Syam Nukavarapu Receives Mentoring Award from the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science

Dr. Nukavarapu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the UConn Health Center and the Materials Science and Engineering department. He received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Indian Institute of Science, India, later holding postdoctoral positions in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Lehigh University and the department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dr. Nukavarapu’s research group explores tissue engineering and regenerative medicine-based solutions for tissue repair and regeneration, with a particular focus on the design of new scaffold systems and effective strategies for bone and osteochondral tissue engineering.

The M1 Mentoring Award is part of a new and innovative program launched by the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS) at UConn. The award aims to augment and maintain successful research-funded faculty who serve as mentors with the goal of increasing the presence of minority students otherwise underrepresented among academic scientists.

The award program assists in developing a group of accomplished investigators who will work to develop an enhanced academic environment that will elevate and reward mentorship at the university and the region at large.

Professor Nukavarapu is among three recipients selected to receive a three-year M1 award. Each recipient will receive $50,000 per year for mentoring activities, including mentorship of individual students, participation in various CICATS initiatives, and minority student mentorship training. The award includes support for student-related activities geared toward enhancing academic growth, including research training and travel to scientific meetings and conferences.

– Giorgina Paiella 

Barry Carter Wins 2014 Ceramic Educational Council Outstanding Educator Award

Barry Carter, of Materials, Science & Engineering was awarded the CEC Outstanding Educator Award in recognition of outstanding work and creativity in teaching, in directing student research, or in the general education process – such as lectures and publications –  of ceramic educators. He will receive the award at The American Ceramic Society banquet at the Materials Science and Technology meeting in Pittsburgh in October.

Dr. Carter was named last year as a Microscopy Society of America Distinguished Physical Scientist. This year, he was accepted as a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Visiting Scientist. 

Nicholas Lownes Appointed to Commission

Prof. Nicholas Lownes was appointed by Sen. Don Williams to the Connecticut Public Transportation Commission (CPTC). As constituted by Section 13b-11c of the Connecticut General Statutes the CPTC serves in an advisory role to the Governor and Commissioner of Transportation on prioritizing investments in public transportation.

Lownes, who has been with UConn for seven years, is a Castleman Associate Professor in Engineering Innovation in the Transportation and Urban Engineering program in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Six SOE Faculty Members Inducted To CASE Academy

The Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering will induct 17 UConn faculty members – including six from the School of Engineering – into its Academy in June.

The induction will takes place at the Academy’s 39th Annual Meeting and Dinner on June 5 at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell Hotel in Cromwell. The inductees from the SOE are:

Jun-Hong Cui, Professor, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, UConn

Lanbo Liu, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UConn

Richard S. Parnas, Professor, Chemical Engineering, UConn

Ramamurthy Ramprasad, Professor, Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering, UConn

Jiong Tang, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Mechanical Engineering, UConn

Guiling Wang, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UConn