Awards and honors

Murray Webster, professor of sociology, is the 2015 winner of the Cooley-Mead Award from the American Sociological Association’s Social Psychology Section.

The Cooley-Mead Award, established in 1978, is given annually to an individual who has made lifetime contributions to distinguished scholarship in sociological social psychology. In addition to receiving the award, the recipient presents an address to the Social Psychology Section at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting in August. The award is the top honor presented by the section.

UNC Charlotte Magazine recently received a 2014 Gold MarCom Award in the category of educational publications.

SPARK Publications, the creative firm that designs the magazine, nominated the second quarter edition of the UNC Charlotte Magazine for the honor.

John Bland, director of public relations in the UNC Charlotte Office of University Communications, is the magazine’s editor.

Erik Saule, assistant professor of computer science in the College of Computing and Informatics, has been named a National Consortium for Data Science Fellow for 2015.

The National Consortium for Data Science (NCDS) is a public-private partnership to advance data science and address the challenges and opportunities of big data; Saule was one of three NCDS Data Fellows for 2015.

The Lee College of Engineering presented its 2014 Excellence in Teaching Awards to Tara Cavalline from the Department of Engineering Technology and Construction Management for undergraduate teaching and Matt Whelan from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for graduate teaching.

Cavalline was honored as teacher who genuinely cares for her students and has an approachable demeanor. She makes every effort to know each of her students and their personalities.

A UNC Charlotte team recently finished second in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Ethics Bowl Tournament and will advance to the National Ethics Bowl Tournament.

The Ethics Bowl is a student competition in which participants must work toward identifying and advocating the best ethical resolution to real-life dilemmas in a timed panel discussion.

David Landrum and James Williams are the most recent UNC Charlotte employees to be recognized with the Governor’s Award for Excellence, the highest honor bestowed a state employee.

Landrum, an office manager in the Communication Studies Department, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, was honored in the category of public service. For eight years, Landrum has worked as a mentor to a student in the Gaston County School system. 

UNC Charlotte’s “Zero Waste Initiative” for Richardson Stadium was named the 2014 Wells Fargo Green Award winner at the annual Charlotte Chamber Energy Summit. The University was recognized in the large business category for “its impressive efforts” to eliminate waste in the 16,000-seat stadium.

The 2014 Wells Fargo Green Awards are presented to “member companies who have incorporated innovative, sustainable practices in the products they produce, the services they provide and within the culture of their company.”

Chancellor Philip L. Dubois recently received an honorary Doctor of Arts from Kingston University, located in London, England.

In presenting the honorary degree, Julius Weinberg, professor and vice chancellor at Kingston University, noted it was in recognition of the chancellor’s “outstanding contribution to internationalism, specifically to acknowledge the depth and value of the partnership between Kingston University and UNC Charlotte over the past 30 years, which has enhanced the academic life of so many students and staff across both institutions.”

Former Lee College of Engineering professor Helene Hilger was recognized by the Water Environment Federation with its Fair Distinguished Engineering Educator Medal at its 87th annual WEF Technical Exhibition and Conference in New Orleans.

The medal recognizes accomplishments in the education and development of future engineers. The award namesake, Gordon Maskew Fair, was a professor of sanitary engineering at Harvard University who was known for achieving exceptional results in preparing students for the water environment profession.

UNC Charlotte has earned the inaugural Smart Fleet Champion Award from the N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center and the N.C. Department of Transportation.

The honor is the program’s highest level and is given in recognition of vehicle fleet efforts to reduce petroleum use and carbon dioxide and other “harmful” emissions. It was presented recently at the first Southeast Alternative Fuels Conference in Raleigh.