CRR Mike Shay was recently named a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), a prestigious honor from the largest Earth and space sciences association in the world. A University of Delaware (UD) physics professor, Shay is an expert in plasma physics in space and was cited “for major breakthroughs and sustained impact in understanding magnetic reconnection in space.”
Shay was formally recognized in San Francisco during the AGU’s annual meeting last week, which drew thousands of participants from 100 countries.
“I am honored and frankly somewhat overwhelmed to receive this recognition,” Shay said. “I feel very lucky to have so many great scientists as both colleagues and friends. They have been and continue to be an inspiration to me.”
Honored by the UD Women’s Caucus, CRR Shannon Lennon, professor of kinesiology and applied physiology, was named the 2023 recipient of the Torch Award for advancing women’s equality on campus.
She has always felt strongly about supporting and promoting women at UD and puts her beliefs into practice as chair of the Institutional Review Board and director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Lab at UD.
“I’m committed to diversity, equity and inclusion issues,” she said. “Within our research, we must work harder to recruit diverse research subjects and ensure our research opportunities are open to all people, and that means we have to appeal to them and get them interested in our work.
“Within the Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, I reach out to junior female faculty members and serve as a resource to them. I’m also vocal at department meetings about advocating for issues that are important to women.”
Congratulations to both of you!
At the recent USA Track & Field Mid-Atlantic Region awards luncheon, CRR Bill Farquhar was honored for finishing tied for 3rd place in his age group (45-49) in the 2017 Grand Prix Road Series of races and finished 3rd in the 2017 Off-Road (i.e., cross country) Series. CRR Keith Crispin finished 3rd in the 50-54 age group in the Grand Prix Road Series. Both are members of the 
In terms of professional accomplishments, University of Delaware professor and CRR Dan Weile has been named a 2018 Fellow of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) for his work in the field of computational electromagnetics. He writes software to explain and simulate electromagnetic waves, which are patterns of interactions between charged particles.
Longtime CRR Brian Ackerman was one of four professors honored this year with the University of Delaware Excellence in Teaching award. The award is based primarily on nominations from current and past students, and winners are selected by the Senate’s Committee on Student and Faculty Honors.
CRR Mark Deshon was recently honored by the City of Newark as one of five recipients of its annual Jefferson Awards for outstanding public service. Deshon was cited for his volunteer work over the years, but his more recent efforts with 
Physics and Astronomy professor and CRR Mike Shay and another faculty member have been awarded a $1.2 million grant from NASA for studying energy transport from the sun. Shine on, Mike! 
CRR Paul Pusecker, senior business officer for the College of Arts and Sciences, has been presented the University’s John Warren Excellence in Leadership and Service Award. Well done, Paul! 
Assistant professor of English and CRR Christine Cucciarre was presented the College of Arts and Sciences’ Outstanding Teaching Award. Cucciarre’s classroom teaching consistently receives the highest ratings from student evaluations. Awesome, Christine!
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