Awards & More

Pitt’s Office of the Provost announced winners of the University’s first annual Sustainability Awards during an April 14 luncheon at the University Club. Those recognized in the faculty, staff, student, and group categories, respectively, are: Walter Carson, associate professor of biological sciences, for research and teaching on forest ecology at Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology, a Pitt field site; Elizabeth Tiedemann, a staff member in the Office of Student Services at Pitt-Greensburg, for launching in 2006 a successful ink-cartridge recycling program that continues today; Troy Salvatore, a senior in the Swanson School of Engineering, and Sage Lincoln, a Dietrich School senior in the student category. Salvatore helped to organize a team of Pitt students, and Facilities Management and waste-services professionals to complete the University’s first comprehensive waste audit; Lincoln served as the Student Sustainability Intern for Pitt’s Department of Housing. The Student Computing Services Team was chosen for the energy conservation strategies employed through Pitt’s self-service printing initiative, launched under Adam Hobaugh, director of support services, and Jeff Rhoades, manager of Student Computing Services, in 2010.

Elizabeth Skidmore, associate professor of occupational therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, was inducted into the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Roster of Fellows at AOTA’s annual conference in Nashville in April. The roster recognizes occupational therapists who have made significant contributions to the continuing education and professional development of AOTA members. Skidmore was awarded for service as an “Exemplary Neurorehabilitation Practitioner, Scientist, and Advocate.”

The Swanson School of Engineering presented George D. Stetten, professor of bioengineering, and Götz Veser, the Nickolas A. DeCecco Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, with Outstanding Educator Awards for the 2014-2015 academic year. The honors were conferred at the Swanson School’s annual Senior Recognition Ceremony on April 25. Student evaluations play an important role in determining the winners of the highly competitive annual award.

Ben Bratman, an associate professor of legal writing, Pitt School of Law, was honored with the 2015 Eric W. Springer Professionalism Award. The honor recognizes Southwestern Pennsylvania judges and lawyers who have displayed “sterling character, unquestioned integrity, and a dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession and the rule of law.” Bratman was recognized for his work as the School of Law’s liaison to the W. Edward Sell Inn of Court, a local chapter of a national association of lawyers, judges, law students, and legal professionals. 

Richard Schulz will receive the 2015 Baltes Distinguished Research Achievement Award, the most prestigious research award on aging given by the American Psychological Association. The $5,000 honor recognizes distinguished research careers that have featured exceptional theoretical and empirical contributions to the psychological science of aging. Schulz is director of the University Center for Social and Urban Research, a Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry, and Program Director, Gerontology. His research focuses on lifespan theories of development, and he has made leading contributions on coping with chronic illness, disability, and end of life.