Cockrell School of Engineering associate professor Andrea Alù and alumna Van N. Truskett received The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST) 2016 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards.
The recipients will be honored during the O’Donnell Awards Dinner in Dallas, on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016, in conjunction with the TAMEST 2016 Annual Conference.
Alù, a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was recognized in the category of engineering. TAMEST honored Alù for a number of groundbreaking, highly cited contributions to science and engineering, including influential work on cloaking and invisibility; advances in optical nanocircuits and nanoantennas; magnetic-free non-reciprocal devices for sound, radio-waves and light; and giant nonlinear response in optical metamaterials.
Earlier this year, the National Science Foundation awarded Alù with the prestigious Alan T. Waterman Award — one of the highest honors given to outstanding young science and engineering researchers in the United States who are 35 years old or younger. Alù was the first recipient from a Texas university.
TAMEST also recognized Van N. Truskett, (B.S. ChE, 1996) director of jetting technology at Canon Nanotechnologies, Inc., in the category of technology innovation. She was honored for her impactful body of work in science, inventorship and engineering on some of the most fundamental and important problems for enabling nanoscale manufacturing in semiconductors, hard disk drives and flexible films for display applications.
"Over the years, the O’Donnell Awards have recognized Texas’ best and brightest engineers and scientists, so I am not at all surprised that Andrea and Van are among this year’s honorees,” said Sharon L. Wood, Dean of the Cockrell School. “They are both world-class innovators who push the boundaries of technological advancement, and we are proud to have them as part of our Texas Engineering community."
The Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards recognize rising Texas researchers who are addressing the essential role that science and technology play in society, and whose work meets the highest standards of performance, creativity and resourcefulness.
2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the O’Donnell Awards. Since 2007, over $1 million has been awarded to 44 recipients in the categories of medicine, engineering, science and technology innovation. The awards are named in honor of Edith and Peter O’Donnell, who are among Texas’ staunchest advocates for excellence in scientific advancement and STEM education.
