Spring 2018 COS Achievement Update

The College of Science wants to congratulate all our students, faculty, and staff for one full year of learning and research as our own college at the University of North Texas! Our graduation ceremonies this weekend honored the hard work of so many talented graduates and we look forward to everything the future holds for our science and math programs.

To cap off a successful semester, there's also a number of other faculty, staff, and students receiving internal and external recognitions who we'd like to recognize here. Congratulations to all!

Professor Richard Dixon, University Distinguished Research Professor and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, was recently elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. He will be going to London in July for the induction ceremony. "It will be exciting to sign the members' book that includes Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking," said Dixon of the acceptance.

Professor Arup Neogi of the Department of Physics has been selected as a University Distinguished Research Professor. Dr. Neogi and fellow physics professor Arkadii Krokhin have an upcoming publication in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters.

Professor Guido Verbeck of the Department of Chemistry is the 2018 recipient of the President's Council Service Award. This Award annually recognizes a full‑time, tenured/tenure‑track faculty member for a record of outstanding university service at UNT over at least a five-year period. Dr. Verbeck will be recognized at the "Salute to Faculty Excellence Dinner and Ceremony" in the 2019 fall semester.

Ruben Alvarado, a Research Analyst in the Department of Biological Sciences and the BioDiscovery Institute, received the Soaring Eagle Award from the President for his exemplary service at UNT.

Professor Jannon Fuchs of the Department of Biological Sciences was one of 10 National Finalists for the Goldwater Scholar Foundation Council for Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor Award, which honors outstanding faculty members across the country who conduct research in science, technology, engineering, or mathematic disciplines.

Catherine Moulder, a first year UNT Chemistry PhD student and UNT Mathematics Alumna, has been awarded a 2018 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. As UNT's sole recipient of the 2018 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Catherine is setting a great example for graduate and undergraduate students across all our scientific disciplines.

Dr. Pamela Padilla, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, and her research group recently published an article in the esteemed science journal Nature.com: The cisd gene family regulates physiological germline apoptosis through ced-13 and the canonical cell death pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Chelsea Drescher, a PhD student in Mathematics, received the 2018 UNT Outstanding Teaching Fellow and Teaching Assistant Award.

Karin Barbosa, an Ecology for Environmental Science major, received a J. William Fulbright Scholarship English Teaching Assistant Award for a trip to Taiwan.

The work of University Distinguished Research Professor Marco Buongiorno Nardelli was recently highlighted in a fascinating Physics article titled Arts & Culture: Materials as Musical Muse. Dr. Buongiorno Nardelli uses sound to explore large datasets of material properties and turns them into musical composition. You can view and listen to more of his work on his website at Materials Sound Music.