For the Record provides information about recent professional activities and achievements of University of Delaware faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Recent honors include the following:

The David and Louise Roselle Center for the Arts is featured in a list of the “25 Most Beautiful College Theatres,” compiled by College Census. Coming in at number 20 on the list of “schools with amazing auditoriums,” the Roselle Center for the Arts is described as “a comprehensive hub of creative and concert venues as well as classrooms and educational facilities” and “pretty much one-stop shopping for the arts.” Noted are the center’s intimate recital hall, large orchestral hall and Thompson Theatre, as well as its black box theatre and practice rooms.

Roberta M. Golinkoff has been named a fellow at the Cognitive Science Society. Author of numerous articles and 12 books, she has previously held the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. Fellows of the Cognitive Science Society are individuals whose research has exhibited sustained excellence and had sustained impact on the cognitive science community. Her other honors include the James McKeen Cattell prize and the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Service to Psychological Science Award. In addition, she is the recipient of the University’s Francis Alison Faculty Award, UD’s highest competitive honor for faculty. The Cognitive Science Society brings together researchers from around the world who hold a common goal: understanding the nature of the human mind. The nonprofit professional organization sponsors an annual conference and publishes the journals Cognitive Science and TopiCS.

Anna Klintsova, professor of psychological and brain sciences, has been honored by the Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research as the state’s 2018 Neuroscientist of the Year. Several UD undergraduate and graduate students were also recognized for their research presentations at the center’s annual symposium: Clarissa Nowak, second place in the postdoc or research assistant category; Megan Warren, first place, Michael Clupper, second place, and Alexandra Turano, third place, all in the graduate student category; and Mikaela Eck, first place, and Natalie Ginn and Lauren Meckler, tied for second place, all in the undergraduate category. More information is available here.

Benjamin Bruening, professor and chair of the Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science, has received the 2018 Best Paper in Language Award from the Linguistic Society of America. The award was given for his article, “The Lexicalist Hypothesis: Both Wrong and Superfluous,” which was published in the society’s flagship journal, Language. Bruening’s paper argues that the lexicalist hypothesis—which states that the system of grammar that assembles words is separate from the system that assembles phrases out of words—is fundamentally incorrect and unnecessary.

Chris Petrone, director of the Delaware Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service (MAS), received the 2018 President’s Award and the Informal Educators Award from the Mid-Atlantic Marine Educators Association (MAMEA) for his service to the organization and for his role in educating the public in this region on ocean and coastal science. The Informal Educator Award is given every year to someone who provides marine education in a nonclassroom setting. Before being named MAS director, Petrone was the education specialist for the Delaware Sea Grant, where he created and ran programs for schools, scout troops, 4-H groups and others to bring children to the UD’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes, where he would teach them about marine science and wind energy. He also led teacher workshops, and he reached many in the public as a driving force and on-camera presenter for 15 Second Science videos, which Delaware Sea Grant has produced for three years on a variety of marine science topics. Petrone said his favorite part of informal marine education is being able to share with different audiences the research that takes place at UD, Delaware Sea Grant and the marine world in general. “I like applying it to everybody from third and fourth graders to Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H camps, all the way up to lifelong learners,” he said. “I am able to show them the cutting-edge science that’s happening right now -- at our institution and in general -- that has to do with the coast, the ocean or estuaries.” The President’s Award is selected by the MAMEA president and typically goes to an individual who has performed service to the president or to the organization. Petrone has a long history of service to MAMEA since 2005, when he was the education specialist at Virginia Sea Grant, and he has held many roles in MAMEA. “I’ve been the Delaware rep since 2011. I’ve served as president. I’ve done social media for MAMEA, newsletter editor and I’m chairing the strategic planning committee right now,” he said, noting that he was extremely honored to receive both awards.

To submit information for inclusion in For the Record, write to ocm@udel.edu and include “For the Record” in the subject line.