International Achievement Awards announced
Two alumni, a professor and two students have received 2015 International Achievement Awards from Illinois International Programs in honor of their work to improve lives overseas.
The award recipients are M.T. Geoffrey Yeh (Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement); Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia (Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement); Patricia Lazicki (Charles C. Stewart International Young Humanitarian Award); Kenneth Long (Illinois International Graduate Achievement Award); and Alexis March (Illinois International Undergraduate Achievement Award).
March is a James Scholar double majoring in French and anthropology. She studied at l’Institut Catholique in Paris in the spring of 2014 under the auspices of the Illinois Program in Paris. During this time, she also served as a volunteer English teaching assistant at a French middle school, College Pierre Alviset.
After completing her semester in Paris, Alexis flew to Karnataka, India to work as an archaeological research assistant for Dr. Andrew Bauer. Upon her return to the campus in the fall of 2014, Alexis applied for and was accepted as an intern with the State Department at the U.S. Embassy in Paris for the summer of 2015.
While an intern, March translated speeches and communiqués and drafted official communications. She attended conferences as a representative of the U.S. Embassy, organized the U.S. Embassy Green Market and assisted in the preparations for the 2015 COP 21 Climate Conference, which was held in November. Additionally, Alexis helped organize the official Independence Day celebration at the Ambassador’s residence.
Long (BS, ’12, molecular and cellular biology and materials science and engineering; MS, ’14, bioengineering) is currently a graduate student in bioengineering working on smartphone-based point-of-care diagnostics for infectious diseases. He has worked on international development projects in both Cameroon and Cambodia and, as part of the Global Health Initiative at Illinois, is now developing an interdisciplinary space on campus to tackle global health challenges.
He is also collaborating with Illinois faculty to develop a cross-campus partnership between Illinois and Njala University in Sierra Leone to facilitate interinstitutional global health research, outreach and educational initiatives. Kenneth currently serves on the board of the University YMCA and is increasing their global engagement by fostering a parallel relationship with the YMCA of Sierra Leone.
Through these Illinois-Sierra Leone projects, he hopes to develop a new standard for international partnerships focused on interdisciplinary dialogue and holistic understanding of global health challenges.
de Mejia is a Professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, assistant dean for research in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and a University Scholar of the University of Illinois. She also is a member of the Division of Nutritional Sciences and an affiliate of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
She is being honored for her research on how bioactive compounds in a variety of foods from around the world impact human health and disease. She has investigated whole and individual plant components for their effects on obesity, diabetes and cancer, in particular.
de Mejia is is also a devoted and talented teacher who takes a particularly global view of education and has made extensive impacts to strengthen the University of Illinois’ international dimension through her research, teaching and outreach.
Yeh (BS, ’53, civil engineering) has made significant and lasting contributions to the construction and financial sectors in Hong Kong, serving as chair of the Hsin Chong Group of Companies, including Hsin Chong Construction Group, Ltd., a publicly listed company, until his retirement in 2002. He is the current chair of Hsin Chong International Holdings, Ltd.
Yeh founded the Yeh Family Philanthropy, a family foundation, in 2011. A member of the President’s Council of the University of Illinois Foundation, Yeh was the lead donor for the M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Student Center, a 20,500-square-foot addition to Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory that provides state-of-the-art classrooms, meeting rooms and informal gathering space for students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Illinois.
Patricia Lazicki (MS, ’11, natural resources and environmental science) focused on soil science and sustainable nutrient management in agroecosystems during her studies at Illinois. In 2011 she worked for ACDI Lusekele, an extension and research center in rural Democratic Republic of Congo, where she assessed options for affordable and meaningful soil testing methods.
In 2013 she joined the faculty of Njala University in Sierra Leone. Simultaneously she coordinated the University of Illinois’ study abroad program with Njala and served as a liaison between the two universities. Following the disruption of the Sierra Leone program due to the 2014 ebola epidemic she continued to work for Illinois, conducting soil testing and fertilizer management workshops in the Republic of Georgia through the Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services program.
A banquet in honor of the recipients will be held in April. The recipients will also participate in a panel discussion titled “International Collaboration across Disciplines” at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 7. The panel is free and open to the public with a reservation.
