By Charlotte Brookins
Several staff members from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recently received university-wide recognition and awards for their impactful and important work.
Margolis and Mineart receive Iowa Board of Regents Staff Excellence Award
Two CLAS staff members were recognized with this year’s Board of Regents Staff Excellence Award.
Amy Margolis, director of the Iowa Summer Writing Festival, and Heather R. Mineart, departmental administrator of physics and astronomy, were among two of the six recipients.
This award recognizes staff members and colleagues from Iowa’s state institutions whose accomplishments have significantly benefited the university and the state of Iowa.
Margolis has been involved with the ISWF since 1990, helping the historic writing festival attract writers from all 50 states and across the world to the Iowa City area. She has played a major role in the festival’s growth over the years, allowing it to flourish even during the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mineart oversees complex budgets and building renovations; facilitates interactions between staff, facilities, external subcontractors, and outside clients; and has been essential in the execution of the $162.5 million TRACERS Small Mission Explorer grant through NASA. She has also served on several university and collegiate committees and councils.
Allen, Brustkern, Crull, and Dvorsky receive University of Iowa Outstanding Staff Award
Two-thirds of this year’s University of Iowa Outstanding Staff awardees were from CLAS.
Kate Allen, School of Art and Art History; Kaila Brustkern, Department of Health and Human Physiology; George Crull, Department of Chemistry; and Richard Dvorsky, Department of Physics and Astronomy each received the award.
This award seeks to honor staff whose accomplishments have made significant contributions to the university.
Allen is an instructional service specialist for the photography and 3D design areas in the School of Art and Art History. She plays a crucial part in addressing the technological needs of students, such as dedicating time to mastering tools for the 3D Design discipline and restructuring the 3D Design BFA studio.
Brustkern is a research assistant in the Microvascular Physiology Lab in the Department of Health and Human Physiology. She has been an integral part of the lab’s success by assisting with the successful completion of three internal research grants, the publication of four high-impact, peer-reviewed research papers, and the acquisition of three competitive extramural research grants.
Crull is the staff scientist and assistant director of the Department of Chemistry’s Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Center. Crull interacts with many academic and research units at Iowa and the community, including commercial enterprises. He has made extraordinary contributions to the maintenance of NMR instruments on campus and to the use of NMR instrumentation by many students and postdocs in laboratory research.
Dvorsky, who is an aerospace principal engineer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has contributed to many of Iowa’s high-profile space-flight projects, including NASA’s Van Allen Probes mission and the NASA Magnetosphere Multi-Scale mission. As an engineer on the TRACERS mission, he leads the team in technical design, testing, risk management, and more.
Korthank receives Mental Health Champion Award
Amy Korthank, senior associate director of academic support in CLAS, is one of four recipients of this year’s Mental Health Champion Award, which celebrates outstanding members of the UI community who help create and bolster a positive mental health and well-being culture.
The award also celebrates honorees’ dedication to advancing “Campus Mental Health” within Iowa’s Strategic Plan.
Korthank, who has worked at the University of Iowa for 25 years, is well-known for her passionate advocacy of mental health and well-being throughout campus.
In her role, Korthank provides people going through difficult academic situations with empathy and guidance. She has helped create a campus culture where students, staff, and faculty feel empowered to seek help and to openly share their struggles.
In 2022, she created the Undergraduate Student Academic Concern Form, which allows instructors to report concerns they have about students’ welfare. The goal of the form is to streamline connections between students, instructors, and the mental health resources with the power to help them.
“She goes above and beyond her role of academic support to ensure that students who are struggling with mental health challenges are provided with the resources they need,” said Cornelia Lang, associate dean for undergraduate education.
Torno receives Lola Lopes Award for Undergraduate Student Advocacy
Kate Torno, senior academic advisor in the Department of English, was one of two recipients of the Lola Lopes Award for Undergraduate Student Advocacy.
The award is presented yearly, honoring administrators, staff, or faculty who act as strong advocates for undergraduate students outside their teaching role. Recipients each receive a $1,000 honorarium and a certificate, and their names will be added to a plaque displayed in the admission visitors center.
Torno has advised thousands of undergraduates during her time with the department. She is known for her comprehensive approach to advising, helping students get the most out of their college experience from the time they set foot on campus as prospective students through their undergraduate careers and into their journey as alumni.
Torno was instrumental in launching the English and Creative Writing major, now the most popular major in the department.
In addition to serving her advisees, her advocacy for student-focused curricular and community-building initiatives has impacted all students in the department and beyond. A recent example is her effort that led to opening the “Literary Loft” a welcoming community space for English undergraduates. In fall 2022, she launched community-building book clubs and writing groups for new students in the major.