Recent achievements for the campus community were earned by Joy Castro, Yvonne Lai, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, Bruce Dvorak, Lauren Gatti, Danielle Jefferis, Christal Sheppard and Tyler Goodrich White.
Honors
Yvonne Lai, Milton E. Mohr Professor in the Department of Mathematics, earned the 2025 Award for Impact on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics from the American Mathematical Society. Established in 2013, the award is given annually to a mathematician (or group of mathematicians) for significant contributions of lasting value to mathematics education.
In August, Christal Sheppard, lecturer in the College of Law, was invited to present on intellectual property law and answer questions for an Iraqi delegation visiting the United States through the U.S. State Department. Sheppard discussed the U.S. intellectual property system, including the multiple agencies and their roles, the judicial and legislative branches and the States’ roles in intellectual property law and policy, nationally and internationally. This discussion was of particular interest to the Iraqi delegation as, in July, after a 16-year delay, Iraq restarted the negotiations on their application for accession to the World Trade Organization, which includes many important intellectual property implications and obligations. Sheppard is also the inaugural director of the first U.S. Patent and Trademark Office regional office. Read more here.
Tyler Goodrich White, professor of composition and conducting and director of orchestras in the Glenn Korff School of Music, won two silver medals at this year’s Global Music Awards, for composer and original score for “The Four Elements.” Established in 2011 by Thomas Eugene Baker, the Global Music Awards is a well-known international music competition that celebrates independent musicians. The awards are recognized as music’s “golden seal of approval” and receive hundreds of entries from around the world each year. "The Four Elements (Chamber Symphony No. 2)” by White includes four movements: Earth (Intrada Fantasy), Water Waltz, Air—An Elegy and Fire Finale.
Appointments
Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, Donald R. Voelte, Jr. and Nancy A. Keegan Chair of Engineering and professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been named a 2024 Fellow of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. Medals will be presented to the 2024 class of fellows during the 2025 AEESP Awards Ceremony at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Read more here.
Bruce Dvorak, Ray Fauss Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, as selected by the ASCE Board of Direction. This distinction, the board noted, was for Dvorak having made "significant contributions to research, outreach and teaching." A central focus of Dvorak's research and outreach is to provide technical assistance to aid municipal drinking water, wastewater systems and manufacturers with solutions to improve their energy efficiency and sustainability. Read more here.
Lauren Gatti, associate professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education, has been awarded the Edith. S. Greer Professorship in Education for her dedication to teaching, exemplary scholarship and impactful service. The professorship was established in 1993 to recognize a faculty member based upon teaching ability and accomplishments, as well as academic promise. Read more about Gatti's work here.
Danielle Jefferis, assistant professor in the College of Law, was appointed to the Criminal Justice Committee of the American Bar Association's Section on Civil Rights and Social Justice. According to the ABA, the committee is "comprised of a diverse group of practitioners who bring broad expertise to criminal justice issues." The Committee focuses on protecting the constitutional rights of people accused or convicted of crimes and monitors trends in the criminal system for the purpose of providing feedback and guidance on policy questions.
Publications
Joy Castro, Willa Cather Professor of English and ethnic studies, served as co-editor to bring a bilingual edition of her grandfather's collection of poetry, "Tears and Flowers," to print. The book will publish Oct. 22 through the University Press of Florida. Castro's grandfather, Feliciano Castro, was a poet, printer, editor and lector who was born in Galicia, raised in Cuba and lived for over six decades in Key West, Florida. A rare glimpse into the history of the Cuban community in Key West in the early 20th century, this book makes the poetry of Feliciano Castro available in English for the first time. Castro spoke with WLRN, a Florida public media station, about the process of republishing her grandfather's poetry.
This column is a regular feature of Nebraska Today. Faculty, staff and students can submit achievements to be considered for this column via email to achievements@unl.edu. For more information, call 402-472-8515.
