Regents adopt retirement memoirs for five faculty members

ANN ARBOR—Five University of Michigan faculty members were given the emeritus title by the U-M Regents at their July 13-14 meeting.

Those retiring are Robin Barlow, professor of epidemiology; Maria Comninou, professor of mechanical engineering; Hani I. Fakhouri, professor of anthropology at the U-M-Flint; Diane M. Kirkpatrick, the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and professor of history of art; and Andrew Koran III, professor of dentistry.

“Within the Department of Epidemiology, Prof. Barlow played a key role in the international health program,” the Regents said. “He not only assisted numerous public health students in identifying and financing overseas internships, but he was also instrumental in soliciting donations from international health graduates for the benefit of the Jan de Vres memorial Fund. Prof. Barlow,” they added, “holds a strong, positive reputation in Europe, North America and the Middle East on issues of public health and development. He published widely on the relationship between these two disciplines and consulted frequently with the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the United States Agency for International Development and other international agencies.” Barlow joined the U-M faculty in 1961.

Comninou joined the U-M faculty in 1974. “Prof. Comninou’s groundbreaking work on interface cracks, for which she was honored in 1978 with both the Henry Hess Award and Alfred Noble prize, inspired a generation of investigators in the area now known as micromechanics,” the Regents said. “Her later work, focusing on wave propagation, elastic contact, fracture, and friction problems and thermoelasticity, earned her the Northwestern University Alumnae Award, the presidency of the Society of Engineering Science, the status of fellow in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and of fellow in the American Academy of Mechanics. Prof. Comninou blended her education in law and engineering to serve as a patent advisor for the Engineering Research Center for Reconfigurable Machining Systems and to develop new graduate courses in patent law and product liability.”

“Upon his arrival at the University of Michigan-Flint in 1972, Prof. Fakhouri assumed responsibility for developing the anthropology major,” the Regents noted. “Later he also developed and coordinated the gerontology minor studies at U-M-Flint. He also initiated the highly successful student international studies program in Egypt, Jordan and Canada, for which students receive academic credit. Prof. Fakhouri’s research and writing focused on the impact of urbanization and industrialization on traditional peasant culture and the new urban trend in Egypt, Islamic political movements in Jordan, and cross-cultural aging among the Arab-American elderly population and their adaptation to retirement.”

“A specialist in contemporary art, including photography, cinema and technological media, Prof. Kirkpatrick has published widely, has two books in progress, and has presented numerous conference papers, all while undertaking educational television productions, guest curatorships and a wide range of media projects,” the Regents noted. “She was a pioneer in recognizing the potential of computer technologies for research, teaching and exhibiting. An artist herself, she established a special rapport with students from the School of Art and Design. As a participant in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, Prof. Kirkpatrick developed electronic exhibitions and multi-media/computer-assisted programs.” She joined the U-M faculty in 1968.

Koran, who joined the U-M faculty in 1968, “has distinguished himself nationally and internationally as a dental scholar, researcher and teacher,” the Regents said. “He has published over 50 journal articles and eight chapters in textbooks. His main research interests have been in the area of biomaterials, including maxillofacial materials and soft denture liners. Within the School of Dentistry, he has provided didactic and clinical instruction at the predoctoral, graduate and postgraduate levels, and served as a member or chair of several master’s thesis committees. Dr. Koran served as director of clinics in 1984-86, assistant dean for clinical affairs in 1986-87 and interim chair of the Department of Prosthodontics in 1996-97.”

Regentsepidemiology