Appointments, honors and activities

• Faculty and staff honors:

- Professor Alberto J. Rodriguez was selected as the recipient of the 2017 American Educational Research Association, Division K (Teaching and Teacher Education) Innovations in Research on Diversity in Teacher Education Award.  Rodriguez was selected for the award because of his contribution to science education research and practice through sociotransformative constructionism, a framework he developed to help teachers make science more culturally and socially relevant to all students. Rodriguez is interested in helping teachers become culturally competent and engaging while creating classroom learning environments where socially and economically diverse students can thrive. Rodriguez’s award will be presented at the Division K business meeting at the annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, on April 30.

- Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma, the two national freshman honor societies on campus, initiated three new honorary members during a spring induction ceremony on March 26. The new honorary members are Patrick Connolly, department head and professor in the department of computer graphics technology; Donna Fekete, professor of biological sciences and director Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience; and Peter Hollenbeck, vice provost for faculty affairs and associate professor of biological sciences. More information about Alpha Lambda Delta Phi Eta Sigma can be found at http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~aldpes/.

- Two Krannert professors have been named in the “2017 Best 40 Under 40 Professors” by Poets & Quants, a website dedicated to business school news. Fabrice Lumineau is an assistant professor in strategic management. Lumineau’s research focuses on inter-organizational partnerships interplay between contract and trust control and coordination. Mohammad Rahman is an associate professor of management. Rahman’s research focuses on digital business, big data, technology usage, retail and web analytics and consumer behavior and decision-making. 

• Student honors:

- Kendal Weger was awarded the Dr. Helen Clarke Graduate Fellowship by Alpha Lambda Delta in the amount of $3,000. Each year, Alpha Lambda Delta awards 26 graduate fellowships from a national pool of applicants. Awards are used to offset the expense of pursuing graduate or professional studies. Clarke was the 10th national president of Alpha Lambda Delta. Weger will be pursuing an advanced degree in medicine.

- Erica Allen was awarded the Gladys Bell Graduate Fellowship by Alpha Lambda Delta in the amount of $3,000. Each year, Alpha Lambda Delta awards 26 graduate fellowships from a national pool of applicants.  Awards are used to offset the expense of pursuing graduate or professional studies. Bell was a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Council for 12 years, serving as district adviser and grand vice president before becoming grand president in 1945. Allen will be pursuing an advanced degree in Pharmacy.

• Rankings:

- Purdue has earned a No. 12 national rank among public schools and colleges in the 2017

animation school rankings by Animation Career Review, an online resource created for aspiring animation and game design professionals. Animation Career Review noted both undergraduate and graduate programs in Purdue Polytechnic’s Department of Computer Graphics Technology (CGT) contributed to the ranking. Undergraduate programs in animation, visual effects compositing, and effects technical direction were cited. The master’s of computer graphics technology program, which offers focus areas in computer animation, video production and visual effects, computational art, and virtual and augmented reality, was included. CGT’s doctoral degree, which offers specializations in animation, game studies, human centered design and development, virtual product integration, and web programming and design, was also included in the ranking. Brad Prescott, founder of Animation Career Review, noted that academic reputation, admission selectivity, depth and breadth of programs, and value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness are among the criteria used in creating the rankings. Purdue Polytechnic’s programs achieved a No. 7 rank in the Midwest. The programs are also ranked in the top 25 percent nationally among all public and private schools considered.