IN THIS COLUMN
- Matt Bishop, College of Engineering
- Susan Ustin, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- Gary S. May, College of Engineering
- Andrés Reséndez, College of Letters and Science
- Geerat J. Vermeij, College of Letters and Science
- Gang Sun, College of Engineering
- Office of Strategic Communications
Election Day is the perfect time to note two recent honors for Matt Bishop, professor of computer science in the College of Engineering, perhaps best known for his work in election security.
- In August, he became the first UC Davis faculty member to be elected to the Information Systems Security Association Hall of Fame, a lifetime achievement award recognizing exceptional leadership and exemplary commitment to the information security profession.
- Then, in October, he became the first UC Davis faculty member to receive the Taylor L. Booth Award for contributions as an educator, author and technical leader in cybersecurity education. The award is given annually by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society. Booth, an IEEE leader who died in 1986, was instrumental in defining computer science and engineering curricula for program accreditation.
Bishop conducts vulnerability analysis to make computing systems more secure. His research involves analyzing and modeling these systems to find and eliminate potential security issues. He has helped election officials in California and across the country vet their electronic voting systems and processes to find and fix security issues since 2003.
Read the complete article by Noah Pflueger-Peters, content specialist, College of Engineering.
Susan Ustin, professor emerita, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, recently received the 2022 Pecora individual award for outstanding contributions to Earth observation and remote sensing — specifically, her work to develop and apply imaging spectroscopy to environmental problems.
The Pecora awards, sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior and NASA, are named after William T. Pecora (1913-72), who served as director of the U.S. Geological Survey from 1965 to 1971 and later as undersecretary of the Department of the Interior.
“Dr. Ustin is a true pioneer in advancing the application of remote sensing in understanding biodiversity, plant community characteristics, invasive species and land use,” the USGS said in its Oct. 27 awards announcement.
Ustin has served on several NASA mission science teams, trained a generation of scientists in the use of spectroscopy for ecological research. She is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Ecological Society of America.
She directed the CaliforniaView program from 2002 to 2006, now led by UC Davis Professor Yufang Jin. CaliforniaView is part of the AmericaView Consortium, which received the Pecora group award in 2021.
— Kat Kerlin, environmental science writer, News and Media Relations
Chancellor Gary S. May and two other members of the faculty participated in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' induction weekend in September, a catch-up event for members elected in 2020 and 2021 but whose induction ceremonies were delayed by the pandemic. Chancellor May, professor of electrical and computer engineering, was the only person elected from UC Davis in 2020. Andrés Reséndez, professor of history, and Geerat J. Vermeij, distinguished professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, were elected in 2021. Following tradition, each of them signed the academy’s Book of Members. Others elected in 2020: Robert Feenstra, professor, Department of Economics; and Jodi Nunnari, professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Biological Sciences.
Professor Gang Sun of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, known for his fiber and textile research using advanced polymer chemistry, recently received the 2021 Harold C. Chapin Award from the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists.
The award is named after the professor (Lowell Textile School, now the Lowell Technological Institute at the University of Massachusetts Lowell) who served as national secretary of the association for nearly 25 years.
Sun has been active in the association as an educational speaker and paper presenter. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed papers published in the AATCC Journal of Research and the AATCC Review and their predecessors. One of his papers received the 2006 J.W. Weaver Paper of the Year Award.
He has been a part of the AATCC Journal of Research since its inception in 2014 and has served as its editor in chief since 2019. Under his leadership, journal submissions have increased and been cited frequently, strengthening the value and rank of the journal among textile research publications.
As an academician, Sun has introduced AATCC to countless textile professionals. His promotion of AATCC to students and colleagues nationally and internationally has led to the recognition of AATCC and its publications as valued, credible resources for textile professionals.
He received the association’s Olney Medal in 2016 for outstanding achievement in textile science.
Sun has published more than 320 peer reviewed articles, co-written 24 book chapters; and has 18 US patents, with five provisional patent applications pending.
The Office of Strategic Communications has earned 29 Education Digital Marketing Awards for projects ranging from publications, blogs and social media, to advertising on the security bins that travelers use to pass their keys, cellphones and other metallic objects through airport X-ray machines.
This year’s competition, the 10th annual, drew more than 1,000 entries from universities, colleges and secondary schools around the country. The judging panel comprised education marketers, advertising creative directors and other marketing and advertising professionals.
The judges bestowed 202 gold awards, 115 silver awards and 70 bronze awards.
The Office of Strategic Communications earned six golds, the top honor: one for “UC Davis Discoveries,” two for publications (the 2021 Annual Report and Dateline UC Davis), one for a blog and one for marketing, and one for an “office wrap” (graphic design) in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, specifically the entry door and walls.
“UC DAVIS DISCOVERIES” — This project, which showcases research that has “improved modern life in unexpected ways,” received four awards:
- Gold
- Silver
- Bronze
SOCIAL MEDIA — The university’s central social media unit received nine awards:
- Silver
- Bronze
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Book Recs (YouTube)
- Generation Aggie podcast (YouTube)
- Grad Cap Contest (Facebook)
- “Romanticizing UC Davis” (TikTok)
- Merit
- Aggie Trivia (Instagram)
- New Aggie Parents and Supporters Panel in English and Spanish, hosted by Lina Mendez, director of UC Davis’ Hispanic-Serving Institution Initiatives (Facebook Live and YouTube)
- “What Was Picnic Day Like?” recap (TikTok)
- Secrets of the Universe Premiere (Instagram)
BLOGS — The Undergraduate Admissions marketing team, embedded in the Office of Strategic Communications, won a gold award for “How to Get Into UC Davis?” and the Strategic Communications web team won a silver award for “What Can I Do With My Major?”
MARKETING — Two awards for the security bin project at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (gold for QR code content and silver for miscellaneous media), and silver for a COVID-19 safety digital ad, in the category of COVID-19 Response.
THE COLLEGE TOUR — The Office of Strategic Communications won two awards for its collaboration on the UC Davis episode of this national television show: silver for streaming, on-demand content; and bronze for total digital marketing.
OTHER UC DAVIS AWARDS, BY CATEGORY
- Videos
- That May Be the Chancellor, Episode 5 (bronze)
- “Congratulations, Transfer Class of 2023!” for newly admitted transfer students (merit)
- Publications
- UC Davis Magazine (silver)
- Advertising
- “I Committed to UC Davis. Now What?” video on next steps after submitting Statement of Intent to Register (merit)
- “Say Yes to UCD” video for newly admitted students (merit)
- UC Davis “Outgrow” billboards in Los Angeles and San Francisco (merit)
Dateline UC Davis welcomes news of faculty and staff awards, for publication in Laurels. Send information to dateline@ucdavis.edu.
Media Resources
Dateline Staff: Dave Jones, editor, 530-752-6556, dateline@ucdavis.edu; Cody Kitaura, News and Media Relations specialist, 530-752-1932, kitaura@ucdavis.edu.