Faculty Recognition & Honors
Don Van Nieuwenhuise (Earth & Atmospheric Sciences) is president-elect of the Gulf Coast Section of SEPM. Formerly known as the Society for Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, the organization is now the Society for Sedimentary Geology and promotes the advancement of sedimentary and stratigraphic research. President-elect is part of a three-year appointment. He will next serve as president holding that office through 2020 and finish his tenure as past-president through 2021.
Moores Professorship
Preethi Gunaratne, Biology & Biochemistry
Five-year, renewable Moores Professorships are given to faculty who are outstanding in teaching, research and service. Recipients of this prestigious award receive a $10,000 stipend annually.
Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creativity – Associate Professor
Claudia Ratti, Physics
UH presents two awards at the Associate Professor rank to individuals who have who have established a growing record of outstanding research, scholarship or creative contributions, and who are emerging leaders in their field.
Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award
Jakoah Brgoch, Chemistry
This UH award acknowledges faculty who are making a significant impact in their field by supporting and mentoring undergraduate students in research and scholarship endeavors and who have demonstrated at least five years of mentorship involvement.
Key Publications
George Fox, Victor Stepanov and Quyen Tran (Biology & Biochemistry) published findings with researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Ames Research Center and the University of California, San Diego. Their work in the journal, Microbiome, assesses microbial communities on International Space Station surfaces by looking at samples taken during three missions. The researchers found there is a “diverse population of bacteria and fungi” onboard. While the impact this bacteria and fungi could have “remains to be determined,” researchers note it could potentially lead to corrosion on the space station.