Latest campus honors

Frederick Lewis

Frederick Lewis, professor emeritus of chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, has received the Porter Medal for 2016 from the Inter-American Photochemistry Society (I-APS), European Photochemistry Association and the Asian and Oceanian Photochemistry Association for a lifetime of significant contributions to the photochemistry field, including research, teaching, mentoring and in service to the profession. The award, established in honor of the late Nobel laureate George Porter, is widely considered to be the highest global honor a photochemist can receive. Lewis has been the driving force behind significant advances in photochemistry techniques during his nearly five-decade career and has demonstrated leadership in the field, particularly to the American Chemical Society and International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. He previously received an award in photochemistry from I-APS in 2003 and will be presented the Porter Medal in December at the Asian Photochemistry Conference in Singapore.

Omar Farha

Omar Farha, a research professor of chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, has received the 2016 Satinder Ahuja Award for Young Investigators in Separation Science from the American Chemical Society, analytical chemistry division. Award winners have made significant contributions to the furtherance of separation science’s role in the use of chemical instrumentation. Farha’s research spans diverse areas of chemistry and materials science, ranging from energy to defense-related challenges. His focus is on the rational design of metal-organic frameworks and porous-organic polymers for sensing, catalysis, storage, separations and light harvesting. Farha will be honored at the 2017 Pittcon Symposium March 5 to 9 in Chicago.
Guillermo Ameer, professor of biomedical engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering and professor of surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine, received a 2016 Minority Affairs Committee Eminent Chemical Engineers Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). The award was established to recognize underrepresented minorities with exceptional achievements within AIChE. Ameer, along with two other recipients, will be presented with the award in November during the AIChE’s annual conference.
Teri Odom, a Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, a professor of materials science and engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and associate director of Northwestern’s International Institute for Nanotechnology, has been named a 2016 American Chemistry Society (ACS) Fellow. She is an expert in designing structured nanoscale materials that exhibit extraordinary size- and shape-dependent optical properties. Odom is being recognized for designing multi-scale nanostructured surfaces that can control energy transfer processes at the nanoscale and for developing anisotropic gold nanostar conjugates for imaging and targeted therapeutics. The fellowship also honors her various contributions to the ACS community, including her commitment to graduate and postdoctoral training.

Bruce Lindvall

Bruce Lindvall, assistant dean for graduate studies at the McCormick School of Engineering, received the DuPoint Minorities in Engineering Award from the American Society for Engineering Education.  The award is given to engineering educators who either assume or are charged with the responsibility for motivating underrepresented students to study engineering at the university level. Over the past nine years, Lindvall has worked to increase the number of underrepresented minority Ph.D. students by 80 percent. He also serves on the executive committee of the National GEM consortium, a network of universities and institutions that enables students from underrepresented communities to pursue graduate education in applied science and engineering.

Katrin Katz

Katrin Katz, a doctoral student in political science in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, received a grant from the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy for her research “Nationalism and Territorial Conflict in an Era of Interdependence: Explaining the Dynamics of Northeast Asia’s Island Disputes.” She was one of 19 scholars out of 535 applicants to receive the award. In addition, Katz received the Harold D. Lasswell Award from the Foundation, granted to projects considered outstanding in the field of international relations. 

Margarita Rayzberg

Margarita Rayzberg, a doctoral student in sociology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, received a grant from the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy for her research “Controlling the Field: The History and Contemporary Practices of Social Experimentation in International Development.” She was one of 19 scholars out of 535 applicants to receive the award. In addition, Rayzberg received the Robert K. Merton Award from the Foundation, granted to projects considered outstanding in the field of theory and policy.