Alan MacDiarmid, Ph.D., was honored in March by the School of Arts and Sciences as its longest-serving employee. The honor was bestowed at the annual SAS service awards recognition party.

Alan MacDiarmid, Ph.D., was named the 2001 Society of Plastics Engineers International Award winner. MacDiarmid, Nobel laureate in chemistry for 2000 with collaborators Alan J. Heeger and Hidecki Shirakawa, was presented $5,000 and a medal Tuesday, April 3, in Philadelphia for outstanding contributions in the field of plastics.

Paul Rozin, Ph.D., Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Professor for Faculty Excellence, has been named a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar for 2001-2002. The 13 visiting scholars named last month will travel to universities and colleges with Phi Beta Kappa chapters, meeting informally with undergraduates, participating in classes, and giving a major address open to the entire academic community.

David Dinges, Ph.D., professor of psychology in psychiatry, has been named a team leader for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, a consortium of 12 research institutions that do research to pave the way for human exploration of space. Dinges will head the new Neurobehavioral and Psychosocial Factors Team in identifying how stress and isolation affect space crew health, safety and productivity during lengthy space missions.

Penn Current shines

The Penn Current was awarded a Circle of Excellence bronze medal from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in the internal periodicals category. Of 66 entries, CASE awarded two golds, three silvers and two bronzes. This is the Current’s second year in a row of earning national recognition from CASE. Last year, the Current earned two gold awards — for periodical staff writing and for internal periodicals. The Current also won a gold regional award earlier this year for internal and external periodicals.