University Times

The National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA) recently selected Sylvanus Wosu as the 2012 NAMEPA Outstanding Minority Engineering Program Administrator Award recipient for his volunteerism and service to the organization.

Wosu serves as associate dean for diversity affairs at the Swanson School of Engineering and is a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science.

The NAMEPA administrator award was established to honor members who have made exceptional contributions in pre-college enrichment, recruitment, leadership and retention. The award honors members for their service in college-level administration in increasing the participation of minorities in engineering disciplines.

The board of directors of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has named Savio L-Y. Woo the 2012 recipient of the IEEE Gold Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology. He was recognized by the IEEE for “pivotal contributions to biomechanics and its application to orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine.”

Woo is University Professor of Bioengineering and the founder and director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center at the Swanson School of Engineering.

The IEEE Gold Medal is presented for outstanding contributions and/or innovations in engineering within the fields of medicine, biology and health care technology, and is sponsored by the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS).

The prize consists of a bronze replica of a gold medal and a $20,000 honorarium. Woo is donating the money to the Asian-American Institute for Research and Education.

School of Information Sciences faculty members Ellen Detlefsen and Adele Barsh recently were honored by the Web-based Information Science Education (WISE) Consortium. Detlefsen and Barsh were recipients of the WISE Excellence in Online Teaching Award for 2011. The awards are given to faculty nominated by WISE students from institutions other than the faculty member’s home institution.

Detlefsen, who teaches in the library and information science program, was recognized for her efforts to promote “sharing amongst classmates” through a series of interactive exercises in her special topics course, Information Sources, Services and Technology for an Aging World.

Barsh, who serves as an adjunct faculty member in the library and information science program, was noted for incorporating real-life examples and collaborative learning in her special topics course on Collection Development for Academic Libraries.

Karen S. Pater, a faculty member in pharmacy and therapeutics, was recognized by the School of Pharmacy’s American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter as the Faculty Member of the Year.

The group’s executive board selected Pater for the award, recognizing her guidance and contributions to pharmacy students, including establishing the cases for the APhA-ASP chapter patient counseling competitions, advising this year’s Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association achieving independence competition and providing guidance for a new patient care initiative.

Pater coordinates the Self-Care course, as well as the Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science announced this month that Sally C. Morton, chair of the Department of Biostatistics at the Graduate School of Public Health, was voted chair-elect of the AAAS’s section on statistics.

Morton will serve in that capacity through Feb. 18, 2013, and will serve as chair, Feb. 19, 2013-Feb. 17, 2014.

AAAS serves some 260 affiliated societies and academies of science as an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world. It publishes the journal Science and spearheads programs to increase understanding of science worldwide.

Pitt-Johnstown head wrestling coach Pat Pecora made sports history recently by recording his 500th career win, the first wrestling coach in NCAA Division II to reach the 500-win plateau, and only the fifth wrestling coach in all of NCAA history to reach the milestone.

Since taking the helm of UPJ’s wrestling program in 1976, Pecora’s teams have earned 20 NCAA regional championships, finished in the top 20 in the nation 28 times and won 48 team tournaments and 500 dual meets. He has been selected as the NCAA Regional Coach of the Year 14 times, and has coached 90 National Wrestling Coaches Association all-academic wresting team members.

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The People of the Times column features recent news on faculty and staff, including awards and other honors, accomplishments and administrative appointments.

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