Faculty and staff members from the Beckman Institute and the Cancer Center at Illinois have been recognized by the U of I Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance for their contributions in support of research.
The SPaRC Collaboration Award was presented to faculty and staff from Beckman and the Cancer Center, and Kara Johnson, Beckman’s associate director for administration, received the SPaRC Outstanding Service Award. The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance annually recognizes various individuals across the University of Illinois campus for their contributions in research administration.
The SPaRC Collaboration Award is presented to individuals from separate units who have collectively improved a specific research process at Illinois. Individuals from the Cancer Center and Beckman were honored for partnering on a new Tissue Engineering and Phenotyping Core Facility that will be located at Beckman. The facility will support research in various fields including food, nutrition, energy, health sciences, and cancer. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health has awarded the University of Illinois $3.3 million for the project, after giving the project a perfect score.
Cancer Center employees honored: Rohit Bhargava, Jason Butler, Tim Fan, Joseph Irudayaraj, Paloma Pearson, and Hui Xu. Beckman Institute honorees: Rob Fritz, Kara Haley, Earle Heffley, Kara Johnson, Patty Jones, Lanata Kendrick, Jeff Moore, and Ashley Trimmell.
“Everyone involved in this project has been, and continues to be, completely focused on the greater good for the University of Illinois, and creating the best facility that can be built and managed to enhance our research mission,” said Barry Schatz, the associate director for administration at the Cancer Center. “This is a unique example of an effective collaboration, and it is a credit to both the institutes, and all the members of the project.”
Johnson’s SPaRC Outstanding Service Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding service in support of research administration at Illinois. Johnson was honored for navigating the legal and business aspects of the procurement and use of the Siemens MAGNETOM Terra 7 Tesla MRI system. The machine is the centerpiece of the Carle Illinois Advanced Imaging Center, which is governed by a partnership agreement between Carle Health and the University of Illinois.
“Kara bridges the gap between the research groups at Beckman and its administrative staff,” said Jeff Moore, the director of the Beckman Institute. “She is an incredible asset to the researchers, the institute itself, and the campus research community as a whole. One of her most impactful recent accomplishments is the completion of the agreement between the University of Illinois and Carle on the planned procurement and use of a Siemens MAGNETOM 7 Tesla MRI system.” The magnet, scheduled to be delivered this week, will be the seventh in a clinical setting in the U.S. and the first in the state of Illinois.
All award recipients were honored at SPaRC’s annual retreat that was held virtually this year on Sept. 4.
