WPI Research is the research magazine of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. It contains news and features about graduate research in the arts and sciences, business, and engineering, along with notes about new grants, books, and faculty achievements.
Issue link: http://wpiresearch.epubxp.com/i/90696
International Honors for Inorganic Membrane Pioneer RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT S Faculty Achievements Yi Hua "Ed" Ma, James H. Manning Professor of Chemical Engineering and director of WPI's Center for Inorganic Mem- brane Studies, received two significant international honors in 2012. In May he was rec- ognized for his distinguished contributions to adsorption science and technology at the Sixth Pacific Basin Adsorption and Technology Science and Technology Conference in Taipei. In July he was one of four scientists honored as "Fathers of Inorganic Membranes" in a special session at the 12th International Conference on Inorganic Membranes at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Distinguished Professional Honors Jim Cocola, assistant professor of literature, film, and media, was named a fellow at the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, N.H., the nation's leading artists' colony, where he was on a writing residency. Robert Connors, professor and associate head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was named to the 2011 Irish Educa- tion 100 by the Irish Voice newspaper. The annual list honors leading educators of Irish descent. Nicholas Dembsey, professor of fire protection engineering, has been named to a three-year term on the governing council of the International Association for Fire Safety Science. Kathi Fisler, associate professor of computer science, is a member of the SIGPLAN Education Board that is designing the pro- gramming languages [36] component of new undergraduate curricu- lum guidelines for computer science being developed by the Association for Com- puting Machinery and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Janice Gobert, associate professor of social science and policy studies, delivered a keynote address at the 15th Biennial EARLI Conference for Research on Learning and Instruction, in Bochum, Germany, in August 2012. John Goulet, coordinator of WPI's Master of Mathematics for Educators program, has been named one of the best 300 college profes- sors in the nation by The Princeton Review. A pro- file of Goulet is included in the 2012 book The Best 300 Professors (Random House/Princeton Review). The New England Historical Association (NEHA) has named its book award in honor of James Hanlan, professor of history. With 720 members, NEHA is among the largest academic professional societies in New England. Hanlan is the association's executive secretary. Diana Lados, associate professor of mechanical engineering, received a 2012 Women to Watch Award from the publication Mass High Tech. The award honors women who are leaders in various technical fields and in their communities. James O'Shaughnessy, professor of civil and environmental engineering, received the 2012 Clair N. Sawyer Award from the New England Water Environ- ment Association. It honors outstanding ser- vice to the profession and the association. Ryszard Pryputniewicz, K. G. Mer- riam Professor of Mechanical Engineer- ing, has been elected to the Academy of Distinguished Engineers at the University of Con- necticut. The academy honors UConn School of Engineering alumni for "sustained and exemplary contributions to the engineering profession." Richard Quimby, associate professor of physics, has been named a senior member of the Optical Society of America and appointed associate editor of the journal Optical Engineering in the area of lasers and applications. Nima Rahbar, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, received a 2012 Young Leader Award from the Structural Materials Division of the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS). He was also chosen to represent TMS in the 2012 Emerging Leaders Alliance. wpi.edu/+research