Tracey Wszalek, Associate Director of the Beckman Institute's Biomedical Imaging Center (BIC), has been named as a 2008 winner of the Chancellor's Academic Professional Excellence (CAPE) Award.

Wszalek is one of six winners of this year's award, given annually to recognize the important contributions made by academic professionals on the University of Illinois campus. Award winners are judged on three criteria: work, personal, and professional contributions.

Wszalek has been associated with the Beckman Institute for about 10 years and has been with BIC ever since Beckman took over operation of the facility from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Research in 2003.

BIC director Art Kramer said Wszalek has done an outstanding job at a very challenging position.

"Tracey is a wonderful academic professional," Kramer said. "As Associate Director of the Biomedical Imaging Center she has a position that requires a multitude of technical and management duties - and she accomplishes all of these duties with a high degree of professionalism and expertise. Indeed, in my 29 years at the University of Illinois, Tracey is clearly one of the most remarkable professional staff members that I have had the pleasure to work with."

Wszalek is the second Beckman academic professional to win the CAPE Award. Beckman Institute Associate Director Van Anderson won the award in 2007.