Mriganka Sur, the Sherman Fairchild Professor of Neuroscience and head of brain and cognitive sciences, and Silvio Micali, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, are among 187 Fellows and 29 Foreign Honorary Members elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Professor Emeritus Lawrence B. Evans of chemical engineering received the 2003 Industry Excellence Award from the Engineering and Construction Contracting Association for his leadership in the process industries as the principal founder of Aspen Technology, Inc. He served on the faculty at MIT from 1962-90, when he became an emeritus professor.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Timothy F. Jamison has received an Amgen CR&D [Chemistry Research and Discovery] Young Investigator's Award, a new honor to recognize contributions from young researchers in chemistry.
The American Physical Society has elected research scientist Amanda Hubbard and senior research scientist Richard Petrasso as Fellows. Election is limited to only one-half of 1 percent of the membership. Both are affiliated with the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Hubbard was recognized "for significant contributions to the understanding of the plasma edge pedestal formation and of the transition to an improved confinement regime in magnetic fusion confinement devices." Petrasso was honored for "the comprehensive use of quantitative charged-particle spectroscopy allowing significant advances in understanding of laser-driven implosions and for leadership in the national ICF program."
Rafael Bras, the Bacardi/Stockholm Water Foundation Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is one of two 2003 electees to the Hispanic Engineer national Achievement Awards Corp. Hall of Fame.
The Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA) has appointed Vice President for Human Resources Laura Avakian to its board of directors.
Tom Reynolds, a doctoral student in the International Center for Air Transportation (part of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics), has been awarded an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation Orville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award. The award was established to commemorate the 100th anniversary of powered flight and to recognize the Wright brothers' aeronautical achievements and contributions to the evolution of flight. The title of Reynolds' current research topic is "Investigating Conformance Monitoring Issues in Air Traffic Control Using Fault Detection Approaches."
Hanyang University has bestowed an honorary doctorate on Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Berhardt J. Wuensch (S.B. 1955, S.M., Ph.D.). He was recognized for achievements in crystallography, diffusion-related phenomena in ceramic materials, and combinations of these disciplines in elucidating the crystal-chemical origins of fast-ion conduction in solid electrolytes.
Zefeng Wang, a postdoctoral fellow in biology, has won a three-year Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellowship, given to young scientists for research related to cancer causes, mechanisms, therapies and prevention.
Lecturer Mark S. Harvey and Professor Evan Ziporyn of music have been chosen as ASCAP Award recipients by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. The awards are based on the prestige of a writer's catalog of original compositions as well as recent performances.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on October 8, 2003.
