The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois International Programs are pleased to recognize the winners of the 2014 International Achievement Awards.
Established in 2000, the Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement is awarded annually to a distinguished international alumnus or alumna who has helped to better their own nation or the world through their contributions to government, humanity, science, art or human welfare. In subsequent years, the Faculty, Young Humanitarian, Graduate, and Undergraduate awards were created, recognizing the critical role these groups play in promoting Illinois’ identity and exemplifying Illinois’ values as a pre-eminent global university. The winners—who range from alumni, to faculty and students—were celebrated for their work at the annual International Achievement Awards banquet on April 7th, 2015 at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center in Urbana.
The 2014 International Achievement Award recipients are:
Dr. Byung-Ho Chung
Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement (honored in asbsentia)
Dr. Mohammad Babadoost & Dr. Prasanta Kalita
Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement
T. Patrick Walsh
Charles C. Stewart International Young Humanitarian Award
Gregory Damhorst
Illinois International Graduate Achievement Award
Nora Onstad
Illinois International Undergraduate Achievement Award
Recipient Biographies
Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement
Dr. Byung-Ho Chung
Dr. Byung-Ho Chung, a native of South Korea, is the founding director of the Institute for Globalization and Multicultural Studies at Hanyang University. He earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology from Illinois in 1983 and 1992, respectively.
Dr. Chung was honored for his work on social activism and education reform extending throughout East Asia. The founder or co-founder of six civil society social justice organizations, he has focused particularly on the relationship between North and South Korea, promoting multiculturalism and peace and establishing organizations to care for refugees, many of them children. His leadership at Hanyang University and his anthropological research have inspired students and community leaders in efforts for social reform.
Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement
Dr. Mohammad Babadoost & Dr. Prasanta Kalita
Dr. Mohammad Babadoost
Dr. Mohammad Babadoost is professor of plant pathology and extension specialist in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois.
Dr. Babadoost was honored for his work in improving the science of plant pathology and global food security throughout the world, especially in Mexico, Caucuses Region, Central Asia Region, China, and the Middle East. As coordinator of the Library Assistant Program, he has created access to agricultural and educational information to universities and research institutes around the world.
Dr. Prasanta Kalita
Dr. Prasanta Kalita is professor of soil and water resources engineering and is the director of the ADM Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss, also in the College of ACES.
Dr. Kalita is being honored for his efforts in water resources management, which have improved water quality and created pollution control connections spanning multiple continents, as well as his mentorship of students.
Charles C. Stewart International Young Humanitarian Award Winner
T. Patrick Walsh
Patrick Walsh is a founder of Greenlight Planet Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of solar-powered LED lights for the developing world. Walsh was honored for his work with Greenlight. He designed Greenlight Planet's first solar lantern as an undergraduate student after spending a summer in rural India with the campus student organization Engineers Without Borders. The company has so far sold over three million Sun King lamps to off-grid families in South Asia and Africa.
He graduated from Illinois in 2007 with a B.S. in engineering physics and a B.A. in economics.
Illinois International Graduate Achievement Award
Gregory Damhorst
Gregory Damhorst is a bioengineering and medical graduate student at Illinois. He was honored for his research focused on HIV/AIDS, his development of the Global Health Initiative at Illinois, humanitarian work, and interfaith efforts that have aided communities in Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Haiti.
Damhorst received a B.S. in physics in 2009 and an M.S. in bioengineering in 2013, both from Illinois.
Illinois International Undergraduate Achievement Award
Nora Onstad
Nora Onstad is a senior in agricultural and biological engineering at Illinois.
She was honored for her efforts with Engineers Without Borders, which included providing a community in rural Cameroon with clean water. Upon her return to campus, she has demonstrated her leadership and collaboration in continued global water quality work.