Therese "Tess" Jones has been named director of the Arts and Humanities in Health Care Program for the Center of Bioethics and Humanities. She will also be an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado Denver.

Jones received her doctorate in English from CU-Boulder. She gained experience in developing curricula in the medical humanities while working at the former University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and the University of Utah School of Medicine.

The Center for Bioethics and Humanities works to engage health professionals and the community in dialogue about the ethical issues enveloping contemporary health care. These issues include encouraging responsible development and use of emerging technologies, educating health care professionals about the balance among humanistic, scientific and technical dimensions of the field, and involving diverse and underrepresented voices in the community.

Two University of Colorado at Boulder School of Journalism and Mass Communication professors have been awarded the Frank Luther Mott Book Award by Kappa Tau Alpha, an honor society for journalism and mass communication.

Janice Peck and her dog Ellie

Associate Professor Janice Peck won third place for her book The Age of Oprah: Cultural Icon for the Neoliberal Era. In the book, Peck examines Winfrey's media enterprises as part of contemporary U.S. culture and politics. Peck formerly worked as a journalist, editor and writer for newspapers, magazines and radio stations.

Jan Whitt

Jan Whitt, also an associate journalism professor, was a finalist for the award for her piece Women in American Journalism: A New History. The book explores the lives of women who played a significant role in journalism history, but whose efforts were overlooked. Whitt teaches courses in literary journalism, women's issues, literature, media history, and writing and popular culture.

Named in honor of Pulitzer Prize winner Frank Luther Mott, the annual award honors research-based books about journalism or mass communication.

Victor Gurarie

Victor Gurarie, an associate professor of physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, was awarded the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award.

The award honors scientists and scholars for outstanding research and in recognition of lifetime achievement in research. The research must also influence other fields of study. Awardees are invited to conduct research projects in cooperation with a specialist colleague at a research institution in Germany.

Nominated by German scientist Alexander Altlandof the Universität Köln, Gurarie studies emergent phenomena in condensed matter physics, a field that investigates physical properties of matter such as solids and liquids.

The University of Colorado at Boulder School of Journalism and Mass Communication awarded $60,000 in research grants to three faculty teams for future projects.

The school awarded the largest grants to professors Paul Daugherty, Nabil Echchaibi, Stewart Hoover, Marguerite "Meg" Mortiz and Brett Robbs. The group received $29,000 to produce a pioneering documentary film called Muslims in the Mountain West, which will detail the lives of Muslims as they settle in the plains and mountain regions of the United States. Graduate student Suzanne Popovich will also work on the project.
Additionally, professors Janice Peck and Liz Skewes received $19,000 for their project comparing the quality of journalism provided by newspapers, blogs and Internet aggregators. Professors Rick Stevens and Tom Yulsman received $12,000 for their climate change Web site, which aims to be the first comprehensive, interactive and scientifically sound site of its kind.

Members of the Dean's Advisory Council evaluated the submitted proposals.

Photos from School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Nabil Echchaibi.