Each month, Campus Kudos will spotlight recent awards and distinctions earned by University of Houston faculty and students. These include memberships into professional societies, international honors, competitive fellowships and other accolades. To submit recent accomplishments, send a note to Academic Update.
Designing Success
Donna Kacmar, professor of architecture, was recognized by the Texas Society of Architects with the 2025 Award for Outstanding Educational Contributions
in Honor of Edward J. Romieniec. This honor is presented annually to architectural educators for their outstanding
educational contributions.
Heart of Gold
Charles Puelz, assistant professor of mathematics, earned a 2025 Single Ventricle Research Fund Award (SVRF). Presented by Additional Ventures. The SVRF award provides grants that support foundational science that is essential
to laying the groundwork for targeted therapies and accelerating patient impact. Puelz
specializes in building computer models to help cardiologists.

Perfect Chemistry
Jakoah Brgoch, Eby Nell McElrath Professor in UH’s Department of Chemistry and the
William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has been appointed associate editor for Chemistry of Materials, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Chemical Society.
Global Impact
Associate Professor of Pharmacology MariVí Tejada-Simón was named a Fulbright Specialist by the U.S. Department of State and World Learning. She will work to enhance faculty development and educational innovation at Universidad
Zamorano, one of Honduras’ leading agricultural universities.
Librarian Leader
Kerry Creelman, associate dean for Collections Services and Discovery at University
of Houston Libraries, was selected for the competitive Association of Research Libraries Leadership Fellows Program. This competitive award provides opportunities to develop leadership skills through
curriculum, mentoring, self-assessment, executive coaching, and site visits.

Elected
Marino Bruce, Director of The Collaboratories at UH Population Health, was elected president elect for the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science. The organization brings together scientists and practitioners from different disciplines
to foster scientific innovation and discovery to improve the health of populations
and reduce health disparities.
Support for Social Work Students
Three Graduate College for Social Work Students—Elisabeth Adams, Marcus Brown and Chelsea Sanchez—earned fellowships from the Council on Social Work Education. These competitive awards support the mission of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration to reduce the effects of substance abuse and mental illness
on America’s communities.
Fantastic Fellowships
Doctoral students Lea Colchado (rhetoric and composition and pedagogy), Andrea Cuevas (Spanish), and Juliana Javierre (Spanish with creative writing concentration) were appointing as Crossing Latinidades
Mellon Fellows. The academic awards are part of the Crossing Latinidades Humanities Research Initiative that supports cross-institutional and cross-regional comparative research and the
training of doctoral students.