Kepler Is 1999 ASUN Outstanding Educator

Sheila Kepler, agricultural leadership, education and communications, received the 1999 Outstanding Educator Award from ASUN student government.

Other nominees were Russell Benedict, biology; Martin Gaskill, physics and astronomy; Bill McLaughlin, chemistry; and Robert Sorenson, agronomy. Kepler bested all nominees in a student vote March 3.

Nearly 200 were on hand March 31 to applaud the nominees at the annual ASUN Student Government spring installation ceremony. After congratulating each finalist, ASUN Senator Kara Slaughter and Gwen Plummer of the University Bookstore presented Kepler with the 1999 Outstanding Educator Award.

For the first time in the four-year history of the award, nominees participated in interviews with a panel of students. The interviews gave the panelists a real appreciation for these individuals committment to their job as educators. Their dedication and the long hours that they put in are a source of motivation for their students, said Slaughter, who was ASUN Senate Academic Committee Chair in 1998-99.

The interview panel remarked that all five nominees, despite teaching in a variety of subjects, share a real passion for their chosen discipline.

And they are all continually looking for new and better ways to approach the process of sharing knowlege with students, Slaughter added.

Interviews were not the only new component of the teaching award. This year, the University Bookstore initiated a program to donate a book to the permanent collection of University library on behalf of the Outstanding Educator. The recipient's selection will be inscribed with his or her name and the year in which the award was presented. This is a way for the University Bookstore to express its appreciation for the contributions of UNL's Outstanding Educators, Plummer said.

Alumni Achievement Awards Presented to 11

Eleven University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumni will be honored with Alumni Achievement Awards during an April 24 awards banquet at the Nebraska Union, held in conjunction with the Nebraska Alumni Association reunions for the classes of 1949 and 1959.

Recipients of the awards, which recognize service to one's community, state and nation, include:

Robert W. Allington, '59, '61, of Lincoln, founder of Isco, a manufacturer of instruments for water pollution monitoring and chemical separation analysis instruments for research and testing.

Irene Bjorklund, '69, owner of Bjorklund Consulting in Seattle, Wash.

Brenda J. Council, '74, a member of the corporate department of the Kutak Rock law firm in Omaha.

William D. Crist, '60, '62, '72, professor of economics at California State University at Stanislaus, and a leader in the field of public pension systems at the state, national and international level.

Robert Degenhardt, '65, '68, chief executive officer of Ellerbe Becket Co., an architecture, engineering, interior design and construction services firm based in Minneapolis.

Henry H. "Hod" Kosman, '71, president and chief executive officer of Platte Valley Bank in Scottsbluff.

Stephen H. Leeper, '59, dean of the UNMC College of Dentistry in Lincoln.

Eric Matteson, '74, associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Jorge Alberto Rodriguez, '79, '80, chief of the Cabinet of Ministers for the Republic of Argentina, a position equivalent to that of prime minister

Richard E. Shugrue, '59, '62, '68, professor of law at Creighton University School of Law.

Richard "Rick" Williams, '75, of Denver, executive director of the American Indian College fund, which raises money for scholarships for American Indian students attending member tribal colleges of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.

Engineering Researchers Receive Grants

Researchers in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering and Technology have been awarded five grants totaling $1.4 million by the Department of Defense.

The principal investigators for the Nebraska awards, project titles and sponsors are:

Yuris Dzenis, engineering mechanics, "Processing and Mechanical Behavior of Novel Polymer Composites with Improved Impact Resistance," Army;

Ruqiang Feng, engineering mechanics, "The Role of Fracture Surface Topography and Friction Dynamic Response of Armor Ceramics," Army;

George Gogos, mechanical engineering, "Sub- and Supercritical Evaporation and Combustion of a Moving Droplet," Army;

Ram Narayanan, electrical engineering/Center for Electro-optics, "Random Noise Polarimetry Technique for Covert Detection of Targets Obscured by Foliage," Air Force; and

Joseph Turner, engineering mechanics, "Materials Characterization by Atomic Force Microsopy: Higher-order Modes and Nonlinear Vibrations," Air Force.

Extension Programs Honored

Four Team Excellence Awards Presented

Four University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension teams were honored April 16 during the organization's staff development conference.

Extension's Nutrition Education Programs, Panhandle Regional Crop Management Workshop, SPLASH program and the Integrated Resource Management Retained Ownership Program received Excellence in Team Programming awards.

Since 1968, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program has improved thousands of low-resource Nebraskans' lives by teaching them about buying healthful food, cooking it safely and managing limited food budgets.

From 1997-1998, EFNEP reached 9,201 homemakers and young Nebraskans. Nearly 93 percent of its graduates reported making positive changes in at least one food group. Extension's similar Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program reached 3,157 families and young Nebraskans through separate presentations at 10 sites statewide from October 1997 to September 1998. Ninety percent of its graduates said they improved one or more nutrition practices.

Each summer since 1993, the Panhandle Research and Extension Center has conducted Regional Crop Management Workshops. NU Extension specialists and extension educators teach these multidisciplinary workshops with specialists from nearby universities to participants from Nebraska and other states.

The workshops teach agriculturalists and other agribusinessmen crop production management strategies for the western Great Plains and Rocky Mountain regions.

SPLASH, an irrigation water management education program for Central Platte Valley irrigators, protects and improves groundwater quality by increasing irrigators' management skills. Partners are NU Cooperative Extension, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Central Platte Natural Resource District and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.

The Integrated Resource Management Retained Ownership Program is a partnership between extension and private industry. The IRM team has 20 supporting team members, including veterinarians, lending agencies, pharmaceutical companies and the Nebraska Cattlemen. Participants learn how the beef industry works by keeping at least five calves in a commercial feedlot. They sell the finished animals on a value-based market.

Human Resources/Family Sciences Recognizes Honorees

The College of Human Resources and Family Sciences "Celebration of Excellence" Awards Program was April 9 in the auditorium of the Home Economics Building on East Campus.

The college traditionally recognizes outstanding accomplishments of alumni, students and faculty during its annual tribute. The top 10 sophomores, juniors and seniors were recognized as well as the outstanding senior from each of the college's three departments. The college's alumni board president presented the top academic senior award. Also, the Excellent Students Exemplifying Leadership student award, which was developed by the college's students, is presented to students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership achievements on campus.

Dean Karen E. Craig presented the college outstanding awards to Agnes Arthaud, Lincoln, the Friend of the College Award; Jaime Ruud, Lincoln, the Elinor Kerrey Entrepreneurship Award; and Kathleen Sullivan, Cedar Rapids, Neb., the Jeanne Vierk Yeutter Family and Community Award.

Students and faculty receiving awards were:

Linda Young, Faculty Student Mentoring Award; Georgia Stevens and Kathleen Rees, Newkirk Fund for Professional Development Recipients; Carol Thayer, University Distinguished Educational Service Award; Nancy Lewis, University Distinguished Teaching Award; Scott Hall, Outstanding Scholarly Activity by a Masters Recipient; ServSafe Team, co chaired by Julie Albrecht and Susan Summer, Outstanding Extension Specialists' Team Programming Award.

Megan Ahl, Melissa Barger, Andrea French, Staci Friesen, Jessica Heilig, Blake Illston, Valerie Lambert, Heather Rasmussen, Melissa Swiercek, Kristin Wismer, Sophomore Top Ten Students.

Benjamin Harry, Karen Higley, Margarethe Kaczmarczyk, Laura Kriete, Christa McFadden, Amy Meisinger, Dawndy Merchant, Kelli Seeman, Katherine Sievers, Elizabeth Sievers, Junior Top Ten Students.

Darci Fiddelke, Nicole Figard, Jennifer Gloystein, Susan Herman, Carol Houfek, Kristyn Lassek, Diane Parsons, Jennifer D. Smith, Jody Thober, Corinne Wright, Senior Top Ten Students.

Jennifer D. Smith, Top Academic Senior; Nicole Naber, Heather Rasmussen, and Darla Harms, freshman, sophomore and junior EXSEL Award winners. Brian Kimminau, Margaret Liston Outstanding Senior Award in Family Financial Management.

Karie Fahrenholz, Henrietta Fleck Houghton Outstanding Senior Award in Family and Consumer Sciences Education.

Jennifer Gloystein, Outstanding Senior in Human Development and the Family. Jill Johnson, Hazel Fox Outstanding Senior in Nutritional Science and Dietetics. Nga Vu, Outstanding Senior in Textiles, Clothing & Design.

Recognition was also given to scholarship recipients, members and advisors of Phi Upsilon Omicron and Kappa Omicron NU honoraries, CHRFS Student Advisory Board, CHRFS Ambassadors, Montage, Student Dietetics and Restaurant Management Association, and the Pre-professional/Graduate Student Section of American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Fine and Performing Arts Honors Alumni

The College of Fine and Performing Arts recognized achievement and scholarship April 7 at its annual Honors Day program.

Honorees were Art Thompson of Lincoln (Award of Merit), Ruth Rosekrans Hoffman of Lincoln (Outstanding Alumni Achievement in Art), violinist Theodore Brunson of San Diego (Outstanding Alumni Achievement in Music) and Alan Schuster of New York City (Outstanding Alumni Achievement in Theatre Arts).

Other awards included the Dean's Award for Academic Excellence, Vreeland Awards in art, music and English; the Porter Awards for creativity in theatre arts and dance; and the newly established Alice Howell Awards in theatre arts. Rosemary Petruconis, who retired last fall as administrative assistant for academic affairs in the School of Music, was recognized. The alumni board of directors' Student Leadership Award was presented to School of Music junior Andrew Strain of Lincoln.

Going the Distance

Construction Marathon Reaps Dividends to NU Teams

Every college student goes through certain rites of passage, like pulling an all-nighter to study for exams.

A team of six construction technology students in the University of Nebraska College of Engineering and Technology went the distance during the Associated Schools of Construction Region IV student competition in February in Kansas City, Mo.

Confined to a small room for an 18-hour stretch, followed by a second day of presentation preparation, the team of Jeff Glasgow, Jeff Maas, Elizabeth McNeil, Jeff Pearson, Alan Walters and Scott Wieczorek from the Omaha campus not only survived the ordeal, they came out winners in the Commercial Building Division to qualify for the first national competition at the Associated General Contractors convention March 21-22 in Las Vegas. All are from Omaha.

The students credit their coach, NU faculty member James Goedert, and Ted Altopp of The Weitz Co. for helping them prepare for the competition.

A second NU team coached by Linda Swoboda, assistant professor of construction management, tied for third in the same division. Swoboda's team members were Carissa Paus, Stuard Johnson, Paul Dudzinski, Robert Danielson, Michael Tonniges and Bradley Kraus, all students on the Lincoln campus.

Chemistry Professors Receive Grant for Cataract Research

David and Jean Smith in the department of chemistry have recently received more than $1.5 million over the next five years to continue their research into changes to the eye frequently associated with the cataract condition.

Nearly everyone, who lives long enough, develops cataract. Cataract is a condition in which the lens of the eye becomes cloudy, preventing a person from seeing clearly. It is the number one cause of blindness worldwide. In the United States, surgery to remove a cloudy lens is the most frequently performed operation for persons over 60 years old.

The cause of a cataract is not yet known, but one hypothesis is that, as a person ages, the concentrated solution of proteins that form the lens changes, no longer packing together closely and losing some of their ability to form a transparent lens. In the lens of a young person, these proteins are closely packed and allow light to be transmitted. As a person grows older, new proteins are formed, but the old ones remain in the lens, subject to chemical reactions and undergoing modifications which may lead to a cataract condition.

The research will be funded by the National Eye Institute. This project, which has been on-going for the past 10 years, involves isolating proteins forms donor lenses. Through the Center for Mass Spectrometry at the University of Nebraska, the proteins in the lens are studied to identify changes in their molecular masses. The masses of the proteins can reveal the chemical reactions that have occurred in the lens. When these changes have been identified, further research will target prevention of cataracts by changes in diet, lifestyle or medication.

The grant includes funding for supplies, chemicals and instruments, salaries of graduate students and post-doctoral research assistants, as well as $650,000 granted to the University of Nebraska to cover expenses involved in administering the grant and paying for the use of laboratories.

AIROS Named on RealNetworks' Popular Sites List

The American Indian Radio on Satellite Network was named one of the most popular RealMedia sites for the last week in February by RealNetworks. This puts AIROS in the same league as the Grammy Awards, MTV, National Geographic and National Public Radio News. AIROS offers 24-hour Native American programming. Since its webcasting debut, listnership on the Internet has doubled or tripled each month. The use of webcasting means that in addition to reaching listeners near the 31 AIROS public radio affiliates, anyone can log on and hear AIROS' programming in real-time.

AIROS receives funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Northwest Area Foundation and the Ford Foundation with in-kind support from Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, the IANR DEAL labs, the University of New Mexico, and the Public Radio Satellite Service. To hear AIROS in RealAudio, see http://www.airos.org or http://www.nativetelecom.org .

Lauerman to Brazil for Rotary Exchange

Meg Lauerman, assistant professor of advertising, has been chosen to participate in a Rotary Friendship Exchange to Brazil April 25 to May 25.

Lauerman and four others will stay with families in the Puerto Allegre area south of Sao Paulo. During the visit they will speak Rotary groups and visit businesses and educational organizations in nearby communities. She said she hopes to visit some advertising agencies as well.

The goal of the Rotary Friendship Exchange Program is advance international understanding, goodwill and peace through interpersonal contact across national boundaries.

Azzam Awarded Fulbright Scholarship

Azzeddine Azzam, Professor of Agricultural Economics, has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship to teach and conduct research at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden. The teaching and research will focus on empirical analysis of market structures and organization of food marketing chains.

Teachers College Awards Wilson First Swanson Recipient

David Wilson, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, has been named the first recipient of the Donald R. and Mary Lee Swanson Award for Teaching Excellence by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Teachers College. This award, which offers a $10,000 stipend for the recipient, is the first to honor teachers in the Teachers College.

"We are all very proud to have David as the first recipient of the Swanson Award," said Ellen Weissinger, associate dean of Teachers College. "He is a fitting choice and a wonderful role model for our teacher education students."

Donald Swanson established this unique award at the University of Nebraska Foundation last fall to honor excellence in teaching. The Donald R. and Mary Lee Swanson Award for Teaching Excellence will be awarded every year to a full-time Teachers College faculty member who demonstrates outstanding teaching.

Meier Family Earns Alumni Honors

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Alumni Association will present the Alumni Family Tree Award to the Meier family during the association's annual awards banquet April 24 at the Nebraska Union.

Sixty-seven members from five generations of Francis William and Susan Elizabeth Meier's descendants have attended the University of Nebraska-including 53 who graduated with one or more degrees and 19 who married fellow NU students. The Meier family came to Nebraska from Kentucky in 1869 (the year the university was chartered) and settled in Lincoln where Francis Meier opened a boot and shoe shop.

Among the Meier descendants, education has been the most favored undergraduate major, while many went on to receive master's degrees and advanced degrees in law, dentistry and medicine. Eight first-generation Meiers attended NU, 13 second-generation, 23 third-generation, 18 fourth-generation and, to date, five in the fifth generation.

First-generation grads included Otto William Meier, 1898, and his brother Henry August Meier, 1899, who opened their law offices in 1900 in the Terminal Building at 10th and O streets. A younger brother, Walter, '03, practiced law in Seattle and another brother, Louis, '17, was captain of the university basketball team and went on to practice dentistry in Lincoln.

Two sons of Otto-O. Franklin, '36, and Frederick, '42,-played football for Nebraska and served with the Seabees in World War II. Louis' son Duane, '42, was an orthopedic surgeon at Hermann Medical Center in Houston.

A third-generation graduate, Dale W. Bohmont, '52, is dean of agriculture at the University of Nevada at Reno. And another family member from the same generation, Joel Meier, '62, is professor and chair of the department of recreation and park administration at Indiana University. The most recent graduate is Michael Jason Meier (University of Nebraska at Kearney, '97).

The Alumni Family Tree Award honors a family that has a tradition of attending the University of Nebraska. The recipient family must include a minimum of three generations of graduates. At least two of the family members must have records of outstanding service to the university, the alumni association, their community or their profession.