Audrey G. Bennett, professor of art and design in the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, professor of communication and media in LSA, and a University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor, is the 2022 recipient of the AIGA Steven Heller Prize for Cultural Commentary. The award honors critical thinking about design and the profession and encourages development in the next generation of design voices through a variety of media. AIGA, the professional association for design, said Bennett was recognized “for her prolific yet unpredictable work as a leading scholar of graphic design, print culture, and book history as well as her impact through graphic design history textbooks to shape students and welcome the next generation of designers.” Bennett’s publications include “The African Roots of Swiss Design,” “The Rise of Research in Graphic Design,” “Interactive Aesthetics,” “Good Design is Good Social Change: Envisioning an Age of Accountability in Communication Design Education,” “Follow the Golden Ratio from Africa to the Bauhaus for a Cross-Cultural Aesthetic for Images” and “A Wicked Solution to the Global Food Problem.”
Alec D. Gallimore, Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering, Richard F. and Eleanor A. Towner Professor of Engineering, and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and professor of aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering, was awarded the Stuhlinger Medal for achievement in electric propulsion from the Electric Rocket Propulsion Society. The Ernst Stuhlinger Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Electric Propulsion is awarded on the basis of technical or leadership contributions, contributions of the recipient’s team, quality and volume of publications, and technical or leadership distinction over an extended period of time. It is the highest distinction given in recognition of outstanding contributions in electric propulsion engineering. Gallimore’s research focus on electric propulsion, plasma diagnostics, space plasma simulation, and related fields has involved extensive design and testing experience with a number of electric propulsion devices including various thrusters, arcjets, and multimegawatt pulsed coaxial plasma accelerators.
Paul N. Courant, who served multiple roles at U-M, including provost and dean of libraries, will receive the 2022 Paul Evan Peters Award from the Coalition for Networked Information, the Association of Research Libraries and EDUCAUSE, for achievements in the creation and innovative use of network-based information resources and services that advance scholarship and intellectual productivity. While provost, Courant negotiated with Google to allow digitization of the entire library contents for Google Books, and provided that the university retain copies of the digitized files and the right to develop consortial arrangements with other institutions. These requirements proved foundational to HathiTrust, which Courant spearheaded while dean of libraries. Courant is the Edward M. Gramlich Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Economics and Public Policy, the Harold T. Shapiro Collegiate Professor Emeritus of Public Policy, professor emeritus of economics and of information, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Emeritus and provost emeritus. He will deliver the Paul Evan Peters Memorial Lecture during the CNI Fall 2022 Membership Meeting on Dec. 12–13.
Arnold Monto, the Thomas Francis Jr. Collegiate Professor Emeritus of Public Health, and professor emeritus of epidemiology and of global public health, recently received the International Society for Influenza and other Respiratory Virus Diseases’ Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to respiratory virus disease research over the course of his career. For seven decades, Monto has expanded the understanding of respiratory disease and epidemiology research. He joined the School of Public Health in 1965, where he worked closely with Thomas Francis Jr. on the Tecumseh Community Health Study, expanding the landmark study’s scope to look at the spread of respiratory infections in the 10,000 residents of Tecumseh, Michigan. During the 1968 influenza pandemic, Monto found that vaccinating school-aged children reduced infection in the entire community, an early demonstration of herd immunity. Since then, Monto has been involved in evaluating a variety of strategies to control influenza and other respiratory diseases. Notably, he has been involved in pandemic planning and emergency response to influenza and other respiratory virus outbreaks, including the 1968 Hong Kong influenza pandemic, avian influenza, SARS, MERS, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, Monto has served as acting chair of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which advises the FDA on the development, authorization and licensure of the COVID-19 vaccines.
