Accolades: Criminologist, Information Systems Professor Earn Honors

Accolades is an occasional News Center feature that highlights recent accomplishments of UT Dallas faculty and students. To submit items for consideration, contact your school’s communication manager. 

Researcher Recognized for Criminal Justice Work

Dr. Alex Piquero has received the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Bruce Smith Sr. Award for outstanding contributions to criminal justice through his leadership and research.

Piquero, the Ashbel Smith Professor of criminology in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, was honored March 29 at the academy’s annual meeting in Baltimore. The organization describes the honor as its most prestigious award. The work of its namesake paved the way for scholars on policing and criminal justice.

“I am humbled to receive the Bruce Smith Sr. Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences,” Piquero said. “Not only do I join a list of scholars who I have learned from and looked up to over the course of my career, but the award itself is a reflection of what I believe in as an academic: using our scientific research to better inform public policy and practice.”

Jindal School Professor Earns Lifetime Service Award

Dr. William Hefley, a clinical professor of information systems and director of the MS in business analytics program in the Naveen Jindal School of Management, will receive a lifetime service award from the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (SIGCHI) at a conference in May in Glasgow, Scotland.

The award is given to individuals who have contributed to the growth and success of the group and includes an honorarium of $5,000.

Before coming to the Jindal School, Hefley taught at Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a founding member of the Human-Computer Interaction Institute and helped develop a master’s degree program in human-computer interaction. He also has participated in curriculum efforts in SIGCHI and the Project Management Institute.

He and two associates founded the Intelligent User Interface conference series in 1993. Active in SIGCHI conferences, he has led panels and served on conference committees. He also has served on the SIGCHI Executive Committee.

Hefley has been editor-in-chief of the SIGCHI Bulletin, adjunct chair for User Interface Magazine, vice chair for publications and founding editor of Interactions magazine.