Personal Mention

Martin Gaynor, the E.J. Barone Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the H. John Heinz III College and former director of the Bureau of Economics at the Federal Trade Commission, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. National Academy membership is among the highest professional distinctions awarded to scientists, social scientists, engineers, and medical and health professionals, and honors those who have made outstanding contributions to their fields. Gaynor’s research focuses on competition, antitrust policy and health care markets. He has written extensively on this topic, testified before Congress, worked with Pennsylvania on its health innovation initiative, and advised the governments of the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and South Africa on competition issues in health care. Find out more.

President Subra Suresh has co-authored an editorial in Science Magazine with Amgen Chairman and CEO Robert A. Bradway on the critical importance of scientific research and why basic research will make or break corporations in the long term. They note that long-term basic research, substantially funded by the U.S. government, underlies some of industry's most profitable innovations and creates a science ecosystem that helps to attract and retain top talent from around the world. Read "Business backs the basics."

A research paper co-authored by Christopher Olivola, assistant professor of marketing at the Tepper School of Business, is among the 10 papers that have been selected for a special edition of the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. His paper, “Elected in 100 milliseconds: Appearance-Based Trait Inferences and Voting,” explores how judgments about the personality traits of political candidates (based solely on their appearance) can predict their success. The 10 articles were selected to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. See the 40th anniversary edition.

Dena Haritos Tsamitis, director of the Information Networking Institute in the College of Engineering, has written an article in ITSP Magazine on creating an inclusive culture for all in the INI and inspiring INI alumnae to do the same in their workplaces. The article, titled “It’s a Matter of Culture. Equality Means Equality. Period,” discusses Women@INI, an effort she launched with former faculty member Chenxi Wang in 2005 to help “create a nurturing and inspiring learning environment that promotes and celebrates gender and cultural equality and diversity, both within and beyond the INI. This past year the incoming INI class was 34 percent women, up from 6 percent in 2002, when Tsamitis joined INI as associate director. “As WINI enters its eleventh year, I hope that we can inspire our students, other schools, and larger organizations to create similar programs that encourage women in STEM. I couldn’t be more proud of my students and alumni — and for the ripple effect that they’ve created in breaking down barriers and gender disparity in the STEM fields,” Tsamitis writes. Read the article.

Andrzej J. Strojwas, the Keithley Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been selected as the recipient of the 2016 Phil Kaufman Award for Distinguished Contributions to Electronic System Design (EDA). The award is presented yearly by the Electronic System Design Alliance and the IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation. Strojwas is being recognized for his pioneering research in the area of design for manufacturing in the semiconductor industry. The award ceremony and dinner will be held Jan. 26 at the Fourth Street Summit Center in San Jose, Calif. Find out more.