L&S graduate is an inspiring story of success

Carlos Torres, who graduated in May with a degree in Psychology, was recently featured in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,  Once struggling to learn English, student now heads to Harvard Med.

The story tells of Torres' inspiring life from a town in Mexico, to earning citizenship in the United States and his acceptance at UW-Madison.  

While at UW-Madison, Torres was a Chancellor's Scholar who co-founded PALMA, a Latino pre-medical student organization. Although only two-years-old, the organization has already received Community Health Award by the Dane County Latino Health Council. 

Category: Area Studies
Tags: , ,

L&S Honors Program hands out first distinguished faculty awards

The L&S Honors Program recently held a reception to honor several faculty members as Distinguished Honors Faculty nominated by students and staff for their contribution to teaching Honors courses and supervising honors students in research and scholarship.

This is the first time the program has offered such awards and they hope to continue in the future.

Congratulations to the following faculty for being named Distinguished Honors Faculty in 2010:

• Janet Batzli, Associate Faculty Associate, Biocore Program
• Cyrena Pondrom, Professor of English
• Richard Begam, Professor of English
• Robert Booth Fowler, Professor Emeritus of Political Science
• Jenny Saffran, Professor of Psychology
• Kenneth West, Professor of Economics

Category: College Updates
Tags: , , , , , , ,

L&S 'Forward Under Forty' are movers, shakers

This year, 10 alumni of the College of Letters & Science were named Forward Under 40 honorees.

The award, given by the Wisconsin Alumni Association, honors UW grads under age 40 who are making an impact on the world by living the Wisconsin Idea.

The outstanding contributions by these young graduates are a reminder of the caliber of our alumni and a testament to the value of the liberal arts. 

Of the twelve honorees this year, ten graduated with liberal arts degrees. 

Congratulations to the L&S alumni!

Aaron Bishop ’94, ’95, MS’00
UW Major: Bacteriology, Genetics and Social Work
An adviser to Wyoming senator Michael Enzi, Bishop is a tireless advocate for Americans with disabilities and has shaped several laws aiding disabled people.

Phillip Chavez ’94, JD’98
UW Major: Political Science and Sociology; Law
A former Badger linebacker, Chavez is now the first elected Latino municipal court judge in Milwaukee’s history.

Jerry Halverson ’94, MD’99
UW Major: Psychology and Medicine
Now the medical director for adult services at Rogers Memorial Hospital, Halverson conducted research into new psychiatric therapies and interventions at UW-Madison.

Britt Lintner ’92
UW Major: Economics
Lintner, a London clothing designer, creates functional and fashionable apparel for professional women and has earned praise from Vogue and Marie Claire.

Brian Riedl ’98
UW Major: Political Science and Economics
Riedl is the lead federal budget analyst for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank, and he’s recognized as a national leader on tax and spending issues.

Elsworth Rockefeller MA’06
UW Major: Library and Information Studies
As the manager of children’s and teen services in the District of Columbia library system, Rockefeller writes an influential column that informs librarians around the country.

Angela Rose ’02
UW Major: Sociology
A survivor of sexual assault, Rose founded Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE) while an undergrad at UW-Madison. This grassroots organization now has chapters combating sexual assault in 55 cities and three countries.

Susanne Rust MS’99
UW Major: Physical Anthropology
Rust was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her work as an investigative reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Her articles revealed the presence of toxic substances in food containers.

Ahna Skop PhD’00
UW Major: Cellular and Molecular Biology
An assistant UW professor of genetics, Skop leads a lab that has expanded our understanding of cell division, and she’s an accomplished artist whose exhibits adorn campus buildings.

Nelson Tansu ’98, PhD’03
UW Major: Applied Math, Engineering and Physics
Tansu is the youngest tenured professor at Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University, where his research focuses on nanotechnology, energy efficiency, and renewable energy sources.

Category: College Updates
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

14 faculty hires made possible by Madison Intiative for Undergraduates

The College of Letters & Science is proud to announce that fourteen faculty have accepted positions at UW-Madison.  This is only the first round of new faculty hires. 

These hires were made possible by the Madison Initaitive for Undergraduates which was approved last spring.  This supplemental tuition charge is being phased in during the next four years to improve the quality and long-term value of undergraduate education while also providing funds for need-based aid.

The fourteen L&S hires represent an opportunity for the college to meet pressing needs in high-demand majors. 

The ability to recruit new talent — at a time when many of our peers cannot — is an exciting chance to grow and enhance the undergraduate education and meet our teaching and research mission.

The faculty, areas of study and start dates include:

• Catalina Toma (Communication Arts, 2010-11)
• Karma R. Chávez (Communication Arts, 2010-11)
• Chao Fu (Economics, 2010-11)
• Kenichi Fukushima (Economics, 2010-11)
• Xiaxia Shi (Economics, 2010-11)
• Joseph Dennis (History, 2010-11)
• Sana Aiyar (History, 2010-11)
• Leonora Neville (History, 2010-11)
• Christopher F. Wells (Journalism & Mass Communication, 2010-11)
• Alexander Tahk (Political Science, 2010-11)
• Bas Rosker (Psychology, 2010-11)
• Paula Niedenthal (Psychology, 2011-12)
• Marcus Brauer (Psychology, 2011-12)
• Maurice N. Gattis (Social Work, 2010-11)
  

Category: College Updates
Tags: , , , , , ,

Four L&S faculty named Romnes Award winners

Six of UW–Madison's most promising rising faculty have been named recipients of this year's Romnes Faculty Fellowships.

Four of these rising starts are in the College of Letters & Science.

The award, supported by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), recognizes an exceptional faculty member who has earned tenure within the last four years. Each winner, selected by a Graduate School committee, receives an unrestricted $50,000 award for research support.

The Romnes award is named for the late H. I. Romnes, former chair of the board of AT&T and former president of the WARF board of trustees.

The L&S awardees are:

• Barry Burden, political science, who joined the UW–Madison faculty in 2006 and is currently the director of graduate studies in the political science department. His research has included third-party candidate strategies, election administration in Wisconsin, and the degree to which the values, experiences and interests that shape legislators as individuals also shape their policymaking decision in government.

• Qiang Cui, chemistry, whose research covers a range of topics in theoretical and computational chemistry and biophysics. He is working on computational models to probe the physical mechanisms of energy and signal transduction in complex molecular systems including biomolecular motors, ion pumps and channels.

• Jordan Ellenberg, mathematics, a renowned number theorist whose research topics range from analysis to algebra, including applications of topology to pattern classification, fluid dynamics and statistics. His honors include three medals in the International Mathematical Olympiad, a Sloan Research Fellowship and a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. He is also active in promoting and publicizing mathematics to broader audiences, writing pieces for the popular press and co-organizing the “Math and…” colloquium series at UW–Madison.

• Bradley Postle, psychology, a cognitive neuroscientist who uses cutting-edge brain imaging and stimulation techniques to study memory and cognition. He is a popular teacher and is associate editor of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.
  

Category: College Updates
Tags: , , , , ,

Psych alumnus wins early career contribution award

Dr. Ben Hankin, MS'97, PhD'07 who earned his degree with Professor Lyn Abramson, has been has been awarded the 2010 American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution in the area of Psychopathology. 

Hankin is now an Associate Professor at the University of Denver.

Hankin will be sharing the award with Matt Nock of Harvard for independent contributions. 

Category: Social Sciences
Tags: , ,

Psychology dedicated to Teaching Mission

Several member of the Department of Psychology have received Honored Instructor Awards by the Chadboune Residence College and University Housing.

One of the honored instructors, Tracy Brookhyser, is an undergraduate working as a teaching fellow in Psychology 201.  

The department finds it tremendously gratifying to be associated with such dedicated and effective instructors.  

The awardees include:

• Will Cox (graduate student)
• Byran Hendricks (lecturer)
• Chuck Snodown (faculty)
• Janet Hyde (faculty)
• Jeff Heriquies (lecturer)
• Judy Harackiewicz (faculty)
• Caton Robers (lecturer)
• Emily Cahill (graduate student)
• Paige Brazy (lecturer)
• Trish Devine (faculty)
• Ryan Carpenter(faculty associate)
• Stephanie Schell (lecturer)
• Tracy Brookhyser (undergraduate teaching fellow)

Category: Social Sciences
Tags: , ,