Members of the Rutgers community who have made outstanding contributions to teaching, research or the improvement of society were honored May 7 at a reception held at Winants Hall.
This year's reception honored 23 individuals and the Rutgers Master Gardener program.
The Rutgers College Class of 1962 Presidential Public Service Award recognizes distinguished, uncompensated service that reaches beyond the university community. Each person received a citation and a check for $2,500.
Kathleen C. Ashton, clinical associate professor of nursing, Camden College of Arts and Sciences, created new initiatives to focus on women and heart-disease risk and served as a nurse in impoverished areas of South America.
Alexander E. Gates, professor of earth and environmental sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS)-Newark, served as a scientific consultant for "The Dynamic Earth," a permanent exhibit at the Newark Museum, and another major exhibit at Sterling Forest, New York.
Linda C. Lederman, professor of communication, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies (SCILS), designed award-winning initiatives to reduce high-risk behaviors among college students.
The Ernest McMahon Class of 1930 Award honors the memory of a former dean of University College. It includes a citation and a check for $500.
Patricia Kettenring, director of the business and the arts program, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick, is the founder of GlassRoots Inc., an arts entrepreneurial program providing glassmaking and business skills training for underserved teens.
Daniel Hart , professor of psychology, FAS-Camden, works with the Sports Teaching Adolescents Responsibility and Resilience (STARR) program, which serves nearly 100 Camden children.
The Master Gardener Program, a project of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Cook College, offers a range of community programs related to horticulture and environmental awareness.
The university's highest honor for excellence in the classroom, the Warren I. Susman Award for Excellence in Teaching, honors the memory of a prominent cultural historian and popular teacher. It includes a citation and a check for $1,000.
Leonard L. Bethel, associate professor of Africana studies, FAS-New Brunswick, created one of the first community service projects in his department and serves as a tutor in his hometown.
Marianne DeKoven, professor of English, FAS-New Brunswick and director of the Institute for Research on Women from 1995-1998, developed and taught courses in feminism, modernism and post-modernism.
Peter C. Kahn, professor of biochemistry at Cook College, created the Structural Biology Computational Laboratory, a teaching facility; he also coordinates the Bosnian Student Project, which brings students from the former Yugoslavia to America to complete their studies.
Lea P. Stewart, professor of communication, SCILS, was recognized for her dedicated efforts to improve student life and her ability to create a rich learning environment for her students.
The Scholar-Teacher Award honors outstanding synergistic contributions to research and teaching. It includes a citation and a check for $1,000.
Anne-Marie Cantwell, professor of sociology and anthropology, FAS-Newark, helped create a minor in archaeology and has conducted numerous excavations at major archaeological sites in North America.
Michael A. Rockland, professor of American studies, FAS-New Brunswick, has taught and written 10 books on a wide range of American studies issues, from foreign views of the United States to the Jewish experience in America.
Barbara A. Zilinskas, professor of plant biology and pathology, Cook College, led the development of a successful biotechnology major and curriculum at Cook College.
The Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research, the university's highest honor for distinguished research contributions, includes a citation and a check for $1,000.
Sang-Wook Cheong, professor of physics and astronomy, FAS-New Brunswick, created several new, important electronic and magnetic materials that have many commercially important properties.
Allan V. Horwitz, professor of sociology, FAS-New Brunswick, studies the nature of the current classifications of mental illness, as well as the lives of the seriously mentally ill, including the burden on their family members or other caregivers.
Tung-Ching Lee, professor of food science, Cook College, has done pioneering research focusing on enhancing food quality attributes through multidisciplinary approaches that use molecular mechanism-based chemistry, process technology and biotechnology.
Lee Mosher, professor of mathematics and computer science, FAS-Newark, studies surface theory, 3-manifold theory and geometric group theory.
Philip B. Scranton, Board of Governors Professor of History, FAS-Camden, established trends in the history of technology, a new field integrating social and labor history as well as the history of business.
Neil D. Weinstein, professor of human ecology, Cook College, developed the concept of "optimistic bias," or seeing oneself at less risk than others, which has important implications for risk-prevention and health.
The Board of Trustees Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence recognizes faculty who have recently been promoted to associate professor with tenure and whose work shows exceptional promise. It includes a citation and a $2,000 research account.
Susan C. Antón, anthropology, FAS-New Brunswick, studies the evolutionary biology of human fossils from Africa and Eurasia.
Alastair Bellany, history, FAS-New Brunswick, explores the complex political, cultural and social events that led to the English Revolution in the 17th century.
April Ann Benasich, neuroscience, Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Newark, researches individual differences in early neural processing in infants that may underlie later developmental disabilities.
Brent Edwards, English, FAS-New Brunswick, researches international African-American culture as well as the history of jazz culture.
Laurie A. Rudman, psychology, FAS-New Brunswick, explores the nature of implicit and explicit prejudice as well as discrimination within groups.
