Parinaz Massoumzadeh, PhD, staff scientist in the Department of Radiology, was one of eight American women chosen to participate in a U.S.-Brazil exchange program to recruit, retain and advance women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The following are among the new faculty members at Washington University in St. Louis: Parag Banerjee, PhD; Danielle Dutton, PhD; Josh Jackson, PhD; Kristina Kleutghen, PhD; Charlie Kurth, PhD; Zhao Ma, PhD; Paulo Natenzon, PhD; Jay Ponder, PhD; Elizabeth Quinn, PhD; and Lucia Strader, PhD. Others will be introduced periodically.

Katie Plax, MD, and The SPOT have received the Promising Practices Award for Promoting Adolescents’ Strengths from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Adolescent Health Partnership Project.

Jeffrey Gordon has been awarded the 8th Danone International Prize for Nutrition in recognition of his outstanding contributions to research on the human gut microbiome, diet and nutritional status.

Washington University, two administrators and a School of Medicine department have received safety awards from the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA) and the National Safety Council. WUSTL was recognized with CSHEMA’s 2011 Complete Safety Program Award of Merit for excellence in the university’s institutional safety and compliance programs.

Dzenana Mruckovski, former public works director for the city of Crestwood, Mo., is the new director of facilities in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, announced Gary S. Wihl, PhD, dean of the faculty of Arts & Sciences and the Hortense and Tobias Lewin Distinguished Professor in the Humanities.

Cassandra Newburg accepts an award at the Cornerstone Celebration in Holmes Lounge April 20. Newburg was being honored for her role as a Calc Peer-Led Team Learning leader this year. Also at the awards ceremony, five students and two faculty members received a Sony VAIO S Series Notebook and technology package as part of the Sony Electronics Scholarship Award.