News of Note from Pitt

News, Awards, and Developments From the University of Pittsburgh

•  “When Attention Wanders” Earns Professor Marlene Cohen Neurobiology Prize
•  Staff Member Mara Kudrick Elected President of the Council of Alumni Marketing and Membership Professionals 
•  Professor Bopaya Bidanda Receives Global Award for Excellence in Engineering Education

PITTSBURGH—Behind the larger stories about the University of Pittsburgh are other stories of faculty, staff, and student achievement as well as information on Pitt programs reaching new levels of success. The following is a compilation of some of those stories.

“When Attention Wanders” Earns Professor Marlene Cohen Neurobiology Prize

Marlene Cohen, assistant professor in Pitt’s Department of Neuroscience and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, is the 2012 Grand Prize winner of the international competition for The Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology. 

The prize honors the best 1,000-word essay written by an early-career scientist describing his or her research during the previous three years in the field of molecular and cell biology. Cohen’s award-winning essay, “When Attention Wanders,” describes her research revealing that when the mind wanders, so too does our ability to notice subtle changes in a visual scene. The essay was published in the Oct. 5 issue of Science. As the prize winner, she received $25,000 and was honored Oct. 14 at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans. 

Staff Member Mara Kudrick Elected President of the Council of Alumni Marketing and Membership Professionals

University staff member Mara Kudrick, the Pitt Alumni Association’s director of membership, has been elected president of the Council of Alumni Marketing and Membership Professionals. The organization offers professional development, networking, and knowledge-transfer opportunities for alumni relations staff members at institutions of higher education. Kudrick has been part of Pitt’s alumni relations staff since 2004 and an alumna since 2009, when she received a master’s degree in administrative and policy studies from Pitt’s School of Education. 

Professor Bopaya Bidanda Receives Global Award for Excellence in Engineering Education

Bopaya Bidanda, chair of Pitt’s Department of Industrial Engineering and the Ernest E. Roth Professor in the Swanson School of Engineering, has received the 2012 Global Award for Excellence in Engineering Education from the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies. He was unanimously recommended for the award for developing unique study-abroad courses for engineering students, leading “train the trainer” workshops for Pitt faculty, and emphasizing the teaching of practical skills that students will later employ in the workplace, whether it’s an engineering firm or an academic institution. Bidanda was recognized during the federation’s awards dinner on Oct. 15 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

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11/14/12/mab/cjhm