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Lacy to 'test waters' for Thompson

Bill Lacy

Bill Lacy, director of the Dole Institute of Politics, will take an indefinite leave of absence to take a leading role in former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson's exploratory presidential campaign.

Lacy will lead Thompson's "testing the waters" committee and have full operational control of the Friends of Fred Thompson committee and will report directly to Thompson.

The principal political strategist and campaign manager for Thompson's 1994 Senate race in Tennessee, Lacy has a long political resume including serving as White House political director for President Ronald Reagan and political strategist for former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole.

He has served in senior roles in the five previous presidential campaigns from 1980 to 1996.

Taylor earns top botanical award

Edie Taylor, paleobotany curator at the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Institute, received the 2007 Merit Award at the annual conference of the Botanical Society of America. The award is the highest given by the society and recognizes outstanding contributions to the science of botany. Taylor was recognized for her contributions to research in the structure and evolution of fossil plants.

Arratia honored for ichthyology writing

Gloria Arratia, research associate at the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Institute, received the Robert H. Gibbs Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence in Systematic Ichthyology. The prize is awarded for "an outstanding body of published work in systematic ichthyology" to a citizen of a nation in the Western Hemisphere. The first woman to receive the award in its 18-year history, Arratia was honored at the annual meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, held July 11-17 in St. Louis. The annual award consists of a plaque and a cash award.

Wegner named to autism task force

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has appointed Jane Wegner, director of the Schiefelbusch Speech-Language-Hearing-Clinic and clinical professor in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing, to the state's Autism Task Force.

The task force, created by the Kansas Legislature, will recommend to the Legislative Educational Planning Committee potential legislation for improving the availability or accessibility of services for screening, diagnosing and treating children with autism, as well as programs to assist their parents.

Other appointments to the 20-member task force have already been made by Kansas House and Senate leaders.

Goodyear picked for FAA review panel

Marilu Goodyear

Marilu Goodyear, chair of the Department of Public Administration, has been named a member of a National Academy of Public Administration Review Panel for the FAA's New Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The NextGen system will be based on satellite navigation and control, digital non-voice communication and advanced networking. The panel will identify the skill sets required by FAA to integrate and implement NextGen and define the strategies to obtain the expertise necessary to manage, integrate and implement the complex activities inherent in the transformation to NextGen. Goodyear, who was KU's vice provost for Information Services and chief information officer from 1999 to 2005, was elected an academy fellow in 2001.

Stahl brings home mathematics award

Saul Stahl, professor of mathematics, received the Carl B. Allendoerfer Award on Aug. 4 at the Summer MathFest in San Jose, Calif. Established in 1976, the Allendoerfer Awards are presented by the Mathematical Association of America for articles of expository excellence published in Mathematics Magazine. Stahl was recognized for his article, "The Evolution of the Normal Distribution."

NOTABLE ALUMS

During the oppressive heat of summer, many people enjoy the work of 1949 business graduate Bill Braum. Braum built his family ice cream processing business up from a store in Emporia to a 280-restaurant chain found in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and Arkansas. The chain remains the last major ice cream maker to milk its own cows.