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.
OPEN Minded
UH Libraries announced the 2025 recipient cohort of the UH Open Education Incentive (OPEN) Program.
Faculty earning recognition for Textbook Affordability are as follows:
· Layci Harrison, clinical associate professor – College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS)
· Dmitri Litvinov, Moores Professor – Cullen College of Engineering
· Julio Cesar Lopez Otero, assistant profesor – College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
· Rita Sharp, instructional faculty member – Honors College
· William Zahn, senior professor of practice – C. T. Bauer College of Business
Those honored for Open Educational Practices proposals are:
· Laura Cizek, clinical professor - CLASS
· David Crawley, professor of practice – Cullen College of Engineering
· Mary Sykes, senior professor of practice and Emese Felvégi, director of digital learning – C. T. Bauer College of Business
Amazing Mentor
Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine Clinical Associate Professor Mohamed
Zebda received the Section on Pediatric Trainees (SOPT) Leading Example for Aspiring Pediatricians
(LEAP) Award. This honor recognizes trainee mentors who have helped trainees discover
their voices as advocates for child health and physician wellness.
Reaching New Heights
The UH Cullen College of Engineering’s Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (MAE) department has joined the Axiom Space University Alliance, a global initiative advancing microgravity
research, technology development, and innovation in low Earth orbit.
Stop the Presses
UH Chief of Population Health and Translational Science Bettina Beech was named editor-in-chief of journal Population Health Management.
Global Impact
Five Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Management faculty have been named
to the 2025 World’s Top 2% Scientists List, recently released by Stanford University and Elsevier. Based on standardized citation
indicators, the list highlights researchers with global impact across scientific disciplines.
The following faculty members are recognized in the Sport, Leisure and Tourism field
· Moores Chair Professor Ki-joon Back
· Professor Priyanko Guchait
· Associate Professor Minwoo Lee
· Professor Juan Madera
· Professor Cristian Morosan
Movin’ On Up
Six UH Supply Chain and Logistics Technology students earned $42,500 in scholarships
from the Transportation Club of Houston, more than double last year’s awards, as the
club celebrates its 100th anniversary. Scholarship recipients are: Christina Leen, Caleb Bihogo, Kevin Velazquez, Will Day and Elieser Castellanos.
Future Physician
Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine student Sage Campbell was recently awarded the Glen Johnson MD, Minority Medical Student Scholarship through
the Texas Academy of Family Physicians Foundation (TAFPF).
the fellowship program has supported students who go on to transform vision care through discovery, teaching and patient service.
Vision for the Future
Three graduate students from the UH College of Optometry — Bismark Owusu-Afriyie, Kwaku Bonsu and Ebenezer Owusu — were awarded Ezell Fellowships from the American Academy of Optometry Foundation.
This fellowship program supports students whose career trajectories balance research,
teaching and service.
Eyes on Success
Madeline Fossitt and Uyen Ha, fourth-year students at the UH College of Optometry, received the VSP and American
Academy of Optometry Foundation Practice Excellence Scholarship. The national award
recognizes outstanding academic achievement, excellence in patient care, and dedication
to the profession.
Ambassadors of Excellence
Mathematics students Joanne Jacques and Joseph Patrick Raogninirina were selected as student co-leads for the International Association for Black Actuaries’
Actuarial Ambassador Program.