Physics professor Christopher Sorensen (MPhys’73, PhD’76) received the Dr. Ron and Rae Iman Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching at Kansas State University. He received the award for his high-quality instruction, strong relationships with students and distinguished service to the university. He developed a new method of instruction for engineering physics to improve comprehension of concepts among students in large classes. He lives in Manhattan, Kan.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

The book Path of Beauty (St. Martin’s Press), written by Boulder resident Chris Brown (Art’74) last year, has been well-received. It contains personal photos and essays of the Grand Canyon and was a finalist in the Banff Mountain Book Competition. The book received five stars from Goodreads.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

While working at the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C., Lawrence “Larry” Duran (PolSci’74) earned his law degree from Georgetown University. For 25 years, he served as an attorney for state and local governments in California, including the California Legislative Counsel’s Office, the Sacramento County Counsel’s Office and the Sacramento City Attorney’s Office. He serves as a federal administrative law judge with the Social Security Administration in Moreno Valley, Calif.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

Even though Jane Petrowicz Stahl (MEdu’74) retired from teaching English, she continues to be very active in her community of Boyertown, Penn., by working with several art galleries and studios. She and her husband began “Bear Fever,” which has inspired artists to design and paint 59 bears on display throughout the area. She was named the Pennsylvania Art Education Association’s 2011 Outstanding Friend to Art Education for her efforts.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

The photography of Patricia “Trish” Wright (Art’74) was featured last year at the Ceres Gallery in Manhattan and at the Art in Architecture Gallery in Ottawa. Trish lives and teaches on Long Island and is working toward her doctorate in education at Columbia University. Her three sisters and one niece also are CU graduates: Cheryl Wright Green(Art’69) of New York, N.Y., Alanna Wright-Jones (Art’71) of Colorado Springs, Colo., Joanne Wright (Fren’76) of Sudbury, Mass., and her daughter Tracy Wright Deshmuk (Soc’06) who works as an ESL instructor in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

As director of CU’s BioServe Space Technologies Louis Stodieck (Aero’79, MS’81, PhD’85) was involved with a contest that challenged 14-to-18-year-old students to design space experiments. BioServe is responsible for turning the winning entries into experiments that can be launched to the International Space Station. Louis told the BoulderCamera that the intention of the project was to stimulate interest in space and technology. He lives in Boulder.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

Vice president and chief operating officer of ISOindustries Matt Lipkin (PolSci’80) joined the board of the nonprofit Wounded Nature — Working Veterans. This year the organization has five “Victory Vessels”— each one representing a different branch of the military— cleaning beaches, visiting military bases and attending port festivals. Matt lives in Virginia Beach, Va.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

“Since graduation my life can best be described with the word ‘travel,’” writes Melissa Mansell Popp (IntlAf’81). She started working for the federal government in 1981 and lived in Maryland, Colorado, England, Virginia, Pakistan and Indonesia. She has since settled in Elizabeth, Colo., where she has Broncos season tickets and two grown daughters.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

With more than 25 years of financial management and strategic planning experience, Reagan Sakai (Fin’81, MBA’88) has taken his skills to BlueCava. He serves as CFO for the company, which is a provider of device identification technology that enables businesses to improve online advertising effectiveness and reduce fraud risk. He lives in Dove Canyon, Calif.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

Architect Kat Vlahos (EnvDes’82, MA’84) is an associate professor at CU Denver in the College of Architecture and Planning and is director of the Center of Preservation Research. She is a researcher of vernacular ranch architecture and cultural landscapes. After a career of designing, she told CU Connections (CU’s faculty and staff newsletter), “I design through my students now.” The Denver resident has twin boys.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

For most of her career Julie Overbaugh (PhDChem’83) has focused on HIV prevention and AIDS research. She is associate program head at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She has served as chair of the NIH grant review panel on the molecular biology of HIV-1, editor of Journal of Virology and member of the Office of AIDS Research advisory committee. She also spent two decades in Kenya working to prevent the spread of HIV. Because of her accomplishments, Julie received the 2011 Marion Spencer Fay Award Lecture at Drexel University College of Medicine. She lives in Seattle, Wash.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

Because of his commitment and innovation in contributing to the nation, Alfonso Batres (MPsych’83, PhD’84) received a Service to America medal from the Partnership for Public Service. He has spent nearly three decades working with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Readjustment Counseling Vet Centers, which provide counseling, services and opportunities to veterans. The Washington Post wrote an article on his accomplishments called “Alfonso Batres: A leadership veteran” that appeared in its “Federal Player” series. Alfonso lives in Washington, D.C.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

Musician Geary Larrick (PhDMus’84) wrote an article called “College Percussion Pedagogy,” which appeared in the Summer 2011 edition of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors Journal. Much of his CU dissertation also has been published in the journal. He plays piano, snare drum and marimba and lives in Stevens Point, Wis.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

Last summer Susan Diesel (Math’85), Karen Dyce (Acct’85) and Stanley Erwin* (Acct’85) attended their 30th reunion for Homestead High School graduates in Cupertino, Calif. Susan writes that the three chose to attend CU independently and found each other there as freshmen in 1981. Susan lives in Norwich, Vt., Karen lives in Los Altos, Calif., and Stan lives in West Lake Hills, Texas.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

President Obama appointed Miami resident Katrina Peebles (Jour’85) to the President’s Advisory Committee on Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She also is on the board of directors for The Peebles Corporation, a real estate company working in Miami, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas, Nev.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

In June Lisa Ayala-Williams (Mktg’86) was promoted to vice president of worldwide creative services, marketing for Walt Disney Studios in California. She oversees advertising for all of Disney’s animated film entertainment in post-theatrical promotion. She was formerly director in production for WW Creative Services at Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and has worked for Disney for nine years. She writes that she lives in Simi Valley, Calif., where she and her husband are huge Buff fans and have enjoyed cheering on their team closer to home with its entry into the Pac-12.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

After serving six years as a marketing director for Walmart Corp., David Morita (IntlAf’86) joined Metro St. Louis, the city’s Regional Transportation District (RTD), as vice president of sales and marketing. He brings more than 20 years of experience in domestic and international advertising, sales and marketing. Prior to his time at Walmart, he served in a variety of positions at McDonald’s Corp. for more than 10 years, including senior marketing director for McDonald’s Asia Pacific.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

Personal injury attorney Timothy Tomasik (Jour’86) was inducted as a fellow of the International Society of Barristers. The group is an honor society of outstanding trial lawyers who are chosen by their peers based on excellence and integrity in advocacy. Tim is a partner at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago and lives in Western Springs, Ill.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

The Colorado Health Foundation appointed Vicky Powell Cavanaugh (Econ’89) as vice president of operations. She oversees grants management, information technology, office administration, facilities and human resources. Before joining the foundation she led strategic initiatives at such companies as McKesson, Pacificare, Qwest, Conoco and Gates Corp. The Denver resident also ran her own consulting firm, Cavanaugh Consulting.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

Formerly a contractor in Iraq, Matthew Kowalczyk (EPOBio’89) decided to pursue wine as his career after becoming an assistant winemaker for Kalyra Winery in Santa Ynez, Calif. He still works for the winery in addition to starting his own company, Buscador Wine, which can be found at buscadorwine.com. He lives in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Posted Mar. 1, 2012

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