Progress in Chemical Engineering, which honors an AIChe member under the age of 45 for his or her notable accomplishments. Chakraborty was honored for the application of quantum and statistical mechanics to practical problems.

Malcolm Feeley

Malcolm Feeley, Claire Sanders Clements Dean’s Professor of Law at Boalt Hall, has been elected to serve a two-year term as president of the Law and Society Association (LSA), which brings together scholars interested in studying the role of law in social, political, economic, and cultural life. Feeley, currently LSA’s secretary, will spend a year as president-elect before taking the office of president in 2006.

Hiroshi Nikaido

Hiroshi Nikaido, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, has received the Bristol-Myers Squibb Freedom to Discover Award for Distinguished Achievement in Biomedical Research. Awards are given each year to researchers who have made outstanding contributions to biomedical research in each of six areas: cancer, cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, neuroscience, and nutrition. Nikaido won the 14th annual Infectious Diseases Award, which carries with it an award of $50,000 and a silver commemorative medal.

Antoni K. Oppenheim

Professor of mechanical engineering Antoni K. Oppenheim, professor in the graduate school, received the 2004 Classic Paper Award of the ASME Heat Transfer Division for his paper entitled “Radiation Analysis by the Network Method,” published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in May 1956. The award recognizes seminal papers published at least 15 years ago that are exceptional in their contribution to the technology and science of heat transfer.

Kyung-nyun Kim Richards

Kyung-nyun Kim (“Kay”) Richards, co-coordinator of the Korean program in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, has received a Certificate of Commendation from the Prime Minister of Korea for her lifetime contribution to the teaching of Korean language and literature. Richards has taught in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures since 1980, while also serving as a consultant for numerous Korean programs in California.

In addition to collaborating on the publication of two Korean textbooks, Richards has published original poetry and essays in English and Korean and translated into English two collections of Korean poetry by Yoon Dong-Joo and Kim Seung-Hee.

Gerald Vizenor

Professor of American studies Gerald Vizenor and author Joan Didion will receive the Western Literature Association Distinguished Achievement Award for 2005 at the organization’s annual conference in October. Past winners of the award include Ed Abbey, Sandra Cisneros, Ken Kesey, Larry McMurtry, Scott Momaday, and Wallace Stegner.