Milestones

In memoriam

Thomas L. W. Johnson memorial
A memorial service for Thomas L. W. Johnson, executive associate registrar emeritus, who died Jan. 1, will be held Saturday, Feb. 26, from 1-3 p.m. at the University Club, 803 State St. Friends and colleagues are welcome to attend. A scholarship fund has been established; donations may be made to The Thomas L.W. Johnson Scholarship Fund, UW Foundation, P.O Box 8860, Madison, WI 53708.

Margaret Ward Orsini
Margaret Ward Orsini, professor emerita, died Dec. 13, 2004, at Harbor House, DeForest, Wis. She joined the Department of Anatomy of the Medical School as an assistant professor in 1969, was promoted to associate professor in 1971 and became full professor in 1973. She became professor emerita in 1988. Her research field was the reproductive cycle of hamsters, specifically the implantation of eggs in the uterine wall. A memorial mass was held Dec. 20. Contributions may be made to the Cardiovascular Research Center Fund at the University of Wisconsin Foundation, 1848 University Ave., P.O. Box 8860, Madison, WI 53708.

Honored

Kristin R. Eschenfelder, assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Studies, will receive the 2005 ACRL Samuel Lazerow Fellowship for Research in Technical Services or Acquisitions for her research proposal titled, “Investigating the Impact of Digital Rights Management Systems on Libraries: A Pilot Study.” The award of $1,000 and a plaque will be presented June 27.

Thomas Lillesand, professor of environmental studies, civil and environmental engineering, and forest ecology and management, will receive the 2005 SAIC/Estes Memorial Teaching Award for over 30 years of excellence in teaching remote sensing, mentoring graduate students and being the lead author of one of the most widely used remote sensing textbooks, Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation, fifth edition. The award will be presented in mid-March by the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing and consists of a presentation plaque and a cash award of $2,000.

Several employees of the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory at UW–Madison have been recognized for their innovative effort aimed at reducing the threat of ecologically destructive forest fires. The collaborative effort earned a National Award for Excellence in Innovation in Biomass Utilization from the National Fire Plan, presented Feb. 15 in Albuquerque, N.M. Group members included David W. Green, supervisory research general engineer; and members of the State and Private Forestry Technology Marketing Unit, including Susan LeVan-Green, program manager; John (Rusty) Dramm, utilization specialist; Jerry Jackson, marketing specialist; Mark Knaebe, forest products technologist; Jean Livingston, communications specialist; Adele Olstad, visual information specialist; Linda Richter, program assistant; and John Zerbe, volunteer wood energy specialist.

Appointments

A. B. Balantekin, professor of physics, has recently been named editor in chief of the Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics, a peer-reviewed journal of Institute of Physics Publishing.

Colleen (Neels) Bayer, a former two-time All-Big Ten Conference setter for the Badgers, started her position as assistant volleyball coach. She replaces Christy Johnson, who was named head coach at Iowa State University in December. She is married to Dave Bayer, who served as a volunteer assistant coach with the Badgers in 1995 and will return as the team’s volunteer assistant coach.

Eight UW–Madison faculty members are among 308 individuals nationwide elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are: Barry Ganetzky, professor of genetics and medical genetics, for his contributions in Drosophila genetics and neurobiology; Robert J. Hamers, professor of chemistry, for his contributions to understanding the chemistry at solid surfaces and interfaces; Kenneth E. Hammel, professor of bacteriology, for his work to understand lignocellulose biodegradation; Robert L. Jeanne, professor of entomology and zoology, for his studies of the behavior and ecology of social insects; Robert Landick, professor of bacteriology, for his contributions to understanding RNA polymerase regulation; Gilbert M. Nathanson, professor of chemistry, for studies of the microscopic structure and reactivity of liquid surfaces; Jenny Saffran, professor of psychology, for her efforts to understand the learning abilities required to master the complexities of language; and Janet Shilbey Hyde, professor of psychology, for her work to understand the psychology of women, human sexuality and gender-role development.