Honors and awards
Learning Communities Awards recipients announced
Iowa State's 2025 Learning Communities Awards were presented on May 19. This year's recipients are:
- Learning Communities Champion Award: Arne Hallam, economics department and associate dean for finance and operations in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Learning Community Advocate Award: Karen Zunkel, retired executive director of Institutional Research
- Exemplary Service to Learning Communities Award: Kurt Earnest, associate director of residence life, student engagement and academic excellence and Gail Nonnecke, University and Morrill Professor of horticulture and global professor and faculty coordinator of the global resource systems program
- Early Achievement in Learning Community Coordination: Andrew Albaugh, coordinator of the aerospace engineering first-year and upper-division learning communities
- Learning Community Partner Award: English Links faculty team (Kristin Stoner, Brenna Dixon, Candy Miller, Stacie Schaefer and Jenny Aune) and Office of the Registrar Tuition and Fees Learning Communities Team
Ivy marketing team captures multiple creative awards
The marketing and communications services team in the Ivy College of Business recently received four awards and one honorable mention in the 2025 Hermes Creative Awards international competition for creative professionals. Hermes Creative Awards is one of the oldest and largest creative competitions in the world. Winners range from individuals to media conglomerates and Fortune 500 companies. Team members are: Michele Appelgate, director; Emily Bowman, graphic designer; Spencer Feinberg, social media specialist; Suzanne Lyndon, event planner; and Cindy Robertson, web manager. 2025 Hermes Awards to the Ivy team are:
- Platinum: "Ivy" magazine, spring 2024 edition.
- Platinum: Magazine article, "Miracle on the Hudson" feature with alumnus Craig Black.
- Gold: Magazine article, "Experience Before Ivy," featuring the career of Ryan Bhattacharyya, professor of practice in the department of management and entrepreneurship.
- Gold: Event, 40th anniversary of the college.
- Honorable Mention: News release announcing a new partnership with Trinity Health.
Appelgate named marketing executive of the year
Michele Appelgate, director of marketing and communications in the Ivy College of Business, has received the "Marketing Executive of the Year" award from the Iowa chapter of the American Marketing Association. The award honors an individual in a director-level or above position who "inspires, leads and achieves excellence in the field of marketing and has helped to build and transform their marketing community." Appelgate collaborates with more than 300 professionals across the college's departments to showcase Ivy's programs and successes. Notable marketing achievements have been in the areas of record enrollment, national visibility and recognition via awards.
Ehlers elected delegate to regional executive council
Isaac Ehlers, senior assistant director, office of student financial aid, was elected to serve a two-year term as a delegate on the executive council of the nine-state Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
Engineering faculty receive NSF CAREER awards
Two College of Engineering faculty members have received National Science Foundation CAREER Awards, the NSF's most prestigious award for early-career faculty. They are:
- Luke Roling, assistant professor and Jack R. and Carol A. Johnson Faculty Fellow in chemical and biological engineering, for a project that uses computational modeling to design new electrocatalysts to convert nitrate to inert nitrogen gas or ammonia, addressing nitrate pollution from industrial wastewater and agricultural runoff.
- Cheng Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, for a project to develop scalable, energy-efficient hardware systems that can support AI's growing computational demands in energy consumption and resource use.
First recipients of youth program awards are selected
Risk Management has announced the inaugural recipients of its annual Youth Program Awards, which recognize outstanding contributions (during 2024) to youth development and leadership for ISU-sponsored youth programs. They are:
- Youth Program Leader of the Year (an individual who has created impactful and memorable experiences for both youth participants and volunteers): Alexis Campbell, director, Science Bound
- Outstanding Youth Program of the Year (a program that stands out for its creativity, effectiveness, culture of safety and overall positive contribution to youth development): ADMYRE (Advocating for My Relationships), department of human development and family studies
- Youth Program Staff Member of the Year (an employee or volunteer who has demonstrated exceptional dedication and effort, supporting the youth program's success in every way possible): Molly Barten, youth and family education coordinator, Reiman Gardens
Collins named fellow of materials science society
Peter Collins, professor of materials science and engineering and the Stanley Chair in Interdisciplinary Engineering, has been named a fellow of the Alpha Sigma Mu, an international professional society for the field of materials science and engineering. The designation recognizes significant accomplishments and contributions to the materials science and engineering profession and service to Alpha Sigma Mu.
Burgin wins leadership award
Amy Burgin, chair of the ecology, evolution and organismal biology department, was the 2025 Leadership Award recepient from the Society for Freshwater Science (SFS). The SFS Leadership Award recognizes early- or mid-career members for extraordinary work on behalf of the society. It is not awarded every year and only granted to exceptional nominees.
Financial aid staff receive state service awards
The office of student financial aid and two staff members received awards from the the Iowa Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators at the group's April conference. They are:
- The office of student financial aid received the John E. Moore Award, which recognizes a financial aid office demonstrating the highest standards of service and commitment to its students and community.
- Mary Jacobsen, business systems analyst in the new office of student information, received the John Heisner Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor the association bestows on an individual member for significant contributions over an extended period of time.
- Jacob Severn, financial aid advisor, received the Outstanding New Professional Award, which recognizes the achievements of a financial aid professional in the profession five years or less who has made outstanding contributions to the association or the profession.
Shelley named outstanding journal reviewer
Mack Shelley, University Professor of political science and of statistics, has received an Outstanding Reviewer Award from MDPI for his work on Nutrients, an international, open-access journal focused on human nutrition. The award recognizes reviewers who generously contribute their time to review papers and display thoroughness, professionalism and timeliness in their work. Winners were selected from Nutrients' 5,648 reviewers in 2024. MDPI is a publisher of peer-reviewed, open access journals.
University receives Tree Campus USA award
Iowa State University received the 2024 Tree Campus USA award, presented by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The award reflects campus planning and campus services' commitment to educating and engaging students and the community about the benefits of trees and demonstrating excellence in tree management. Iowa State is one of just 10 Tree Campus USA award winners in Iowa. To qualify, a campus must, at a minimum, have a tree advisory committee, tree care plan, tree program with dedicated annual expenditures, annual Arbor Day observance and a service learning project to engage its student body.
Lauren Schalinske is student employee supervisor of the year
Gansemer-Topf honored for work in higher education
Ann Gansemer-Topf, School of Education director and Frances S. and Arthur L. Wallace Professor, received a prestigious Pillars of the Profession award by the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Foundation. The award recognizes individuals who have served as leaders, mentors, and scholars in student affairs and higher education.
Vet Med faculty serving as association officers
Dr. Locke Karriker, Morrill Professor in veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine and the Dr. Douglas and Ann Gustafson Professor for Teaching Excellence in Veterinary Medicine, was installed as president of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians during the group's annual meeting this month. At the same time, Dr. Chris Rademacher, clinical professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, was elected vice president of the association.
Hashemi named senior member of inventors academy
Nicole Hashemi, associate professor of mechanical engineering, is one of just 162 inventors named a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors for 2025. The honor recognizes the nation's top emerging leaders in turning innovative discoveries into new technologies and products. Senior members are also educating and mentoring the next generation of inventors.
Ceylan receives highest honor in transportation engineering
Halil Ceylan, Pitt-Des Moines, Inc. Endowed Professor in Civil Engineering, has received the Francis C. Turner Award from the Transportation and Development Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for significantly advancing the field of transportation engineering. Under his leadership, interdisciplinary groups of engineers have pioneered innovations in pavement and transportation infrastructure research.
Elder appointed to national post
Abbey Elder, open access and scholarly communication librarian, has been appointed to the steering committee for the newly announced Open Education Association Development Project. Elder leads Iowa State's open education program and is the open educational resources (OER), open access and copyright contact at university library.
Halbur named outstanding swine academic
Dr. Pat Halbur, professor and chair of the department of veterinary diagnostic medicine and executive director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL), is the 2025 recipient of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians' Outstanding Swine Academic of the Year award. It recognizes an association member employed in academia who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and service to the swine veterinary profession. Halbur's contributions include his leadership in strengthening the nation's diagnostic capacity through the development and evolution of Iowa State's VDL, and his pivotal role in the career paths of many students, mentees, professional staff and faculty.
Bryden named fellow of mechanical engineering society
Mark Bryden, professor of mechanical engineering and founding program director of the Division of Simulation, Modeling and Decision Science at Ames National Laboratory, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, an honor held by less than 5 percent of its members and conferred to recognize outstanding engineering achievements.
Arts and events
Seeds and cuttings from the damaged tree will be gathered to try to cultivate seedlings, which would be planted back on campus.
