Faculty and other members of the university community were honored for excellence in teaching, research, and public service during a May 5 ceremony at the home of Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick.

The Rutgers College Class of 1962 Presidential Public Service Award honors members of the faculty, student body, or staff for volunteer service to government, professional and scholarly organizations, or the public. The award includes a $2,500 honorarium.

Asela Laguna-Díaz, professor, Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, Faculty of Arts and Sciences–Newark, was honored for her extensive contributions to public service and community service demonstrated by her efforts in advancing Hispanic and Latino culture and her commitment to enhancing artistic and scholarly discourse throughout the state. In addition, she was recognized for her outreach to the Portuguese community in Newark and her mentorship of  first-generation college students from disadvantaged and minority communities. 

The Rutgers Faculty Scholar-Teacher Award honors faculty members who have made  outstanding contributions in research and teaching. The award recognizes those who bring together scholarly and classroom activities. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium.

Allan V. Horwitz, professor, Department of Sociology, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for his original and paradigm-changing contributions to medical sociology in the area of mental health and his inspirational teaching that challenges students to  think deeply and creatively and encourages them to engage critically with difficult topics.

Carolyn Williams, associate professor, Department of English, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for her knowledge of and passion for Victorian literature and culture and her intellectual generosity in sharing passion with students and colleagues. She is recognized for her inspirational teaching and mentoring, her creative leadership of the Writers House, and her longtime commitment to the Dickens Project.

The Warren I. Susman Award for Excellence in Teaching is awarded to faculty members in recognition of outstanding service in stimulating and guiding the intellectual development of students at Rutgers University. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium.

Eugenia Etkina, associate professor in Department of Learning and Teaching, Graduate School of Education, was honored for her contributions to the education of her students, her work on preparing high school teachers to teach physics, and her redesign of courses in the physics curriculum that have enabled students to make gains in learning physics and in the development of their scientific abilities.

The Rutgers Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research honors faculty members who have made distinguished research contributions to their discipline or society. Recipients receive a $1,000 honorarium.

Eva Y. Andrei, professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for her pioneering work in the fields of low dimensional electronic systems and mesoscopic physics.

Israel Hicks, professor, Department of Theater Arts, Mason Gross School of the Arts, was recognized for his contributions to American theater, including his direction of productions that explore the African American experience with emotional honesty and depth.

Norma M. Riccucci, professor, School of Public Affairs and Administration–Newark,  was honored for her contributions to the field of public administration that have had substantial impact in the areas of social equity, human resource policy, and public personnel management. Patrick J. Sinko, associate vice president, Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, was honored for his research in novel drug delivery and targeting systems associated with the treatment of AIDS, cancer, and other deadly diseases.

The Ernest E.  McMahon-Class of 1930 Award is funded by the Class of 1930 of Rutgers College and is given to an individual or a group that has made a significant and creative contribution to the extension of the educational resources of the university to the people of New Jersey. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium. 

Alycia M. Guichard, director, The Street Law Program, School of Law–Newark, was honored for her efforts to extend the educational resources of Rutgers University to the people of New Jersey through her work with the Street Law Program, a participatory education initiative that teaches area youth about law, democracy, and human rights.

The program seeks to educate youth and adults in practical law and to empower them to use the law to become more active and responsible citizens. Under Guichard’s leadership, Street Law extends the educational resources of Rutgers and promotes the development and civic-mindedness of socio-economically disadvantaged youth in urban communities.

The Rutgers Board of Trustees Research Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence honors faculty members who have recently been promoted with tenure and whose work shows exceptional promise. The fellowship includes a citation and a $2,000 research account.

Marco Gruteser, associate professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, was honored for his contributions to the rapidly developing areas of location privacy, location-aware networking, and wireless testbeds, which have had a significant impact on both the networking and database fields.

Thomas Izbicki, associate professor, Rutgers University Libraries, was honored for his scholarship in medieval history and philosophy, including his highly praised writings on Nicholas of Cusa and on canon law.

Kynan Dale Johns, associate professor, Department of Music, Mason Gross School of the Arts, was honored for his accomplished artistry and his deeply musical and finely nuanced interpretations of the classical repertoire.

Charles R. Keeton, associate professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for his outstanding contributions to astrophysics, most notably his innovative research on fundamental and applied aspects of strong gravitational lensing.

Leah Kronenberg, associate professor, Department of Classics, School of Arts and Sciences, her original and rigorous scholarship in Latin literary studies, particularly her highly praised monograph, Allegories of Farming, which promises to have a lasting and significant impact on the fields of Greek and Latin literature.

Jian Song, associate professor, Department of Mathematics, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for his fundamental contributions to geometric analysis and complex differential geometry, most notably his work in cutting-edge areas of Kähler metrics.

Roderich Tumulka, associate professor, Department of Mathematics, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for his impressive contributions to the foundations of quantum mechanics, particularly his rigorous development of Bohmian mechanics.

Jaideep S. Vaidya, associate professor, Department of Management Science and Information Systems, Rutgers Business School–Newark and New Brunswick, was honored for his outstanding contributions in the area of data mining, particularly his groundbreaking work in the fields of security and privacy preservation.

Nathan Yee, associate professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, and Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences,  School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for his interdisciplinary research that bridges the fields of molecular microbiology and geochemistry and is elucidating new paradigms for geochemical processes in the earth’s crust.

The Presidential Fellowships for Teaching Excellence honors newly tenured faculty members for outstanding teaching and scholarly work. A research account has been established for each recipient.

Shawn M. Arent, associate professor, Department of Exercise Science and Sport Studies, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for his dedication to mentoring students and helping them to reach the highest levels of academic achievement.

Wanpracha (“Art”) Chaovalitwongse, associate professor,  Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering was recognized for his dedication to advising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students to help them learn and succeed in their chosen profession and research.

Charles R. Keeton, associate professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts and Sciences, was honored for his ability to convey enthusiasm and passion for astronomy and physics to students.

Leah Kronenberg, associate professor, Department of Classics, School of Arts and Sciences, was recognized for her engaged mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students.

Tim Raphael, associate professor, Department of Arts, Culture and Media, Faculty of Arts and Sciences–Newark, was honored for his innovative teaching method, which uses performance to engage students in the learning process.