Darrin J. Pochan, associate professor of materials science and engineering, was named the 2007 recipient of the American Physical Society’s prestigious John H. Dillon Medal, which is presented annually in recognition of outstanding research accomplishments by young polymer physicists who have demonstrated exceptional promise early in their careers.

The University’s new research vessel, the Hugh R. Sharp, was named by American Ship Review as one of the top ships built in North America during the past year. The Hugh R. Sharp is one of seven ships, and the only research vessel, featured in the publication, which releases an annual “top 50 index” of major new ships and then showcases particularly noteworthy ones.

Pamela J. Green, the Crawford H. Greenewalt Endowed Chair in Plant Molecular Biology, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest scientific society. Green, who holds faculty appointments in both the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the College of Marine and Earth Studies and whose laboratory is at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, is one of 449 association members who have been elected to the honor by their peers this year because of “their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.”

Chati Lum Zony, AS ’08, a biochemistry major, and Charles Drummer IV, AS ’08, a biological sciences major, earned first-place awards in their respective research poster session categories at the annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students, held in late 2006 in California. Both students are participants in the University’s HHMI NUCLEUS (Howard Hughes Medical Institute Network of Undergraduate Collaborative Learning Experiences for Underrepresented Scholars) program.

Carolyn Thoroughgood, vice provost for research and graduate studies, has been voted president-elect of The Oceanography Society, an organization of 1,600 oceanographers, scientists and engineers that was founded in 1988 to disseminate knowledge of oceanography and its application through research and education, to promote communication among oceanographers and to provide a constituency for consensus-building across the field’s disciplines.

James B. O’Neill, professor of economics and director of UD’s Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, received the John C. Schramm Leadership Award at the annual conference of the National Council on Economic Education, the National Association of Economic Educators and the Global Association of Teachers of Economics. The award recognizes those “whose leadership has had an extraordinary, positive impact at both the state and national levels.”

Five seniors who are candidates for the honors degree with distinction were selected as the Donald W. Harward Fellows for 2007. They are Emily Paolini, music; Andrew Seagraves, mechanical engineering; Laura Shankman, biology; Stephen Stolte, geography; and Alison VanBuskirk, English. The fellowships, which recognize honors degree candidates with outstanding academic records who are engaged in especially promising senior thesis research, are named in honor of the founder of the University Honors Program.

Penny Merena, CHEP ’06PhD, received the 2006 applied research award from the University Continuing Education Association for her study of retention rates in online courses. Her research, which indicated that students are most successful and satisfied when the delivery system is web-based and when they have more frequent interaction with the instructor, will be used to plan future UD online courses.

Amy Cass, a graduate student in sociology and criminal justice, received the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award for 2007 from the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Only eight students nationwide were selected for the award, which “recognizes graduate students who are committed to developing academic and civic responsibility in themselves and others and who show exemplary promise as future leaders of higher education.”

Janice A. Seitz, associate dean and director of UD’s Cooperative Extension, has been selected to serve a three-year term on the National 4-H Youth Council Board of Trustees. Made up of corporate executives, entrepreneurs, representatives from land-grant universities and other community leaders, the board is the resource development arm for 4-H.