Honors and awards

January 2020

Lamont receives award for exemplary service

Susan Lamont, C.F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in the Department of Animal Science, received the U.S Poultry & Egg Association annual Lamplighter Award. The award honors individuals for "sustained and exemplary service" to the poultry and egg industry. 

Optics and photonics society names Li a rising researcher

Beiwen Li, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, was named a 2020 DCS Rising Researcher by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. The rising researchers program recognizes early career professionals who conduct outstanding work in product development or research in the defense, commercial, and scientific sensing, imaging, optics or related fields.

University receives Borlaug Medallion

The World Food Prize Foundation honored Iowa State University with the Norman E. Borlaug Medallion, making the university the ninth recipient of the award. Presented in honor of Norman Borlaug, this award recognizes world leaders and exceptional institutions for their impact on issues of global food security that benefit humankind. 

Staff members elected to state board of directors

Erica Fischer, associate director of marketing and campus visits in the admissions office; Jason Follett, academic adviser in the software engineering program; and Matthew Wenger, program coordinator in the animal science department's Meat Laboratory, have been elected to Special Olympics Iowa's board of directors. Their four-year term runs January 2020-December 2023.

Zaikina earns NSF CAREER award

Julia Zaikina, assistant professor of chemistry, was granted a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).  Zaikina received the award for her proposal on intermetallic synthesis by theory and in-situ studies. The CAREER grant was awarded by the NSF’s competitive Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program in the Division of Materials Research.

Magill receives national public service award

Sophia Magill, director of federal relations, received the 2019 Ripple Effect Award from the Association of American Universities' council on federal relations. The award recognizes particularly memorable public service contributions to the AAU community. Magill served on the council's steering committee the last two years. She also chaired the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities' council on government affairs.

Stephens Auditorium honored by event management publication

Stephens Auditorium was among the facilities that received the Facilities and Event Management Magazine's 2019 Prime Site Award. The Prime Site award is given to top entertainment, sports and special event venues based on their physical and structural building dynamics, venue staff and level of technology in sound, lighting and staging.