Dove is the author of 11 books of poetry, most recently “Playlist for the Apocalypse: Poems,” published in 2021.

The 2022 Bobbitt Prize marks the 17th time the award has been given. In its lifetime achievement citation for Dove, the Bobbitt jury wrote that “her new collection, as well as [her] dazzling decades-long work in poetry, brings honor to this prize.” The panel also said “Playlist From the Apocalypse” is “quintessential Rita Dove: ethical and lyrical, moving in and out of the whirlwind that is history, playful in her use of form – sonnets, odes, addresses, invocations, aubades – and generous in her gathering of different voices and tribes to her pages.”

The Library of Virginia recognized UVA alumna Katie Couric for her contributions to journalism and literature.

Dove’s other collections include “Thomas and Beulah,” winner of the Pulitzer Prize; “Sonata Mulattica” and “Collected Poems 1974-2004.” From 1993 to 1995, she served as the U.S. Poet Laureate. Dove was also appointed the Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2004 to 2006 and served as a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.

Dove was the editor of “The Penguin Anthology of Twentieth-Century American Poetry” and guest editor of “Best American Poetry 2000,” and has served as The New York Times poetry editor and the editor for The Washington Post’s “Poet’s Choice” feature. Her many honors include the American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Poetry, the Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities, the Wallace Stevens Award, the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts.

A member of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dove has taught at UVA since 1989.

In October, “Playlist for the Apocalypse” won the Library of Virginia’s 2022 Poetry Award.

In the collection, Dove “investigates the vacillating moral compass guiding America’s, and the world’s, experiments in democracy,” according to the prize announcement.

The Library of Virginia also recognized UVA alumna Katie Couric for outstanding contributions to literature and journalism. An award-winning journalist and No. 1 New York Times best-selling author of her memoir, “Going There,” Couric is also the author of two children’s books and “The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons From Extraordinary Lives.”

Couric was the first woman to solo anchor a network evening newscast, serving as anchor and managing editor of “The CBS Evening News” from 2006 to 2011 following 15 years as co-anchor of NBC’s “Today” show. 

American Law Institute Taps 2 UVA Professors

Professors Bertrall Ross and Micah Schwartzman of the School of Law have become members of the American Law Institute, joining 32 colleagues currently affiliated with the ALI, which produces scholarly work meant to update or otherwise improve the law.

The organization includes judges, lawyers and law professors from the U.S. and around the world who are “selected on the basis of professional achievement and demonstrated interest in improving the law,” according to the institute’s website.

Ross, who joined the UVA Law faculty in 2021, is the Justice Thurgood Marshall Distinguished Professor of Law. He teaches and writes in the areas of constitutional law, constitutional theory, election law, administrative law and statutory interpretation.

His research is driven by a concern about democratic responsiveness and accountability, as well as the inclusion of marginalized communities in administrative and political processes.

Schwartzman, who joined the faculty in 2007, is the Hardy Cross Dillard Professor of Law and Roy L. and Rosamond Woodruff Morgan Professor of Law. His scholarship focuses on law and religion, jurisprudence, political philosophy and constitutional law.

Both serve as directors of the school’s Karsh Center for Law and Democracy.

Association Taps Computer Scientist as ‘Distinguished Member’

The Association for Computing Machinery has named 67 Distinguished Members for significant contributions, including Haiying Shen, associate professor of computer science.

Shen, who joined the UVA faculty in 2016, was selected “for outstanding scientific contributions to computing.” Her research interests include distributed systems and networks, cloud and edge computing, distributed machine learning, machine learning applications, cyber-physical systems and smart cities and buildings.

The 2022 inductees were selected by their peers for work that has spurred innovation, enhanced computer science education, and moved the field forward.

The association’s Distinguished Member program recognizes up to 10% of worldwide membership based on professional experience and significant achievements in the computing field. Candidates must have at least 15 years of professional experience in the computing field, five years of professional association membership in the last 10 years and have achieved a significant level of accomplishment or made a significant impact in the field of computing.

UVA Health Honored for Using Technology To Support Patient Care

UVA Health has earned a national “Most Wired” award for its advanced use of technology to bolster high-quality patient care. 

The award is based on a national survey of more than 38,000 health organizations by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, which assesses the adoption, integration and impact of technologies in health care. On a one-to-10 scale, the organization rated UVA Health a Level 8 organization, with its best ratings coming in the categories of clinical quality and safety, interoperability and population management, infrastructure, and security. 

“This award is the result of our organization’s engagement and motivation to excel in all areas,” said Robin Parkin, UVA Health’s chief information and technology officer. “I am very proud of all our health information technology teams, and I want to thank our great partners throughout UVA Health who drive and embrace technology to improve our health care operations and outcomes.”

Technology is used in a host of ways at UVA Health to enhance patient care and protect patients’ health. For example, doctors use artificial intelligence to predict which pediatric patients’ conditions may worsen. AI also identifies patients at risk for dangerous sepsis, which occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection, causing harmful inflammation that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure or even death.

UVA Health soon will implement a tool to connect patients with resources and community organizations, such as food banks, that can help address patients’ social determinants of health. Those are defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources as “the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age” that affect their health. 

Venkataraman Lakshmi To Lead Hydrology Section of the American Geophysical Union

Venkataraman “Venkat” Lakshmi, John L. Newcomb Professor of Engineering in the Department of Engineering Systems and Environment, has been elected an officer of the American Geophysical Union. He will serve as president-elect of the union’s Hydrology Section for a two-year term starting Jan. 1.

The 60,000-member American Geophysical Union’s mission is to “support and inspire a global community of individuals and organizations interested in advancing discovery in Earth and space sciences and its benefit for humanity and the environment,” according to its website. The Hydrology Section has 6,000 members.

Lakshmi specializes in using data collected from space, aircraft and in-place systems, along with hydrological and ecological models, to make observations about the terrestrial water cycle and to better understand weather, climate and ecology. Last year, his research team used global satellite imagery and other open-source information to inform an international water conflict.

He is active in a community of researchers in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the College of Arts & Sciences addressing environmental challenges, including the Link Lab for cyber-physical systems research.

Lakshmi is a fellow of the Geological Society of America, a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He also serves on the Water Science and Technology Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and on the NASA Earth Science Advisory Committee.

UVA Oncologist Tapped To Co-Chair Major Conference

Dr. Linda Martin is one of four prominent physicians chosen to co-chair the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer.

Dr. Linda Martin, chief of thoracic surgery at UVA Health, will co-chair the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer. (UVA Health photo)

The co-chairs work with the association to plan the annual meeting, select program track members and meeting content and serve as ambassadors for international oncologists who attend the meeting.

Martin is chief of thoracic surgery and holds the rank of tenured associate professor of surgery. She is vice chair of the Alliance Respiratory Committee and serves as an investigator in several clinical trials for multidisciplinary care of thoracic cancers. She is the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ representative to the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and is involved in multiple leadership roles to develop and implement cancer surgery standards. She is internationally recognized for her work on enhanced recovery in thoracic surgery, reducing opioid use, and speeding recovery of patients after lung cancer resection.

Engineering Department’s Community Outreach Program Lauded

The “ESE Cares” initiative in UVA’s Department of Engineering Systems and Environment captured the Network for Change and Continuous Innovation’s inaugural Award for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

ESE Cares brings together students, staff, faculty and the greater Charlottesville area by establishing direct relationships with children and families. Initiatives have included presentations about engineering programs like the M3 Program for minority students interested in STEM, the construction of access ramps in the community, and raising more than $10,000 for citizens in need in Charlottesville.

“The ESE Department strives for a community in which all members are acknowledged and appreciated for the characteristics that make us diverse, which has created an innovative, efficient and enjoyable department to learn, work and advance,” said Michelle Busby, the department’s director of operations and the creator and coordinator of the ESE Cares program.

ESE Cares also partners on a Thanksgiving food drive with the African American Pastors Council and conducts volunteer activities and food donations for the Charlottesville Ronald McDonald House.

The Network for Change and Continuous Innovation’s Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award celebrates an individual or team that has led an initiative to create a more just, equitable, diverse or inclusive environment that’s impacted their department, campus or local community.

The network is a community of academic and administrative change leaders who collaborate to share ideas, innovations and best practices. Membership is institution-based and includes representation from higher education leaders across the world.