Two faculty members selected for Henry Russel Award

ANN ARBOR—Two University of Michigan faculty members—Jeffrey A. Fessler and Webb Keane—will receive the University’s Henry Russel Award.

The annual award is given to young faculty members for scholarly achievement and promise. The award will be presented March 14, followed by the annual Henry Russel Lecture given by a senior member of the faculty. This year’s lecturer is Abigail J. Stewart, professor of psychology and women’s studies.

Fessler, who joined the U-M faculty in 1993, is associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, associate professor of biomedical engineering, and associate professor of internal medicine. “His research in tomographic medical imaging, iterative estimation, and statistical inverse problems is absolutely first rate and has given him exceptional visibility in academia and industry at a relatively early state of his career,” noted the selection committee. “Furthermore, his investment in research has in no way compromised his commitment to teaching and service.”

Keane joined the U-M faculty in 1997 as associate professor of anthropology. “His areas of expertise include sociocultural theory, language and culture, ritual and religion, exchange and historical consciousness. His profile in the field of anthropology is among the strongest for a scholar at his career stage. His expressed desire to teach undergraduates—especially in larger courses—has been a warmly received asset to our department. Courses on language and culture, which he has taught at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, are a welcome addition to our own program in linguistic anthropology.”

Both the Henry Russel Award and the Henry Russel Lectureship were established in 1925 with a bequest from Henry Russel of Detroit, who received three degrees from U-M.

Jeffrey A. FesslerAbigail J. Stewartelectrical engineering and computer scienceassociate professor