Jonathan Schafer, Chemistry Junior, won the UNESCO essay contest on elements of sustainability - undergraduate division. His paper will be published in the UN on-line journal, and he will give a 20-minute talk at the UNESCO conference in N.Y. in May.

Approximately 70 posters were presented at the Second Annual UDM Faculty and Student Research Symposium and Poster Fair, April 15. Awards were presented to the best poster from each college/school. The posters were judged on the basis of scholarship and presentation. The College of Engineering & Science award was presented to Chemistry and Biochemistry students Marek Danilczuk and Drew Perkowski and Professor of Chemistry/Biochemistry Shula Schlick for "Fragmentation of Fluorinated Model Compounds Exposed to Oxygen Radicals: Spin Trapping ESR Experiments, and Implications for the Behavior of Proton Exchange Membranes Used in Fuel Cells." An award was also given to a poster by Val Glisson, administrative assistant in the Master of Product Development program.

The UDM School of Dentistry presented Professor of Biology R. Gerard Albright, S.J., with the Honorary Alumnus of the Year Award at its Alumni Recognition Program luncheon, April 19. Fr. Albright was recognized for his dedication to the intellectual, spiritual, social, and ethical development of his students at the University. During the past 48 years he has taught 19 different lecture and laboratory courses to more than 4,000 students. He is currently the Co-Chairman of the Interview and Acceptance Committee for applicants to the UDM B.S./D.D.S. Program and the Committee On Student Evaluations for the Medical and Dental Professions. Since 1961, he has been the faculty moderator of the University's chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the national health preprofessional honor society.

Stokes S. Baker, associate professor of Biology, has been invited by the Botanical Society of America and the Canadian Botanical Association to give the symposium presentation, "The Future of Biology Teaching," at the groups' joint annual meeting, "Botany Without Borders," July 26-30 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Associate Professor of Biology James F. Graves gave the presentation, "Microbiology exercises for pre-college education in alternative fuels," at the spring meeting of the Michigan Branch of the American Society for Microbiology, April 12 in Mount Pleasant.

Associate Professors of Mechanical Engineering Nihad Dukhan and Nassif Rayess received a three-year grant from the Ford Motor Company to fund the project, "Investigation of Metal Foam Polymer Composites for Automotive Applications."

Lynch (left) and Caspers at the 2008 Slide Rule Dinner

After student votes were tallied, the Engineering & Science Faculty of the Year awards were announced at the annual Slide Rule Dinner, April 5 at Cobo Conference Center.  The 2008 winners were Assistant Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering James Lynch and Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry Mary Lou Caspers.

Faculty publications (books, chapters, articles and conference proceedings) written during the past year were recognized at UDM's annual Celebration of Authors, March 10. E&S author list.