Recent honors collected by the UNL community include recognition for Sue Burzynski Bullard, Michelle Carr Hassler, Frauke Hachtman, Mary Kay Quinlan, Helen Moore, Sryiani Tidball, Joe Weber, Kathleen Johnson and nine physics and astronomy students who earned NASA Nebraska grants. Read on for more information about each award.

Faculty/Staff

Sue Burzynski Bullard, associate professor of news-editorial, tied for second place in a teaching competition sponsored by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Bullard’s entry, “Get Your Game On: Using Play to Bolster Essential Skills,” was runner-up in the full-time faculty category of the “Newspaper and Online News Division’s Teaching News Terrifically in the 21st Century” competition. Read more here.

Michelle Carr Hassler, assistant professor of practice in journalism and communications, earned top honors in the teaching competition sponsored by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Hassler won first in the full-time faculty category of the “Newspaper and Online News Division’s Teaching News Terrifically in the 21st Century” competition, which honors teaching ideas for journalism courses. Her entry was “Weather Wise: A Data and Design Exercise.” Hassler also received an honorable mention for “A Global View: International and Interactive Storytelling.” Read more here.

Frauke Hachtmann and Mary Kay Quinlan have been appointed associate deans in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Hachtmann is a professor of advertising. Quinlan is an associate professor of news-editorial. The appointments went into effect Aug. 17. Read more here.

Helen Moore, Aaron Douglas Professor of Sociology, earned the Carla B. Howery Award for Developing Teacher-Scholars from the American Sociological Association. The award is given annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to teaching sociology through mentoring and training of graduate students to teach sociology and contribute to the scholarship of teaching and learning. Her research specializes in inequality and the sociology of education. She has been a member of UNL’s faculty since 1979. Moore received the honor during the ASA annual conference in Chicago in August. Read more here.

Sriyani Tidball, assistant professor of practice, published her research about sex trafficking on SpringerLink, a comprehensive online collection of scientific, technological and medical journals, books and reference works. For the study, “Buying Sex Online from Girls: NGO Representatives, Law Enforcement Officials, and Public Officials Speak Out About Human Trafficking — A Qualitative Analysis,” Tidball collaborated with John Creswell, professor of educational psychology, and Mingying Zheng, a doctoral candidate. The article is available online and will be printed in an upcoming Springer Link journal. Read more here.

Joe Weber, associate professor of news-editorial, had two studies published in Journalism and Mass Communication Educator. Topics featured in the studies are “Teaching Fairness in Journalism: A Challenging Task,” and “Teaching Business and Economic Journalism: Fresh Approaches.” Prior to coming to UNL, Weber worked in newspapers and magazines for 35 years. He spent most of that time at BusinessWeek, becoming chief of correspondents. The publication that featured Weber’s studies is produced by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Maria Marron, dean of journalism and mass communications, is editor of the publication. Read more here.

Students

Kathleen Johnson was a national finalist in a national audition organized by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Johnson, a music major, placed third overall in Category VIII (Lower College/Private Women). Overall, UNL’s Korff School of Music had six national semifinalists in the contest, which was held in July at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Along with Johnson, the seminfinalists included Jeremy Brown, Angele Gilbert, Nicholas Prior, Thomas Stoysich and Ryan White. Read more here.

Nine physics and astronomy students have been named NASA Nebraska Space Grant Fellows for 2015-2016. The awards total more than $20,000 for the development and research of aerospace-related projects. UNL’s Brad Shadwick, Michael Sibbernsen, and Shawn Langan will be mentors for the projects. Aniruddha Joshi will assist the project as radio array originator and manager. Read more about the honor here. Fellowship recipients and their research projects are:

• Nicole Benker will develop a homemade tracking device for a radio telescope array.

• Shelby Clausen will calibrate an optical encoder and develop remotely controlled hardware at the 30-inch telescope at Behlen Observatory.

• Jennifer Hamblin will design the implementation of the control card for the radio telescope array.

• Matthew Hormandl will develop control software for the radio telescope array.

• Celeste Labedz will create remotely accessible control software for the 30-inch telescope at Behlen Observatory.

• Savanna McDonald will design a remote user interface for the control software of the radio telescope array.

• Jonathan Reyes will work on developing novel fluid models for studying plasma systems with wide-ranging applications including space weather and solar physics.

• Emma Schneider will develop the setting algorithm, control algorithm for the 30-inch telescope at Behlen Observatory.

• Alexander Stamm will work on developing new particle-based plasma simulation tools with both laboratory and astrophysical applications.

This column is a regular feature of UNL Today. Faculty, staff and students can submit their achievements to be considered for this column via email to achievements@unl.edu. For more information, call 402-472-8515.