Maria Ahmed, a doctoral student in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, is one of 12 recipients of the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award for outstanding achievement in graduate studies in the biological sciences. The award is presented annually by the Basic Sciences Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Ahmed’s research looks at the development of neural circuits responsible for odor perception and learning in fruit flies. Specifically, her work focuses on the mushroom body, a brain region in fruit flies responsible for learning and the perception of smells. Her research contributes to the field of sensory perception and learning by providing a deeper understanding of the relationship between circuit organization and function that can be extended to human brain regions. Established in 2000, the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award recognizes exceptional graduate students in the biological sciences from universities across the United States. The award is named after Weintraub, a renowned molecular biologist and founding member of the Basic Sciences Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Ahmed and the other recipients will be recognized at an award symposium May 5 in Seattle.
President Santa J. Ono has been elected to the board of directors of the American Council on Education, as a designated member representing the Association of American Colleges and Universities. His term ends in September 2026. The ACE is described on its website as “a membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practice” and is the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities. Its membership consists of more than 1,700 colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in America and abroad.
Mattias Jonsson, professor of mathematics, has received a 2023 Simons Fellowship in Mathematics. His project is titled “Non-Archimedean methods in the study of complex degenerations.” The Simons Fellows programs in mathematics and theoretical physics provide funds to faculty for up to a semester-long research leave, enabling recipients to focus solely on research for the long periods often necessary for significant advances. Jonsson was one of 39 mathematicians nationally to receive the award.
Paul Fine, an associate professor of internal medicine, is the 2023 recipient of the Silver Shovel award, presented annually by the U-M Galens Medical Society to a clinical faculty member in recognition of their commitment to and excellence in medical student education. Fine also received this honor in 2006 and 1997, making him the first person in the 86-year history of the award to receive it three times.
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