Recent achievements among the university community were earned by William Belcher, Les Carlson, Shane Farritor, Crystal Garcia, Xia Hong, Ron Hull, Fred Luthans, Thomas Omer and the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools.

Honors

• William Belcher, associate professor of forensic anthropology in the School of Global Integrative Studies, took part in a new documentary about the recovery of more than 80,000 Americans missing in action since World War II. The film, “To What Remains,” premiered in Washington, D.C., Dec. 7. More information on the film can be found here.

• Les Carlson, emeritus professor of business, received the Outstanding Paper Award 2021 from the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice for a co-authored research article, “The Future of Advertising Research: New Directions and Research Needs.” The authors outline forces that have led to changes in the advertising industry in recent years, including cluttered environments, digital advertising and technological advancements, growing concerns about privacy, greater emphasis on corporate social responsibility, and more focus on return on investment.

• Shane Farritor, Lederer Professor of Engineering, and professor of mechanical and materials engineering, and his Virtual Incision team have raised $46 million dollars to support the ongoing development of a miniaturized surgical robot. The funds will be used to support regulatory and clinical programs to further commercialization of the surgical device. Learn more about the project.

• Crystal Garcia, assistant professor of educational administration, was featured in a Dec. 7 Chronicle of Higher Education panel that discussed “The Big Universities Students Need Now.” A focus of the discussion examined how universities committed to equity can best serve all students. The panel was the last in a four-part series “Going Forward: The Higher Ed We Need Now.” Learn more and access the discussion.

• Xia Hong, associate professor of physics and astronomy, and in the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, was featured in “Nanotube,” a podcast from the National Nanotechnology Initiative. In the episode, Hong discussed her work investigating the properties of complex oxide nanostructures and interfaces.

• Ron Hull, special adviser to University Television and professor emeritus of broadcasting, received the 2021 Frank Blythe Award for Media Excellence from Vision Maker Media. The award honors individuals or organizations that empower Native storytellers in public media. Hull was a charter member and the first treasurer of the Native American Public Broadcasting Consortium, which was founded in 1976. The consortium was renamed Native American Public Telecommunications in 1995 and became Vision Maker Media in 2013. Learn more about the honor.

David Fitzgibbon | University Communication

Video: Ron Hull looks back on 60 years in television at Nebraska

• “Apocalypse Man: The Death Drive and the Rhetoric of White Masculine Victimhood,” written by Casey Ryan Kelly, professor of rhetoric and public culture in the Department of Communication Studies, was named one of Choice Magazine’s Outstanding Academic Titles.

• Fred Luthans, emeritus professor of management, was featured by the Academy of Management as their member spotlight. He won the academy’s Distinguished Scholarly Contributions to Management Award earlier this year.

• Thomas Omer, Delmar Lienemann, Senior Chair in Accountancy and professor of accountancy, co-authored the article, “Does Task-Specific Knowledge Improve Audit Quality: Evidence from Audits of Income Tax Accounts.” The article was accepted in the journal Accounting, Organizations and Society.

Publications

• The Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools recently published its annual report, which spanned July 2020 to July 2021. Projects featured in the report include studies to strengthen teacher-parent partnerships using distance technology; enhance coaching of early intervention personnel who work with toddlers and infants with disabilities; prevent dating violence and problem drinking among LGBTQ+ youth; and explore ways to help children, parents and teachers navigate the ongoing pandemic — locally and globally. An interactive version of the annual report is available online. It is also available as a PDF. Access the center’s previous annual reports.

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.