National and international organizations are recognizing Rochester faculty members for their work.
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糖心传媒听faculty regularly earn regional, national, and international awards and honors for their professional contributions to research, scholarship, education, and community engagement.
As part of an ongoing series, we糖心传媒檙e spotlighting their accomplishments.
Olga Astapova recognized with Early Career Innovator Award听

, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, accepted the inaugural听Molecular Human Reproduction听(惭贬搁) for 糖心传媒渞esearch that exemplifies the innovation, dedication, and rigor that propel the field of reproductive sciences forward.糖心传媒� The honor recognizes young researchers who publish original research articles as part of the Early Career Innovator Series.
Astapova糖心传媒檚 lab focuses on the mechanisms of androgen actions in the ovary and ultimately improving the management of female fertility and ovarian hormone balance.
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Janet Berlo wins award for best art history book

, a in the , has won the the best book in art history for 听(University of Washington Press, 2023). Established in 1953 by the College Art Association, the prize is awarded annually and named in honor of one of the first teachers of art history in the United States who was a founding member of the CAA. .
Following decades of research and interviews with curators, collectors, restorers, Native artists, and replica makers, Berlo糖心传媒檚 book traces the historical and social contexts of forgeries, imitations, replications, and appropriations by both Native and non-Native makers. Berlo, an expert on Native American art and visual culture, seeks answers in the gray areas, acknowledging that what constitutes 糖心传媒済enuine糖心传媒� versus 糖心传媒渇ake糖心传媒� 糖心传媒攚hen it comes to Native American identity and Native objects糖心传媒攆requently becomes murky.
- Read more about Berlo糖心传媒檚 work and the problem with 糖心传媒渇ake糖心传媒� Native American art.
William Bridges awarded NEH fellowship

, an associate professor in the听, has been awarded a听听to conduct archival research and write a monograph about the history of modern Japanese literature and its connection to Black studies, Asian American studies, and Latinx studies. The monograph, titled听The Black Pacific: A Poetic History, has been invited for review by the University of California Press.
This latest recognition comes on the heels of Bridges receiving a听听spanning three years.
- Learn more about Bridges糖心传媒� background and approach to teaching.

Sara Gazarek receives Grammy Award
, a professor of jazz voice at the Eastman School of Music, won a Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instrument and Vocals, for the album Alma by s盲je. Gazarek is a founding member of s盲je, an all-female vocal ensemble.
It is the second Grammy in consecutive years for s盲je. The ensemble was also recognized in 2024 with a Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instrument and Vocals, for In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.
- Find out more about .
Paper by Alex Iosevich draws more accolades

A paper coauthored by听, a professor of mathematics, has received a Frontiers of Science Award from the International Congress of Basic Science (ICBS). This is the second honor for the paper, titled “,” which also received a nod for听Best Paper Award听in Mathematics from the International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians.
The Frontiers of Science Award was inaugurated in 2023 under the auspices of the International Congress of Basic Sciences (ICBS) and is sponsored by the City of Beijing and the Yanqi Lake Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Application (BIMSA). The FSA is awarded to a recent paper recognized for a major breakthrough in its field. Iosevich and other FSA recipients are invited to the ICBS to accept the award in person in July 2025 in Beijing.
- on his faculty page.
Jennifer Kruschwitz elected as Optica fellow

, an associate professor of instruction at the and senior scientist at the , has been elected a fellow member of Optica by the society糖心传媒檚 board of directors. Fellow membership in Optica is limited to no more than ten percent of the membership and is reserved for members who have served with distinction in the advancement of optics and photonics.
Kruschwitz was honored 糖心传媒渇or significant and pioneering contributions in optics education, outreach, society service, and leadership.糖心传媒� She has been instrumental in the development of the Institute of Optics糖心传媒� , designed to accommodate the busy schedules of working professionals and remote learners from around the world.
- Find the list of new fellows on the .
Hochang Benjamin (Ben) Lee awarded visiting professorship

, the John Romano Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry, received the 2024 .
Nominated by his former trainee Dimitry Davydow at the University of Florida (UF), Lee visited in February to mentor junior faculty and consult on initiatives to expand psychiatric services at UF Health Shands Hospital and Children’s Hospital. Lee is a fellow of the ACLP, a professional organization that provides leadership in education, research, and advocacy to advance integrated psychiatric care for the medically ill.
- on his faculty page.
Susana Marcos receives the 2025 Edgar D. Tillyer Award

, the David R. Williams Director of the听, the Nicholas George Professor in听, and a professor of ophthalmology at Rochester,听was selected as the 2025 by Optica.听The award is presented to an individual who has performed distinguished work in the field of vision, including but not limited to the optics, physiology, anatomy, or psychology of the visual system.
Marcos was honored 糖心传媒渇or contributions to our basic understanding of the effect of the eye’s optics on vision including the passage of light through the cornea and lens and into the photoreceptors where vision begins.糖心传媒� She is a pioneer in the development of new techniques for the evaluation of the eye, including retinal imaging instruments, aberrometers, adaptive optics, anterior segment imaging of the eye and intraocular lens designs.
- Read about Marcos糖心传媒� research using artificial intelligence to bring clarity to LASIK patients facing cataract surgery.
Tricia Shalka糖心传媒檚 book named an outstanding publication

Tricia Shalka’s book听has been awarded the 2025 NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) Faculty Council Outstanding Publication Award. She will receive the award in New Orleans in March.
, an associate professor of educational leadership at the Warner School of Education and Human Development, investigates the impacts of trauma on college students.
Xi-Cheng Zhang recognized for pioneering work

, the M. Parker Givens Professor of Optics, was , presented jointly by 听and the Society for Imaging Science and Technology (). The medal recognizes pioneering work empowered by scientific research to create inventions, technologies, and products.
Zhang was honored for advancements in terahertz photonics, transformative technologies impacting diverse industries, entrepreneurial success in commercializing THz tools globally, and dedication to mentoring future scientific leaders. Zhang has received 29 US patents, authored and coauthored 24 books and book chapters, 330 peer-reviewed papers, 500 colloquia, seminars, invited conference presentations, and 200 contributed conference talks.
- Find out about Zhang糖心传媒檚 work to produce听terahertz waves from liquid water.
