Awards

Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, Ph.D., K.C.S.L, received the 2026 Dr. William Montague Cobb Award in the National category from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The award was presented during the Opening Plenary Session of the NAACP National Convention in Chicago in July, where he addressed the organization. The Dr. William Montague Cobb Award honors individuals and organizations that have made a significant impact in health while advancing the social justice legacy of Cobb, a physician, anthropologist, educator, and civil rights leader who served as president of the NAACP from 1976 to 1982.

Anna Tarakanova, an associate professor in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering, was selected to receive the Sia Nemat-Nasser Early Career Award from The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The award recognizes early career research excellence in the areas of experimental, computational, and theoretical mechanics and materials.

In Memoriam

Thomas Anderson, 79, of Storrs, Conn., a 30-year faculty member in chemical engineering who later served as assistant dean of the School of Engineering, on July 19.

Patricia Barton, 87, of Farmington, Conn., a retired nuclear medicine technologist at UConn Health, on July 20.

Janet Farmer, 82, retired administrative assistant in the Department of Anthropology, on July 23.

Miguel Martinez, 80, of Cheshire, Conn., a member of the Board of Trustees from 2000-2012, on July 24.

Arlene Michaud, 79, a retired administrative assistant in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences among other offices, on July 24.

Alan Stein, of Newton, Mass., a 37-year faculty member at UConn Waterbury, on Aug 3.

Thomas Zack, 78, of New Britain, Conn., a retired employee in administrative supply operations at UConn Health, on July 26.

Patricia Zapatka, 77, of Newington, Conn., a former nurse at UConn Health, on July 20.