Awards & More

Issue Date: 
May 30, 2016

Anthony A. Grace was awarded the Outstanding Basic Research Award from the Schizophrenia International Research Society at its biennial conference in Florence, Italy, last month. Grace is a Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience, a professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine, and a professor of psychology in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. Grace’s work examines the neurophysiology of the basal ganglia system as it relates to psychiatric disorders.

Susan Fullerton

Susan Fullerton, an assistant professor of chemical and petroleum engineering in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, received a 2016 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). Fullerton’s research focuses on the development of materials for low-power electronics and next-generation batteries. The award provides seed money for research by junior faculty at ORAU member institutions. ORAU is an Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based consortium of more than 100 major PhD-granting institutions and a contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy. 

Three Pitt faculty members, one graduate student, and the Pitt-Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center have received 2016 Carnegie Science Awards. Honorable Mentions were presented to a University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg professor and Pitt Med Magazine’s associate editor.

Susanne E. Ahmari

Recognized with Carnegie Science Awards were: Susanne E. Ahmari, Emerging Female Scientist Award, for her work in understanding the mechanisms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Ahmari is an assistant professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine.

Prashant N. Kumta

Prashant N. Kumta, Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Award, for work done in developing biodegradable materials to repair severely damaged bones. Kumta is the Swanson School’s Edward R. Weidlein Chair Professor and is also a professor of bioengineering, chemical and petroleum engineering, mechanical engineering and materials science, and a professor of oral biology in the School of Dental Medicine.

Elizabeth Oczypok

Elizabeth Oczypok, University/Post-Secondary Student Award, for her cutting-edge asthma research. Oczypok is an MD/PhD student in Medical Scientist Training Program, a Pitt School of Medicine and Carnegie Mellon program.

Rocky S. Tuan

Rocky S. Tuan, Life Sciences Award, for his research in musculoskeletal biology and tissue regeneration. Tuan directs the Cellular and Molecular Engineering Lab and is also the Arthur J. Rooney, Sr. Chair Professor in Sports Medicine, both in the Pitt School of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Robert Enick

Bioinformatics Education Team, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, Leadership in STEM Education Award, for developing and implementing bioinformatics curriculums at graduate, undergraduate, and high school levels, including programs for members of groups underrepresented in the field. 

Joel Haight

Recognized with Honorable Mentions were: Robyn Coggins, Science Communicator category. Coggins is the associate editor of Pitt Med Magazine. Mark T. Stauffer, University/Post-Secondary Educator category. Stauffer is an associate professor of chemistry at Pitt-Greensburg.

Götz Veser

Four Swanson School of Engineering faculty members were honored by the Pittsburgh Business Times during its 2016 Energy Leadership Awards ceremony on May 26. The program recognizes individuals who have helped lead the vibrant growth of the region’s energy sector. 

David Sanchez

Honored were Robert Enick, NETL Orise Faculty Fellow, Covestro Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering; Joel Haight, associate professor, Department of Industrial Engineering; David Sanchez, assistant professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and Götz Veser, the Nickolas A. DeCecco Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.