Macedonian official to speak at KU

A Macedonian military adviser will speak at Kansas University next week.

Magdalena Nestorovska, state adviser to Macedonia’s defense ministry, will participate in an informal roundtable discussion about civil-military relations in the Balkans from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. June 7 in Room 318 of Bailey Hall.

Nestorovska has helped with Macedonia’s integration into the European Union and NATO. Her visit is sponsored by KU’s Center for Russian and East European Studies and the Foreign Military Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth.

KU awards seven top doctoral fellowships

Kansas University has announced seven new recipients of its prestigious Self fellowship, worth a full ride and a $23,000 annual stipend.

The four-year fellowships have been awarded since 1991 and go to doctoral students who “demonstrate the promise to make significant contributions to their fields of study and society as a whole.”

Participants in the program work with faculty and others to develop skills in communication, management and leadership, and to increase their knowledge of major issues of their time.

The new recipients, with hometowns and majors, are Kristin Lichti, Lawrence, pharmacology and toxicology; Martha Carletti, Hannibal, Mo., biomedical sciences; Lisa Agee, Liberty, Mo., environmental engineering; Mary Krause, Springfield, Mo., chemistry; Diana Sperger, Butler, N.J., pharmaceutical chemistry; Brian Platt, Wayne, N.J., geology; and Maria Thorson, Wauwatosa, Wis., pharmaceutical chemistry.

KU faculty members win teaching honors

Six Kansas University faculty members received awards for their teaching during the university’s commencement ceremony May 22.

Those honored were:

• George Enders, associate professor of anatomy and cell biology; Janice Loudon, associate professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation sciences; and Xiaoming Zhang, assistant professor of anatomy and cell biology, Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Classroom Teaching.
• Jie Zhang, assistant professor of linguistics, Silver Anniversary Award.
• Marni Kessler, assistant professor of art history, Byron T. Shutz Award for teaching in economics and business.
• James Orr, professor and chair of biology, Ned N. Fleming Trust Award.

KU engineering school honors prof, alumni

Two Kansas University alumni and a professor were given the School of Engineering’s Distinguished Engineering Service during recent commencement festivities.

The award was created in 1980 to honor engineering alumni or engineers with a close association with the KU School of Engineering.

The recipients were:

• Joe Bauman, a 1961 mechanical engineering graduate, who is chairman and CEO of Cardinal Brands Inc.
• Robert A. Kipp, a 1952 graduate in civil engineering and a 1956 graduate with a master’s in public administration, who is chairman of Crown Center and retired vice president of Hallmark.
• David C. Kraft, a professor of engineering management who served as dean of the KU School of Engineering from 1978 to 1984.

KU business school honors two alumni

Two businessmen were honored last weekend as Distinguished Alumni of the Year by the Kansas University School of Business.

The honor was given to Howard Cohen and Clifford W. Illig.

Cohen, who received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration in 1979, is partner-in-charge of the Kansas City Assurance and Enterprise Risk Service practice of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP. He also is the Mid-America Region Financial Services practice leader for the company, which provides audit, tax, consulting and financial advisory services.

Illig, a 1973 graduate in business administration and accounting, is vice chairman and co-founder of Cerner Corp., a Kansas City-based health care information technology company. He previously served as the company’s president and CEO from 1985 to 1999.

Cohen and Illig were recognized during the business school’s commencement ceremony May 20.

Area students earn KU research awards

Six Kansas University students from Douglas County are among the 58 students who received $71,100 in undergraduate research awards from KU.

The awards provide either $1,500 or $1,200 for summer research with KU faculty.

The local students involved and their projects are:

• Lori Smith, senior from Baldwin, “Correlating Cosmic Ray Flux with the Bone Cancer Rate.”
• Amanda Blackhorse, junior from Lawrence, “A Survey of Social Workers’ Knowledge and Attitude about Indigenous Clients.”
• Laurel Haavik, senior from Lawrence, “The Effect of Drought Stress on Oak Resistance to Red Oak Borer Infestation in the Ozark St. Francis National Forest.”
• Grace Hoyt, junior from Lawrence, “An Evaluation of Responses to the AIDS Crisis and Its Effects on Children in Mozambique.”
• Rachel Mehl, junior from Lawrence, “Herstory: Women’s Lives as Manifestations of Current Border Issues.”
• Lucas Thompson, junior from Lawrence, “God and Kansas: Diverse Religious Practices in the State.”