Dr. Kimberly Selber, assistant professor of communication, was awarded two medals from the Summit International Creative Awards for illustration and graphic design. The Summit competition draws several thousand entries from more than 23 countries. She was awarded two bronze medals for work she created for Pointe & Plié: Dance Arts Studio.

The Summit Creative Awards is recognized worldwide as the industry’s most prestigious awards for the creative accomplishments of small and medium-sized advertising agencies and other creative companies throughout the world with annual billings of under $25 million. Over the last decade, the competition has established itself as the premier arbiter of creative excellence for firms of this size. Using rigorous evaluative criteria, it is the only competition rewarding those firms truly deserving of top recognition for creativity. The awards evaluative criterion sets it apart as the top creative competition for this sector. Submissions are evaluated based on the strength of their big idea, the quality of execution and their ability to communicate and persuade.

Selber was also awarded four Silver ADDY awards for creative works by the Valley Advertising Federation.

Also, Selber's article "The Influence of Modern Art on Early 20th-Century Advertising" will be published in the forthcoming edition of The International Journal of Arts in Society. In addition, Selber presented papers at the International Arts Symposium at New York University and the Southwest Popular Culture Conference in -- both in February.

Dr. Carolina G. Huerta, professor and chair of nursing, has been elected to serve on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Board of Directors. The term is for one year because she is serving out an unexpired term. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the national voice for America's baccalaureate- and higher-degree nursing education programs. An 11-member Board of Directors, each of whom represents a member institution, governs AACN. AACN today represents more than 600 schools of nursing at public and private universities and senior colleges nationwide. These schools offer a mix of baccalaureate, graduate, and post-graduate programs.

In addition, Huerta, who is the Pi Omicron chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing president and member of Pi Omicron executive board, planned a half-day workshop focusing on nursing research. This Research Day 2007 Evidence-based Nursing Practice: Implications for Mexico and the United States took place on March 24 and was sponsored by Pi Omicron and the UTPA nursing department. Participants were provided with an overview of evidence-based nursing practice and the effects of research on nursing care on a global basis.

Dr. Jan Maville, nursing professor, also participated in Research Day 2007 and provided the overview of evidence-based practice in the United States. 

The Nature Conservancy of Texas honored retired UTPA biology professor Dr. Frank Judd with special award for his contributions to natural history, dedication to education, and work to support wildlife conservation. The award was presented during a meeting of the organization’s state board of trustees in February 2007 in South Padre Island.

Judd attended the meeting to provide Nature Conservancy trustees with an overview of Padre Island ecology. He was presented the surprise award to recognize "Chis contributions to the field of natural history and ecology, his dedication to the education of students in the field of natural history, and his tireless efforts to support conservation of plants, animals and communities," said Jim Bergan, Ph.D., the Conservancy’s Texas director of science and stewardship.

Judd currently is a research professor at UT Pan American, and no longer teaches courses since his retirement in 2003. He was chairman of the University’s department of biology from 1996-1999, and was director of the Coastal Studies Laboratory from 1984-1994. He has been a professor at UTPA since 1982, and previously served as an associate professor, assistant professor and instructor at the university. Courses he taught in the biology department included evolution, ecology, marine ecology, ecological physiology, field zoology, mammalian physiology, mammalogy, herpetology, and anatomy and physiology in vertebrate zoology.

Dr. Gary Mounce of the Department of Political Science, attended the Second International Conference in the Arts in Society, in Kassel, Germany, Aug. 20-25 where he presented a scholarly paper titled "The Politics of Dance &ndash From Ballet Folklorico to the Nutcracker: Art and Education Among Mexican-Americans in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas."

The following Department of Political Science faculty members participated in the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association in Chicago, Aug. 30-Sept. 2:

Professor Debra Cardona co-authored a paper with Professor Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson (Texas A&M University) titled "Members of Presidential Cabinets: Experts, Generalists or Politicos? A Comparative Study."

Dr. John Bokina presented a paper titled "From Political Idealism to Political Cynicism: Spartacus and Gladiator." Bokina also served as a discussant on a panel &ndash "New World Orders in Literature and Film: Europe, Africa, Asia," and chaired a panel titled "Republican Politics, Public Opinion, and 'Kids Today."

Dr. Jessica Lavariega-Monforti co-authored a paper with Professor Gabriel Sanchez (University of New Mexico) titled "Is Perception Really Reality? An Investigation of the Presence and Source of Perceived Discrimination Within the Latino Community." Lavariega-Monforti also participated in a roundtable discussion on the topic of "Fixing the Leaky Pipeline: Keeping Women of Color in the Discipline."

Drs. Robert Wrinkle, Jim Wenzel and Jerry Polinard co-authored a paper with Dr. Tom Longoria (Texas Tech University) and Dr. Rene Rocha (University of Iowa) titled "Contextual Determinants of Attitudes Toward Immigration."  Drs. Longoria and Rocha received their undergraduate degrees from UTPA.

Wrinkle also co-authored a paper with Dr. Diana Evans (Trinity College), Dr. Kenneth Bickers (University of Colorado) and Dr. Robert Stein (Rice University) titled "Credit Claiming for Pork Barrel Projects in Congress."