Letter from the Dean

Letter from the Dean December 2005

Dear Colleagues -

To say that this has been an unusually stressful semester for the campus as a whole is an understatement! The good news is that the semester is ending on a path toward return of normalcy. I wish you a relaxing and joyous winter break. Happy Holidays!

I am delighted to report that this has been a banner month for the Psychology Department: Sharon Brehm has been named President Elect of the American Psychological Association; and the Society of Experimental Psychologists (SEP) elected three IU faculty members to Fellowship in this illustrious society: Jerry Busemeyer, Linda Smith and Joe Steinmetz, constituting 1/3 of this year’s honorees (a maximum of nine can be elected annually). In addition, David Huber, a former psychology graduate student of Rich Shiffrin's received this year's Young Investigator Award from the SEP. Congratulations to all!

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

William R. Newman (History & Philosophy of Science) has received the History of Science Society’s Pfizer Prize for an outstanding scholarly publication. His award-winning book, Alchemy Tried in the Fire: Starkey, Boyle, and the Fate of Helmontian Chymistry, published by the University of Chicago Press (2002) was co-written with Lawrence M. Principe, Professor of the History of Science, Medicine and Technology and of Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University. The Pfizer Prize was established in 1958 through the generosity of Pfizer, Inc. For more information, go to: http://www.hssonline.org/society/index.html

Bernice Pescosolido (Sociology) has been awarded the Leo G. Reeder Award for Distinguished Contributions to Medical Sociology from the American Sociological Association.

Richard Di Marchi (Chemistry) received the 2005 Research Achievement Award in Biotechnology form the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.

David Paul Nord (Journalism/History) has received the Book of the Year Award from the American Journalism Historians Association for his book Faith in Reading: Religious Publishing and the Birth of Mass Media in America (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004).

David Delgado Shorter (Folklore & Ethnomusicology) has recently received a research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences. This funding, from the directorate’s High Risk Research in Anthropology program, will enable Shorter to return to the Yoeme Pueblo of Potam in Sonora Mexico this winter to film a family ceremony called the lutu pahko or sorrow ritual.

Georgia Strange (School of Fine Arts, Studio) was elected to the Board of the National Council of Arts Administrators at their annual meeting in Providence.

Mary Favret (English) has been awarded the co-winner of the Keats-Shelley Association award for the best essay of the year in the period for her essay, "Everyday War".

STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Emily Fairchild (Sociology, PhD candidate) is one of eight recipients of the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award for 2006 given by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The recipients "represent the finest in the new generation of faculty who will teach and lead higher education in the next decades."

Andrew Billings (Speech Communication, PhD, 1999), now a member of the Faculty at Clemson University, was presented by the National Communication Association the Top Paper in Mass Communication award for his research on gender differences in professional golf TV coverage.

Joshua Klugman (Sociology, PhD candidate) has been awarded a Spencer Dissertation Fellowship for research on the "Status Competition among Schools and the Consequences for Students."

Dagmar Riedel (Near Eastern Languages & Cultures, PhD) has been awarded the Best PhD dissertation prize by the Foundation for Iranian Studies (Washington, DC). She currently holds a post-doc at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Ireland.

Steve Cornett’s (senior) "Kelthas" (www.kelthas.com) project is in the running for finalist in the student division of the Independent Games Festival (IGF). IGF is the most prestigious games festival in the world. In addition, "Kelthas" has been selected one of 12 finalists in the Slamdance game competition. Held in late January in Park City, Utah, the competition includes both a traditional game show and formal presentations to the judges.

I wish each of you a restful winter break.

Cheers,

Swamy