NEWS

National archaeological group elects UNC’s Steponaitis as chair

UNC archaeologist Dr. Vincas P. Steponaitis has been elected chairman of the board for The Archaeological Conservancy, a national nonprofit organization with 22,000 members.

Based in Albuquerque, N.M., the conservancy is dedicated to acquiring and preserving archaeological sites in the United States.

Steponaitis is professor of anthropology and director of the Research Laboratories of Archaeology based in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences. His research interests focus on pre-colonial Indian cultures of the American South, the development of chiefdoms and the analysis of ancient ceramics.

Founded in 1939, the laboratories were the first center for the study of  North Carolina archaeology and now are among the leading institutes for archaeological teaching and research in the South. The labs curate more than 5 million artifacts and more than 50,000 photographic negatives, photographs and slides.

Steponaitis has served in numerous leadership and professional positions in his field, including president of the Society for American Archaeology and the Southeastern Archaeological Conference and editor of the scholarly journal Southeastern Archaeology.

Contact: Dee Reid, 843-6339, deereid@unc.edu;

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DuBose honored as ‘Person of the Year’ by international energy group

Raymond E. DuBose, director of energy services at UNC-Chapel Hill, has received the International District Energy Association’s "Person of the Year" award at the group’s recent 94th Annual Conference and Trade Show in Philadelphia.

DuBose has been an association member for 19 years, serving as chairman from 2000 to 2002.

Known as the Norman R. Taylor Award, the honor DuBose received is the top distinction the association confers on an individual to recognize lifetime achievements and contributions to the district energy and combined heat and power industry. Taylor, the award’s namesake, was association president from 1977 to 1978, a turbulent time for the energy industry. In 1980 he became the association’s executive director, serving until he died in 1986. He was known for boldly setting goals and preparing for the future.

Association Chairman Todd Johnson from Energy Systems Co. in Omaha, Neb., presented UNC’s DuBose with the award, saying he embodies the spirit of Taylor "and personifies all that is best about this association. Ray is the 17th recipient of the award and joins a list of quality individuals who have had a positive impact on the industry and the association.

"Much of the association’s success is the result of his ability to lead us with diplomacy, honesty and conviction," Johnson said. "(The association) is better for his leadership. Ray has just finished his term on the board, and we will miss his thoughtful guidance and his commitment to consensus building. We are certain he will continue to be an association leader."

As director of energy services, DuBose is responsible for the university’s long-range energy planning. He oversees operation of the campus’s energy and utilities enterprise including the cogeneration facility, chilled-water plants, energy management system and all distribution systems.

Headquartered just outside Boston, the 700-plus-member association was founded in 1909 and comprises district heating and cooling executives, managers, engineers, consultants and equipment suppliers from 18 countries.

Photo URL: To download a DuBose photo,
http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/staff/dubose_raymond.jpg

News Services Contact: Mike McFarland. (919) 962-8593

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School of Medicine faculty receive James W. Woods Junior Faculty Award

Drs. Shannon Carson and Katherine Hartmann recently received the UNC School of Medicine’s James W. Woods Junior Faculty Award.

The award supports promising young members of the medical school’s clinical faculty early in their careers. Both Carson and Hartmann will receive $5,000 to explore new ideas, new ways of teaching students, treating patients or investigating biological problems.

Carson, assistant professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine, is associate director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at UNC Hospitals. His research interests include outcomes for patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation.

Hartmann is an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the School of Medicine and of epidemiology in the School of Public Health. She serves as program director for health-care epidemiology and co-director of the N.C. Program for Women’s Health Research. Her research interests include the examination of the association of fibroids and fibroid characteristics with adverse pregnancy outcomes and simultaneously investigating the natural history of fibroids during and after pregnancy.

The award was established through the generosity of the late Dr. James Watson Woods, a cardiologist, who was a professor in the School of Medicine from 1953 to 1983. Woods was a leader in the school with a distinguished record of clinical and educational service, as well as scholarly productivity in hypertension research.

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News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu