Five Wayne State University professors who have distinguished themselves with significant scholarly achievements are being honored with the 2011 WSU Board of Governors Faculty Recognition Awards. The awards are given annually to full-time faculty members who make outstanding contributions to scholarship and learning. Each recipient receives a citation from the board, an engraved wall plaque and a monetary award.

This year's recipients are:

• Abdul B. Abou-Samra, chief of the Division of Endocrinology and professor of medicine, physiology and molecular genetics in the School of Medicine. Abou-Samra, of Canton, is honored for obtaining a T32 postdoctoral training grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health.

• Michael J. Giordano, associate professor in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. A Grosse Pointe City resident, Giordano is recognized for his text, The Art of Meditation and the French Renaissance Love Lyric.

• William A. Harris, professor of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Harris, of Detroit, is honored for his book Birth of a Notion; Or, The Half Ain't Never Been Told.

• Osumaka Likaka, associate professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. A resident of Romulus, Likaka is recognized for his book Naming Colonialism: History and Collective Memory in the Congo, 1870-1960.

• Kypros Markou, professor of music and director orchestral studies in the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. Markou, of Grosse Pointe Farms, is honored for his work as conductor of the London Octave on the Dutton Epoch compact disc American Serenades.

 

Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.