Sheng Lu, professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, served as a panelist for the session on U.S. apparel sourcing from Africa and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) at the 15th Sourcing Journal Fall Summit on Nov. 12, 2024, in New York City. The following day, Nov. 13, 2024, he presented his research on evolving U.S. apparel import and sourcing trends based on a product-level analysis at the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) annual conference at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Both events were attended by over 200 executives from leading U.S. fashion companies and senior U.S. trade officials.

Honors

For the first time, the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics has been ranked No. 45 on The Case Centre Impact Index, an annual ranking of organizations based on the global reach and impact of their case writing. The Impact Index is compiled using The Case Centre's usage data from the previous academic year. To reflect the global reach and impact of an organization's case writing, the Case Centre Impact metrics include how many of their cases have been adopted, by how many organizations, in how many countries and how many individual students have been taught with the cases. All organizations that have published at least one case with The Case Centre during the previous academic year are eligible. This year, 452 schools qualified for a place in the Impact Index by having cases written by their faculty actively used in teaching worldwide, making a position in the top 50 a significant marker of impact. The Lerner College was recognized for its collection of 27 cases, including the Women Leaders Case Series from UD’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI), developed by Professor of Management Amanda Bullough, who is also WLI’s research director. The Women Leaders Case Series encompasses teachable cases about real women business leaders based on primary interview data and secondary research. The cases are free, vary in length and are ready for use in classrooms worldwide. Each case in the Women Leaders Case Series is appropriate for existing or aspiring business leaders who want to learn effective management and leadership skills by learning from the example of another female business leader. As the independent home of the case method and distributor of the world’s largest and most diverse collection of cases, including those from leading business schools worldwide, The Case Centre is uniquely placed to reward case teaching and writing excellence. Other business schools on the list include Harvard, INSEAD, University of Virginia Darden, Michigan Ross, the Wharton School and Temple's Fox School of Business.

For the third time in five years, Blue Hens have earned a top prize in top quantum computing competitions, taking home the award for best paper in the “quantum applications” category at IEEE Quantum Week, one of the field’s premier gatherings. The winning paper was authored by Bao Bach, a doctoral student in quantum science and engineering; Jose Falla, doctoral student in physics; and Ilya Safro, associate professor and associate chair of graduate studies in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences. Challenged to solve an “optimization problem” that has remained elusive to computer engineers worldwide, the UD team’s solution was recognized for its novel approach and its potential for optimizing precious computer resources. Bao also was on the first-place team that cracked a quantum computing puzzle last year at the Big Q Quantum hackathon in Chicago. Graduate students from Safro’s lab previously won best-paper awards at high-performance computing gatherings in 2019 and 2022.

Laura E. Helton, associate professor of English history, has been awarded the Arline Custer Memorial Book Prize from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference for her book, Scattered and Fugitive Things: How Black Collectors Created Archives and Remade History (Columbia University Press, 2024).

On Oct. 15, 2024, Alaina Robinson, policy specialist II at the Institute of Public Administration, was honored as the University of Delaware recipient of the 2024 Rising Star Award by the Delaware American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Network (DAWN). The Rising Star Award is an annual recognition that honors Delaware’s promising future women leaders in higher education whose potential for future achievement is evident. Each year, the Rising Star Award is presented to an outstanding woman from each institute of higher education in Delaware. At the ceremony, Robinson was recognized for leading initiatives as part of the education services team at IPA, where she works on education policy research and public service projects. At IPA, she works as a staff member for the Redding Consortium for Educational Equity. Robinson has presented her educational research and policy work for the Redding Consortium at statewide and national conferences focused on education and public service. In addition to her policy work, she mentors Public Administration Fellows at IPA and makes noteworthy contributions through community service across the state. Previously, Robinson worked as a legislative fellow on health policy and education policy in the Washington, D.C., office of U.S. Sen. Chris Coons. DAWN is dedicated to advancing women in higher education through professional development, mentorship, and the promotion of women leaders nationwide. IPA is a research and public service center in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration.

Matthew Cohen, associate professor of communication sciences and disorders and associate director of the Delaware Center for Cognitive Aging Research (DECCAR), has received the fall 2024 Excellence in Scholarly Community Engagement Award from the University of Delaware Faculty Senate. The award recognizes faculty members who have distinguished themselves in teaching, research, creative activities, and service that engages the community in a reciprocal relationship. Cohen is being honored for his work with the Memory Ambassador and Brain-WISE programs, which have strived to educate community members about brain health in aging, reduce dementia risk, and screen for early cognitive decline. Cohen will receive $5,000 to be shared with an identified community partner and will have his name inscribed on a brick in Mentors’ Circle.

Bryan VanGronigen, assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Development’s School of Education, received the Jack A. Culbertson Early Career Award from the University Council for Educational Administration, the premier professional association for educational leadership. This award is presented annually to a junior professor in recognition of their significant contributions to the field of educational leadership. VanGronigen’s research focuses on organizational resilience and change management in K-12 schools with specific attention to school improvement, the preparation and professional development of educational leaders and educational policy analyses.

Jacquie Robinson, acting MA program director and director of clinical education for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Health Sciences, was recently honored by the Delaware House of Representatives. Robinson received a House Tribute from Speaker Valerie Longhurst for her exceptional community service in establishing the Speech-Language Pathology master’s program (MA-SLP) at UD, in collaboration with Founding Director and Professor Emeritus Aquiles Iglesias and Christine Cook, former director of research and clinical services at UD. During the tribute presented to Robinson on UD’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus, Longhurst emphasized Robinson’s dedication to students and placements, noting that her efforts have retained more than 50% of program graduates in Delaware. Robinson’s unique ability to foster an environment where students feel valued and motivated to reach their full potential has tremendously contributed to the success of UD’s MA-SLP program

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