• William J. Ohley of Wakefield, professor of electrical engineering, has accepted an invitation from the federal Department of Health and Human Services to serve as a member of the Medical Imaging Study Section, Center for Scientific Review for a four-year term ending June 2010. Members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements and honors. Study sections review grant applications submitted to the National Institutes of Health, make recommendations on these applications to the appropriate NIH national advisory council or board, and survey the status of research in their fields of science. These functions are of great value to medical and allied research in this country, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
• David Fastovsky of Wakefield, a URI professor of geology, is one of three geoscientists who received the Geological Society of America Distinguished Service Award for 2006 in October. The award recognizes individuals for exceptional service to the Society. Fastovsky served on the society’s Ad Hoc Committee on Long Range Planning for Publications and recently completed a five-year term as science editor of the journal Geology. Under his direction, the number of submissions to the journal doubled, and its ranking among earth science journals (as measured by the Institute for Scientific Information) and its impact factor (as measured by the Science Citation Index) rose steadily.
The geological society, founded in 1888, is a scientific society with 20,000 members representing academia, government, and industry in more than 85 countries.
•Jeffrey Bratberg of Cranston, an assistant professor of pharmacy at URI, has been named the state’s 2006 Distinguished Young Pharmacist of the Year by the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association. The award, which is sponsored by Pharmacists Mutual Companies, is presented annually to a pharmacist in each state for excelling in state pharmacy association activities, community affairs and professional practice. As a member of the Rhode Island Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Bratberg was deployed twice last year to Louisiana to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
• Bruce C. Hamilton, director of URI’s Memorial Union/Student Involvement and Center for Student Leadership Development Offices, has been elected as the regional director of the Association of College Union International’s Region 1. The Jamestown resident took over the regional leadership Nov. 18 at the group’s annual conference at the University of Connecticut. Region 1 encompasses all of New England, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. There are some 80 institutions of higher education that are members of Region 1 and more than 320 individual members. This year a record number of international delegates from England, Ireland and Scotland attended the regional conference. The international organization started in 1914, is divided into 15 regions with more than 750 member schools.